Oof. That opening narrative. Yikes. It\u2019s Tyler Durden, Patrick Bateman, all \u2018dem guys. There\u2019s usually something of worth in the satirical element of those \u2018Literally Me\u2019 type of movies, but here? Not so much. James McAvoy is a good actor, don\u2019t get me wrong, but he fits this role about as well as a bottle of water fits an energy socket. Didn\u2019t like that nonsensical simile right there, hm? Well, neither did I, but I\u2019m leaving it there for all to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
McAvoy plays Wesley Gibson, just your average, downtrodden office boy who gets constant abuse from The Man, or this case, the Woman, with Lorna Scott playing Gibson\u2019s grossly stereotyped boss Janice. But then Angelina Jolie\u2019s manic pixie girl comes into the picture to inform Gibson that he\u2019s a special boy, and he doesn\u2019t need to keep doing this dreary office shiz, because he\u2019s unique. Like, lethal assassin killer unique. Hooray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve got the Fight Club<\/em> shtick loud and clear with Gibson\u2019s irritating angsty monologues (McAvoy\u2019s American accent attempts have improved since this flick, but his voice in this particular film\u2019s just plain scratchy and irritating). It\u2019s also difficult to see how Wanted <\/em>didn\u2019t take some heavy influence from The Matrix<\/em> when it came to the editing department. Watching a bullet magically flying around a corner might look cool to the uninitiated, but nothing\u2019s ever going to match the moment when Neo limbo dodges a flurry of bullets in shades and a chic trench coat. Wanted<\/em> apparently suffered scheduling difficulties with special effects, and the final product just looks a bit lazy when the Wachowskis achieved so much more with technology around seven years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morgan Freeman makes a cameo here too, which is nice. Ultimately though, nobody really stands out in the OTT plot. It\u2019s nasty and graphic, and deliberately so, but there\u2019s nothing to enjoy with the hyperbolic cuts and drab voiceover. There\u2019s a bit of Trainspotting<\/em> vibing near the end where a fourth wall Gibson says he used to be a loser \u2018just like you\u2019, but be assured, McAvoy ain\u2019t got nothing on McGregor here. Choose a darkly comic narrative with a great screenplay and even greater characters. Not this substandard, schlocky action flick with joyless vibes and an even more joyless screenplay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Oof. That opening narrative. Yikes. It\u2019s Tyler Durden, Patrick Bateman, all \u2018dem guys. There\u2019s usually something of worth in the satirical element of those \u2018Literally Me\u2019 type of movies, but here? Not so much. James McAvoy is a good actor, don\u2019t get me wrong, but he fits this role about as well as a bottle … <\/p>\n