Posted by
Emmett of the Unblinking Eye on Tuesday, July 01, 2008 2:07:12 AM
So what can you say about
Wanted
, the latest
Angelina Jolie epic. Oh, and
James McAvoy, too, but after all, he's just in it in a futile attempt to drag women into a movie they clearly will not enjoy. The draw for the target audience -- any red-blooded American male (cross out the American) from 15 to 105 -- is Angelina Jolie. She is, quite simply, the most photogenic actress in the world, and maybe the most photogenic since
Ingrid Bergman and
Lauren Bacall. And you get to see her tattooed and naked from the back. Not that that matters.
But is it worth seeing? Sorta. First, there's Angelina Jolie -- did I mention that you get to see her tattooed and naked from the back? As Fox, the chief trainer of a gang of assasins called the Fraternity that's been hanging around righting wrongs and curing injustice for a millenium, Jolie gets to establish herself as an action star and does a very good job. So do McAvoy, as the son of the greatest assasin ever, and
Morgan Freeman as the mysterious Sloan.
Now if you're looking for a cogent script, a tight plot and logical character development, you're probably looking in the wrong place. But if you're looking for tremendous special effects (I particularly liked the keyboard to the mug scene), nearly constant action, seeing Angelina Jolie naked and tattooed from behind, and that good old ultra violence, Wanted may be the movie for you. And remember, it is rated R, with all that that entails.