Chundles

Wanted
(c) 2007 Universal Studios
Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common and Angelina Jolie

With a toddler running around the house, I don't get to the movies frequently. I didn't want to blow my wad on a crappy movie, so I had to choose carefully. Indiana Jones and Ironman? Those are DVD movies for me. Wall-E? Maybe that'll be the first movie I take Hannah too. Don't Mess with the Zohan? I probably would've enjoyed that, but it wasn't playing at the theater I wanted to go to. I've always been a fan of (good) Summer blockbusters, so I chose Wanted, a special-effects laden action flick with a good cast.

Since Angelina is a such a big star, and her hotness has the power to sell tickets, the previews made it seem like she (and her sex appeal) was the star of this movie, but that wasn't the case. She had an important role, and she looked good (if a little skinny), but this movie wasn't about her. Regardless, I made the right choice.

James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland) plays Wesley Gibson, an unhappy, unfulfilled, paycheck-to-paycheck numbers cruncher at an unnamed corporation. The only eventful things happening in his life are his best friend banging his girlfriend, and his dump of an apartment that sits within a few feet of the subway tracks.

Early in the movie, Gibson is approached by Angelina's character, Fox, and told about a fraternity of assassins that Gibson's father (who was allegedly killed in the first scene of the movie) was a part of. Gibson, with his pathetic existence and low self esteem, doesn't believe it. Ultimately, he's convinced that he's the only person on earth who can avenge his father's death, so he decides to join the fraternity.

Through a series of brutal training exercises, Gibson hones the skills that lie deep within his DNA. As the ensemble cast trains Gibson to become a killer, the story of the Fraternity unfolds: thousand years old, carries out assignments to restore order to the universe, guided by fate, etc. When his training is complete, Gibson becomes a member of the Fraternity and is given the assignment to find and murder his father's killer.

While McAvoy does a great job playing the unassuming assassin, the real star of Wanted is the special effects. There were some amazing chase scenes, the methods used by the assassins was flat-out cool, and they used some nifty little tricks like making bullets curve like a Barry Zito curveball. I'm no special effects expert, but Wanted brought some new things to the table that will no doubt be copied by others in the next few years.

The story held my interest as well, although the background story of the Fraternity seemed to have borrowed a few elements from The Priory of Sion, detailed in Dan Brown's book The Davinci Code. The Fraternity's history was detailed by Sloan (Morgan Freeman), and even though pieces of it seemed familiar, Morgan Freeman stately voice and stage presence makes it easy to suspend disbelief.

All in all, I enjoyed Wanted, would recommend it to others and look forward to seeing it again when it comes out on DVD. It's a well-made, action packed Summer movie with a good cast, great special effects, and a story that will hold your interest. If you go in with the right expectations, you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 4)