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Massawyrm WANTED To Love It But Only Liked It!!
Hola all. Massawyrm here.
I hate the phrase “fun summer movie.” It always seems like a backhanded complement used by film critics who don’t seem to actually LOVE movies. They like them alright and love really, really great ones. But summer movies? That’s nothing but a series of lowest common denominator remainders, or to crib from Cameron Crowe hamburgers for the apocalypse. Right? Well as a big fan of popcorn chomping fare, I appreciate a good time when I see one. And while it pains me to even type the words, there are few other words that apply so well. Wanted is none but pure, unadulterated, big screen, fun summer fare.
Wearing its influences on its sleeve, much like its direct competition Wall-E, Wanted draws from the genre and counter culture explosion of the turn of the century (the recent one.) The Matrix, Fight Club, as well as the work of John Woo and Luc Besson all find themselves liberally borrowed from for this superhero, comic book bad boy romp through a universe predicated with ultra violence. And while it takes its inspiration from a number of great sources, it doesn’t give back enough to become greater than a sum of its parts.
It’s just fun. A loud, beautiful, visually arresting good time that blows shit up, blows heads clean off but won’t ever blow your mind. I can see the criticism here clear as day. The people that don’t dig this are gonna tear it up. And I can’t really defend it. While not flawed enough to constitute guilty pleasure viewing, this is by no means terrible nor a masterpiece. It’s a romp, a candy coated explosion of ass beating meant for mass consumption and nothing more.
The acting is about what you’d expect from a director’s first effort at English-as-a-second-language filmmaking. Given some of the better working actors of the day, everyone is passable even when they’re not given much to do. Jolie is oddly cast as the beautiful, deadly sidekick assassin and is party to some of the films better action scenes. But as her strong suit really is dialog, it seems weird to see her playing the “Ray Park” mostly silent actiony type. It’s kind of disconcerting – not because she’s bad in any way, but mostly because she seems like too big a name to be used as glowering set dressing in so many scenes.
The real treat here is James McAvoy who stands out as a solid lead and proves that he can handle the big budget Hollywood style stuff as well as he handles the period pieces and indie funded Oscar movies. He gives off a vibe that leads me to believe he’s about to become the next Colin Farrell - a really talented, good looking actor who goes from great indie stuff into more mainstream roles. Here’s hoping he can avoid overexposure and maintain the level of quality we’ve seen from him in the past two years.
But there’s not really much else to say about this. It’s a comic book movie carrying with it R rated sensibilities. It’s easy enough to dismiss as it really doesn’t bring much new to the table aside from some stunning action sequences, but will prove entertaining enough for folks to just as easily dismiss the criticism with a “Shutup, I like it.” It is the very definition of a matinee movie. I’m not gonna tell anyone to run out and see it, but those that do will find themselves watching an edge of your seat actioner with enough clever set pieces to entertain you for an afternoon. But you won’t be rushing out to see it again right away.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
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Meh... not what I thought it be like...
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Night Watch and Day Watch are surprisingly... watchable, though. I'll catch this.
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I hear James MaCavoy is retiring from movies for a while which makes me wonder if this shit pile, sorry fun summer blockbuster put him off!?
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from her post-orgasm vagina and then you put it in an ice cube tray and then put it in the freezer and let it freeze then you take it out of the freezer and coat it in chocolate cream and freeze it again then take it out and suck on it.
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That really pisses me off if they are good guys.
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So that means he's gonna take any role offered to him, for any price, act terribly in the films, not care about the quality of the films he's in or the talent of the people around him, act like a psuedo-bad boy in public to garner attention, and then float away into oblivion as a has-been after only a few years in the biz? Not something to aspire to, James.
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I thought that the comic was a train wreck, with no likable characters at all. I'm curious to see if they salvaged something out of it.
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Even seeing this movie for free I felt ripped off. I laughed my way through the Death Race preview which preceded it, but in retrospect that shit heap looks better than WANTED turned out to be. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but asking the audience to swallow the giant turd which this movie forces down your throat is another. I mean, they get their killing assignments from a loom. A FUCKING LOOM. Oh, I mean THE LOOM OF FATE, my bad. Worst movie I've seen in years.
