2 of 28

Write now Article Tools

Joining the large amount of movies making the transition from comic book to the screen comes the highly anticipated Wanted. This is one comic book adventure however that is strictly for adults only, from the trailers that were used to promote the movie I really had no idea exactly how adult the movie would turn out to be.

Ex British TV star James McAvoy takes on the leading role as Wesley Gibson a loser who is seemingly on the wrong side of depression at all times, bullied by his employer, betrayed by his girlfriend and best friend; things really are at their lowest for Gibson. When Gibson heads to the pharmacy for anti-depressants he is approached by the stunning Fox (Angelina Jolie) who tells him the father he never really knew he had died the day before, and that the killer is in the very building. Gibson is immediately thrust into the bizarre world of the Fraternity a sort of underground agency that assassinates people who could affect the way the country operates.

What really threw me off about Wanted was the considerable violence that the movie contained, McAvoy spends much of his time upon entering the Fraternity in a bloodied state, nothing to do with enemies, and this state is enforced by the people who are on his side. For a big budget Hollywood movie that covers a genre without really becoming a "genre" movie, Wanted is very out of sorts with other movies of its type. This being said I cannot say I have seen the Wanted comics, but it seems that the transition from comic to movie has resulted in the movie being a heavily toned down version.

There were aspects of the movie I loved and aspects I hated, Gibson's revenge on his boss, and best friend turned love cheat is something that I found most pleasing, there is nothing like seeing the bad guys get their comeuppance in seemingly normal circumstances, giving someone in a similar situation the opportunity to live in hope of one day getting their own upper hand, although I would not recommend the methods that Gibson uses.

What for me was the problem with the movie, is that after Gibson gets his training in pain management from The Exterminator (a weird sort of pest control guy), The Repairman (who does the reverse) played by award winning Hustle star Marc Warren, and meat and chopper freak The Buther; the story just sort of peters off into a load of old nothing. I'd go as far as to say that the movie becomes completely hollow, with no real rhyme or reason to the events and their outcome.

Angelina Jolie's

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Movie reviews: Wanted (2008)?
We want to hear your view. Write now!