Meet Killer and Fox. |
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There is something to be said about respecting the source material. Okay there are about a thousand things that can be said about it, but we don't have time for that (or polite enough ways to express how you shouldn't change the original formula and call it "classic" - Coca-Cola Craig.) The movie "adaptation" for Wanted was released and I quickly went to see it knowing that it would "loosely" be based on the comic book series of the same name (which roughly means the story changed, but the names remained the same and nobody was innocent - Constructive Craig.) I liked it for what I was going into it expecting, a Timur Bekmambetov action movie with a lot of cool visuals and fight sequences. I won't say his work is similar to the Matrix trilogy, I feel he has his own unique style that would be detracted from by making the understandable comparison to the work of the Wachowski brothers. Let me just give you a quick run down on the respective books and movie, Alpha-style.
Try to imagine what the world would be like with superheroes. They live among us and protect us all while trying to teach us about truth, justice and the American way. We, as a society, would become quite dependent upon these god-like beings and would not know what to do in their absence, right? Now with every bit of light, there must be darkness (every rose has its thorn, just like night has its dawn. Just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song. Every rose has its thorn - SOCAL Rocker Craig.) The point is that for every good guy there is a bad guy. Now 
Now meet Universal Pictures's vision of them. |
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imagine all of the bad guys banded together and systematically killed off every good guy in the world. With the moral vacuum formed from the lack of heroes, the villains of the world become the law. And not being content with ruling their own Earth, they may even find ways to invade alternate Earths and wipe out their super hero population. That is the reality in which Wanted the comic book series takes place. Wesley Gibson is a loser who lives with his cheating girlfriend and works in a miserable job for an obnoxious woman with his best friend who is sleeping with his girlfriend. He meets Fox who recruits him into a group of super villains who run the world after receiving word that his father, who was also a villain, was assassinated by a rivaling faction of villains led by Mr. Rictus. Wesley must avenge his father's death while trying to fill the role of The Killer (whom his father was known as in the world of villainy – Comprehensive Craig.) There is a little bit more to it than that, but you get the main premise. Now let's examine the movie.
There have been people of great importance to the world, in positions of great power, who have had lasting effects on society as we know it. Some have had a profound effect simply by dying at the right time in order to exact chance. Some very bad people could have done some very bad things to the world if they had lived. In order to maintain a balance in the world the bad must die so the good can thrive (or to make an omelet, you're going to need to break a few eggs - Culinary 
Won't the real Killer please stand up, please stand up. |
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Craig.) That is what the Fraternity of Assassins was formed to do, break the eggs. Wesley Gibson is a loser who lives with his cheating girlfriend and works in a miserable job for an obnoxious woman with his best friend who is sleeping with his girlfriend. He meets Fox and Sloan who recruit him into a group called The Fraternity of Assassins, who save the world from bad people by killing them. After receiving word that his father, who was also an assassin, was killed by a former Fraternity member gone rouge (the role of Mr. Rictus is limited to some faceless Fraternity member killed from "across the street on a building roof" – Condescending Craig.) Wesley must avenge his father's death while trying to fill his father's role in the Fraternity. It sounds like it should be pretty closely related doesn't it?
Well the movie does start out pretty much echoing the events in the first issue. Everything comes amazingly close to the comic book series (with the exception that Wesley Gibson was modeled after Marshal Mathers/Eminem and Fox was modeled after Halle Berry as Catwoman as apposed to James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie respectively - Correcting Craig) until the character of Sloan is introduced. He is not involved in the comic book and was created in the same manner Rachel Dawes was for BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT. As I stated above, Mr. Rictus isn't given a significant part in the story which is a shame because he is such a great character in the comic book. Instead what 
One of the many things the movie was missing, Rictus. |
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we are left with is a watered down version of the story which paints the characters as the anti-heroes who get their hands dirty so normal folks like you and me don't have to. The Fraternity (also invented solely for the movie - Conscientious Craig) is guided by destiny to kill pivotal people whom a giant loom has foreseen to commit horrible acts upon the world. The Fraternity trained Wesley in a brutal manner, but this still falls short of the harsh hazing his comic book counterpart had to endure, going as far as being forced to rape a woman to prove had had the capacity to be "that evil" when needed. Basically the story for the movie is the equivalent of Coke Zero, but without tasting close enough to the comic book to get sued over likeness rights.
Now I can't take everything away from this movie. Even though the acting is sub-par for the people involved, it is a visually stunning movie. I would say this more closely resembles Bekmambetov's other movies NIGHTWATCH and DAYWATCH. If nothing else, it has got me excited DUSKWATCH, the next movie in the series. I feel this movie will do little to help boost the value of the comic book or bolster interest in it either. I think this is just yet another opportunity for Hollywood to jump on the comic book movie bandwagon while simultaneously putting forth as little creative effort as possible in order to line their wallets, but go on and ask me how I really feel. Thanks for reading true believers, EXCELSIOR!
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| The Alpha Craig |
I am the first and the last, maybe not. I'm 31 years old and still spend my disposable income on comic books. Might as well put it to good use.
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