Wanted

Day 215 - 8/3/09 - Movie #211

BEFORE: Back-to-back Angelina Jolie films, making the transition to comic-book movies. Yes, this counts, it was based on a comic book. I assure you, there is a method (sort of) to my madness. Unfortunately, the volume on my recording is really low - thanks to Time Warner Cable's new Mystro DVR software, I think. (Did I mention that I hate Mystro?) I used to be able to control the DVR's audio output volume - now, not so much. Anyway, I'll try to judge the movie and not my low-volume recording of same.

THE PLOT: A frustrated office worker learns that he is the son of a professional assassin, and that he shares his father's superhuman killing abilities.

AFTER: Well, that was a slice of awesome! I may not be an expert on action movies, but I know what I like! Damn, this film STARTS with over-the-top action scenes, then says, "Well, how high can we go from here?"

I was right to use this film to transition out of fantasy movies - make no mistake, this is a fantasy film, as realistic as, well, a comic book. There's an attempt to tap the fantasy node on the male brain, by showing an office drone who gets visited by Angelina Jolie, and recruited into a secret society of assassins, who train him (in the style of "Karate Kid") to unlock his ability to slow down time (in the style of "The Matrix") to pull off some impossible, jaw-dropping stunts. Plus, who among us hasn't dreamed of telling off their boss, or smacking their most annoying co-worker in the face with a keyboard?

Since in real life hitmen can't "curve" the path of a bullet, or shoot the wings off of flies, the exaggerated action here is the equivalent of pornography, when compared to real-world sex. Is this a new genre - action porn? There are so many OMG! or WTF? moments in the stunts and special FX, like bullets colliding in mid-air, or when Jolie scoops up our hero in a spinning-out car, that this should give the Mythbusters guys enough material for a whole season's worth of shows - I know they covered a couple of these things already, but I bet they've just scratched the surface.

RATING: 9 out of 10 jars of peanut butter (let the flaming and second-guessing begin...)