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Ewan McGregor must be kicking himself for taking too long of a break from acting. Sound like James McAvoy picked up nicely were Ewan left off. Will see how long it take McAvoy to star being in ever movie ever made like Ewan started to do.
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...biggest stars in the world, yet judging by her choice of roles, and the performances they allow, one would never guess that.
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...so, shutup!
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when a comic books movie reminds you more of The Matrix and Fight Club, than the ACTUAL Graphic Novel it was based on.
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Poor MaCavoy! BTW, Wanted always sounded retarded, but sometimes going to the movies only to watch, not to think, is a good idea.
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The movie Wanted had me really excited. It is based on one of the best graphic novels ever written. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't have the goods. See, in the book, Wesley is knowingly brought into a group of bad guys. (we'll call them supervillians) He knows they're evil from the start. He embraces it. At the end of the movie he kills his father. Not unknowingly but because he wants to take his place as the baddest motherfucker in the world. He embraces his destiny as a super villian. He becomes the bad guy.
As violent and curse-word laden as the movie version is, it doesn't have the balls to not become another moral driven, bullshit, popcorn movie, where the main character ultimately makes the right choice. In the book it's based on, he chooses the side of evil. He becomes the "Killer". That's what made it cool. Oh, yeah, and the Fox was a black girl...and she survives.
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is based on short shoots and lotsa money so she can get back to her humanitarian work, which she clearly vlaues more than acting. Since I don't like her as an actress and am impressed by her being one of the few stars who puts their money where their mouth is politically, I think she's made the right choice.
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Lots of fun, reminded me of a blend of two of the best movies from the spring of 99: "The Matrix" and "Office Space".
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Thats what I want. Joile's boobs, bullet-bending, and cars.
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Critics love Wanted and shrug off Hancock, but Massawyrm has to be so counter-culture and do the opposite.
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...is for Jolie to be even hotter in person / on screen than the animated version of her in Beowulf.
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Fucked up the whole last half. I was bored through much of the first half. Trying too hard with the beatings. Then when the second half kicked in I thought whoa the fun's gonna start. And then the fairly lame attempts at surprising twists. Yeah, they were surprising; because they didn't hang together logically, required characters to act inconsistently, and made you lose or dislike just about everybody. And they overdid the he's-a-loser-just-like-you-in-the-audience to such a degree I wouldn't be surprised if some viewers felt they were being dissed. Was sooo looking forward to this, without any idea re where it would go with the story. But I'd seen it all before. The story, that is. Some new visual tricks. But the story was an amalgam of other movies, some done well and some done badly. This borrowed plot elements that don't mesh together and did it badly. Worth seeing, yes. Love it. No. Like it. sorta, but not really. Disliked more than liked.
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ultimately, every character was repulsive, including the lead. It's a terribly cynical and even nasty-spirited work, completely anti-superhero and anti any hero. However clever in bits it left me angry, not enlightened or such. Now if you out and out hate superheroes, you'll love it and enjoy your wank. But one of the best graphic novels ever? Hah. Not in this universe. Waid has had some great runs on traditional superhero books, but Wanted was a jerk-off fest excuse to use swear words and just go wild with being amoral. A B- at best. And the film looks like a Netflick rental at best, not $10-$12, plus possible parking and food crapola at a theater.
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Was just reading some stuff by Waid....
Go ahead and lambast the brain cramp, I expect it here. -
have no redeeming features whatsoever. It is happening more and more. Its like studios are saying. lets take this guy who is being verbally beaten up, who is worthless, spineless, who is constantly being bettered by everyone. He is inducted by a brutal iniaition into Morgan Gang and yet by the end, he is cynical, pissed off man, who doesnt give a crap anyone or anything. I am not going to give anything. Please stop making characters that I cant care about. really stop. I am sick of looking at films with characters who have no redeeming features at all. I know people hate moral movies. That final piece to camera by james McAvoy at the end. is supposed to makes us feel what exactly. Here is a man who patently desnt care. Say whatever you like about will smith. At least he brings a positive vibe to every role he plays and Hancock looks fun. Wanted while had style, verve, etc as i have pointed out. It was a mindless, empty and I wouldnt want to sit through it again.
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