Wanted review
Jun. 28th, 2008 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearFirst of all, let me say - Weaselbitch, do not go to see this film - the rats do not fare well at all!
It was good, and it was interesting; a lot of it was rather clever, some moments were quite funny, and there were several excellent performances, but I'm not sure it would be correct to say I enjoyed it. From watching the trailer and reading reviews, I thought it would be cool and exciting - and the action sequences were, for the most part, of the kind that would generally be considered cool, but for some reason they didn't engage me. I felt quite detached from the film all the way through, and I think that had most to do with the tone.
There are action movies that are just over the top and silly, which you watch for pure enjoyment and don't think about the consequences. And then there are action movies that have more weight to them and the violence has more impact to make you have an emotional reaction to what's going on. Wanted was kind of a mixture of the two - it treated its action as entertainment, but then also tried to make you think about the morality and emotional impact of what happened, and that's where it lost me. The touch of seriousness ruined my enjoyment of the action, but the silliness of the whole premise undermined the import of the questions the film asked.
There was also a moment where I referenced a classic cliche as a joke, and then it actually happened, which was a little disappointing.
Still, James MacAvoy continues to impress with his range, and it's always nice to see Morgan Freeman being wise. Angelina Jolie doesn't do it for me at all, but I can see how other people might find her appealing, and she was right for the role she played. It's also good, for us Westerners at least, that Timur Bekmambetov has successfully crossed the pond, and satisfying to see that he's kept a mostly Russian crew with him on the journey.
It was good, and it was interesting; a lot of it was rather clever, some moments were quite funny, and there were several excellent performances, but I'm not sure it would be correct to say I enjoyed it. From watching the trailer and reading reviews, I thought it would be cool and exciting - and the action sequences were, for the most part, of the kind that would generally be considered cool, but for some reason they didn't engage me. I felt quite detached from the film all the way through, and I think that had most to do with the tone.
There are action movies that are just over the top and silly, which you watch for pure enjoyment and don't think about the consequences. And then there are action movies that have more weight to them and the violence has more impact to make you have an emotional reaction to what's going on. Wanted was kind of a mixture of the two - it treated its action as entertainment, but then also tried to make you think about the morality and emotional impact of what happened, and that's where it lost me. The touch of seriousness ruined my enjoyment of the action, but the silliness of the whole premise undermined the import of the questions the film asked.
There was also a moment where I referenced a classic cliche as a joke, and then it actually happened, which was a little disappointing.
Still, James MacAvoy continues to impress with his range, and it's always nice to see Morgan Freeman being wise. Angelina Jolie doesn't do it for me at all, but I can see how other people might find her appealing, and she was right for the role she played. It's also good, for us Westerners at least, that Timur Bekmambetov has successfully crossed the pond, and satisfying to see that he's kept a mostly Russian crew with him on the journey.
