Another thing I enjoyed about the film is the way Wesley's powers are explained, in such a simple yet realistic way. All it is his heart beating at such an accelerated rate that his body becomes pumped with so much adrenaline that time seems to slow, boosting his strength and reflexes to allow him to perform the amazing stunts he pulls. All the members of the Fraternity possess this same power, so Wesley is not really that special. But seeing it in action is still rather cool to watch, especially when the bullets start flying.
Admittedly, there are some things in the film that are rather predictable, as they usually are in action films. The best example of this is Fox telling Wesley the point of the Fraternity's mission via a story of a little girl who was forced to watch her judge father killed by a hitman. It's pretty obvious where the point of the story is going and who Fox is really talking about, but it's still rather touching and in its own way and manages to do its job of getting Wesley to do what he's supposed to be doing. And as for the other predictable things that happen, like a Fraternity assassin realizing he's being set up at the beginning of the movie, they may be predictable to figure out, but you can't help but enjoy watching the scene play out.
A lot of folks, especially the more die-hard comic books fans, are no doubt already irked by the major change to the original story, replacing the supervillains with assassins. It sounds like something Hollywood would have done years ago before getting serious about doing comic book-based movies. But as I mentioned, it does seem to work in the film's favor, bringing a more “real world” edge to the film. Even the series' original writer and creator Mark Millar admits he doesn't mind the change, as he had planned to remove the costumes the characters wore in the comic but it didn't work out that way. And when you think about it, why have supervillains running around in costume when there are no heroes to fight? Fortunately, some comic book-type elements still remain, such as the superpowers and action carried out, as well as the nutrient healing bath and the loom that gives the Fraternity its orders. Not to mention the code-names used by the various members, such as Fox, Repairman, Butcher and Exterminator. This aspect of the film version, I think, will be an iffy subject, but still seems to work in my opinion.
Does “Wanted” seem like another pointless action movie? To some, certainly, but to those who enjoy a good story with plenty of incredible violence (yeah, I'm talking to the majority of the male population), this is a great watch. And given all that action and violence, this is one you have to watch in the theater where it can be truly enjoyed on the big screen.
Released by: Universal Pictures
Starring: James McAvoy (Wesley Gibson), Angelina Jolie (Fox), Morgan Freeman (Sloan), Common (Gunsmith), Thomas Kretschmann (Cross)
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
Rating: R
Score: 8 out of 10
