Plot: What’s it about?
Let me get something out in the open before I continue with this review, I’m absolutely sick of Angelina Jolie. I’ve heard way too much about her, I don’t care who she’s married to and don’t care how many children she has or wants. As an actress, I’ll admit she’s nice to watch on screen and some of her past roles are great to watch, but seeing about her and hearing about her every time I turn on the radio or turn around in the supermarket there she is. Ok, rant officially ended. I will say that it is nice to see her in a major role again, if I’m not mistaken her last one was in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” where she met Mr. Pitt and we all know, in detail, what’s happened since then. But I digress as this is a review of the movie “Wanted” and not a dossier on Angelina Jolie. And in the world of professional assassins, I have to say that “Wanted” is entertaining but at the same time surreal. Well, I use the word “surreal” unless there are people out there who can react with lightning quick reflexes and jump from building to building. No? Ok, it’s surreal then.
Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) lives in a world of hell. His overbearing (and overweight) boss constantly threatens him, his best friend is having an affair with his girlfriend and he’s just unhappy in general. He soon learns, however, that his father (who walked out on him when he was seven days old) has been killed and his inheritance has been transferred to his bank account. Through a series of random events, he meets up with Fox (Angelina Jolie) a member of an exclusive organization known as “The Fraternity.” Having quit his job, Wesley decides to take Fox up on her offer as he’s “trained” (aka having the crap kicked out of him), he starts to pick up some of the traits he shared with his father who was known as one of the best assassins in the world. Wesley does a few hits and as his skill improves, he becomes more engrossed in the world that is “The Fraternity.” Is all of this too good to be true or has Wesley finally found his calling in life?
I’d expand upon the synopsis for “Wanted” but in doing so, might divulge a few plot points that would otherwise ruin it for those that haven’t seen it. And, admittedly, I rather liked “Wanted”. For me, it had some of the elements of “The Matrix” and was more like “Office Space” had that movie delved into the supernatural. Yes, there are fast-paced action sequences and I highly doubt there’s a way to shoot a gun and actually make a bullet curve, but I can’t be too sure. Of all the films that came out during the summer, “Wanted” quietly make around $130 million while films like “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight” took all the glory. I neglected to mention the always affable Morgan Freeman in the role of “Sloan”, his presence makes the movie that much more enjoyable. Yes, “Wanted” might be a popcorn flick, but it’s an interesting way to spend two hours that’s for sure.
Video: How does it look?
I was expecting the best when I popped in “Wanted” in my Blu-ray player, but after seeing it I feel that I didn’t get it. The 2.35:1 AVC HD image certainly looks good in most parts, though there are several scenes that seem grainy and even if the result is intentional, I just wasn’t feeling that I was seeing a Blu-ray that lived up to the potential of the format. There’s one scene later in the film in which the milky white background seems to have some severe noise to it, so much so that it actually made me pause the movie, check the disc and even put in my other player just to make sure it wasn’t an isolated incident. Sure enough, the error was still present. For a big budget Hollywood movie and being released from a major studio (Universal), I have to say that I’m pretty under-impressed as a lot of Universal’s titles are top notch in quality. That said, it’s not all bad with fine details showing us all of the lines on Angelina Jolie’s skin (tattoos) and contrast is generally well-balanced too.
Audio: How does it sound?
While Dolby’s TrueHD tracks seem to dominate, both Fox and Universal have gone the DTS Master Audio route which is more than fine by me. This uncompressed mix is one of the more active I’ve heard and the only way to illustrate a bullet curving around a woman’s head is through the use of surround speakers. All 7.1 channels are active and active for quite some time. Dialogue is pure and clean and the subwoofer certainly gets a workout too. There’s a recurring “theme” if you will of a heartbeat and it’s thrilling to listen to in 7.1 sound. Car chases, exploding rats and more bullets than can be counted all sound amazing in this track. And, as per usual, Danny Elfman’s score is amazing.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Universal’s day and date Blu-ray releases are usually packed with extras and this is no exception. We start off with an alternate opening which I actually preferred to the theatrical opening as well as a few featurettes that give us the history of “Wanted” (Graphic Novel, anyone?), it’s trip to the screen, the casting, the stunts and the cool way in which they made all those bullets curve. There’s an extended scene and Universal’s “U-Control” is present with a picture-in-picture feature as well as some comparisons between the graphic novel and the movie. The disc is also BD Live enabled which allows you to chat with some friends while watching the film. I’m not sure how this will be received, but it’s a novel concept.
