Wanted DVD: Review By B. Alan Orange

Timur Bekmambetov brings his manic energy and unique visual style to this searing adaptation of the Mark Millar comic book. The film stars James McAvoy as a worthless lout prone to saying, "I'm sorry!" Every time he doesn't meet the exceedingly low expectations of those around him. He has been experiencing immobilizing panic attacks ever since he can remember, and it make his job a giant untamable mess of stress. His best friend is having an affair with his girlfriend, his boss loathes him, and he lives in Elwood Blues' old apartment. Basically, his life sucks. Then he discovers that his dad was a highly trained assassin that has been killed by an elite organization. Like a cult, the other assassins take the young man in and start to harness his skills. Come to find out, his panic attacks aren't really that at all. He actually possesses the power to curve bullets. And with this power, he becomes an unstoppable killing machine. The screenplay's first act is full of bravado action sequences and killer edits. There are a couple of great shoot outs, one of the best car chase scenes of the year, and two excellent sequences involving a commuter train. The second act starts to lag a bit, but it's the only real stretch of true storytelling that we get. There is an Empire Strikes Back twist that brings the thin plot to its rousing conclusion, and by the end you certainly feel as though you've gotten your money's worth. This is a big screen film, and that's the best place to watch it. It looses something on a smaller TV. And the screenplay grows rather lean the second and third time through. Once you get past all the whiz-bang excitement, you definitely start to see the film's flaws. And there are many.

This particular DVD includes a digital copy of the film for downloading to your computer or personal digital entertainment device. There are no extra features on the first disc. The second disc contains an extended scene that revolves around Common teaching McAvoy's Wes to shoot people by firing live rounds into a couple of cadavers. He ends up blasting a set of false teeth out of an old lady. There is a pretty mediocre featurette about the cast and characters. We get to see how they did the L train stunts. There is a featurette on the special effects entitled "The Art of the Impossible". It reveals the secrets behind the film's often used bullet time effects. They follow this up with a look at executing the imagination behind the screenplay. And there is a mini-doc on the origins of the Mark Millar comic book upon which the film is based. Timur Bekmambetov gives an in-depth onscreen interview. There is a making of Wanted: The Game. And There is a music video for "The Little Things" that is basically a montage of quick clips from the film.

The transfer is gorgeous. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1. Color. Dual Layer. The running time is 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Presented in English, Spanish, and French Dolby 5.1. It is also presented in English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0. Subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, and French.

The cover offers a slight variation on the original theatrical 1-sheet. Angelina Jolie looks sexy, curving a bullet off the title. James McAvoy stands behind her, stunned. The bullet and title are embossed in metallic 3D, and it certainly is eye catching. There is no mistaking this 2-disc special edition for the standard one-disc release. The back offers a handful of stills from the film itself. We get a nice shot of Angelina's back tattoos and a lot of guns.

This was one of the best action adventures released this summer, and it certainly looks good on DVD. If you haven't seen it yet, you will be stunned by its pulsating energy and its high octane thrills. If you've already seen it, you might be surprised how it doesn't really stand up to repeat viewings. The story is thin. Though, the fast moving thrills certainly keep it afloat. You'll probably want to own it, but I don't see you returning to it as often as you might think.