WANTED
FIRST 10 MINUTES
First off, it should be noted that I fully expected NOT to like this movie. When I saw the trailer, I figured it would be just a standard shitty run-of-the-mill actioner trying hard to be a stylish, gritty adrenaline-rush, only to end up being another shitty Matrix knock-off, with a dash of shitty Fast & Furious for good measure. And James McAvoy as an action star? Gimme a fucking break.
After the first ten minutes, it appears that I may have been mistaken. Sort of. It certainly has its Matrix influences, but it actually appears to be stylish and gritty in its own right, with some legitimate dark humor. The opening sequence is a doozie of a sequence that let's us know three things right off the bat: 1) It's not gonna be afraid to shed some blood, 2) It's not gonna take itself too seriously (a good thing), and 3) It's not pretending to be realistic. In that sense, it is like The Matrix or even True Lies, as much sci-fi flick as action flick.
You gotta give the movie props for (almost) turning this guy into a bad-ass.
Fortunately, McAvoy appears to have an edgier side to him, and I'm hopeful he'll be good through the rest of the flick. And based on what I've seen so far, my fears from the trailer have been put aside and I'm gonna give the movie a chance.
FOLLOW-UP
Pretty much what I expected. Totally unbelievable and absurd, but who the hell cares? It was fun to watch and interesting to look at. I wouldn't label it a "great movie," but it is what it is, and it's pretty entertaining. (I did think the very ending of the movie was kinda lame, but I won't spoil the lameness for you.)
FIRST 10 MINUTES
This movie makes me feel stressed out but I like it. It's the same kind of stressed out that I felt when watching The Dark Knight or Smokin' Aces, both movies I like. This is the kind of movie where I will tense all of the muscles in my body until the credits roll because that's what these movies do. It's a workout, I'm actually working out right now, multi-tasking.
James McAvoy is so sad and pointless at this moment in time but I have a feeling that he is going to have a point, a big point, really soon. Where's Angelina Jolie? Why is it taking this long to see her? I guess the anticipation is working because I want to continue to watch this to see some Jolie kicking ass and flipping hair. We are watching this in Blu-Ray and we haven't checked the features yet, but I bet some of them are pretty cool. The special effects in this movie are some of the best I have ever seen. There is just the right level of comic book over the top gruesome, so I can actually watch the movie without putting my hands over my eyes!
Do I keep watching this? Yes, I need to see what Angelina Jolie does.
JESS SLEEP METER
(Bri: Poor little Jess was all tuckered out and crashed about ten minutes after writing the ten-minute review. She looks so peaceful.)
FOLLOW-UP
Someday maybe.