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OK… So it’s been a while since the release of Wanted. Been even longer since the previews came out of course, but that’s how far back i’m gonna reach with this review. Seems to me like the previews are often what makes the movie. I know that sounds weird, but think about it a bit. If you havn’t seen something yet, and didn’t know about it til ya saw a commercial for it, you are investing a lot in your opinion of that commercial. Where am i going with this? I’m not sure i completely know myself, but i suppose it’s to say, whatever your opinion of the commercials of this movie are, it’s probably worth checking out… at least if you like action movies.

Here is why…

First off, if you saw the commercials/ previews you are probably thinking this is just another Matrixesk movie that is trying to cash in on just being a spectacular over the top violence fix for violence addicts. Not that there isn’t a fair amount of that, its just that there is a bit more to be a fan of in this movie.

The first bit of fun stuff is the voice of the movie. It makes a big effort early on to put itself in the vein of Fight Club with frequent voice overs by the main character. Voice overs can be tricky. They can take you out of the mood of a scene, by being overly dramatic or sounding talentless, but i mention Fight Club because it was an example of a pretty good one. Wanted drops you directly in the head of the main character, and if you like him or not, he makes the movie feel nowhere near the brainless violence that is usually sold to us in this genre. He’s not a particularly friendly guy. He’s not a particularly successful guy. His life is pretty much out of his hands, and he seems comfortable with the misery that is created by that. I’m not trying to say that this kind of character is new, it’s just much more interesting hearing it all from his perspective. It also makes things a little more satisfying when things start to change for him.

The changes start when some interesting characters violently push there way into his life. These characters are another fairly strong aspect to the movie. Angelina Jolie does an excellent job creating a genuinely intimidatingly unintimidatable character. Morgan Freeman as always does an excellent job being a calm and in control leader and man of mystery. Also, side characters have decent, unique flavor to them. Together they create an atmosphere that you can imagine the lead character getting excited to be around. If anyone can help him break his own mold its these guys.

Unfortunately with all the pieces in position it gets into some weak territory through the middle of the movie. The main characters training process starts out interesting enough, but the story goes nowhere for quite a while. Eventually there are some good plot twists but for some people they will seem painfully obvious. Useful information early on seems so underplayed and underexplained that when it comes time to use it as a plot point it falls short. Quality storytelling isn’t this movie’s strength.

It all comes back around with the action though. There are scenes that are intense, exciting and inventive enough hook you into the flow of the movie again and again. There is a definite “Whoa, that was cool” factor. Its almost enough to make you ignore all of he weaknesses.

What it all comes down to is this:
Its not the best movie in the world, and it uses a lot of elements from other successful action movies, but the overall flavor and feel of the movie makes it different enough to be worth a view. Action movie diehards will no doubt enjoy it, but people who expect a seamless story will leave the theater disappointing.

Final Grade:
Solid B (85 outa 100) from an action movie fan.