Someone behind the scenes wisely realized that brilliant Russian director Timur Bekmambatov could turn the movie adaptation of Mark Millar's graphic novel Wanted into cinematic eye candy. This someone must have been very astute, since before Wanted, Bekmambatov's brilliance shone only in the little-seen, hard-to-decipher, subtitled vampire films Day Watch and Night Watch. Through the magic of special effects, Bekmambetov makes bullets curve, cars fly, assassins leap impossible distances, and James McAvoy sexy (okay, cheap shot -- but he does go from zero to hero in the span of an hour). It's violent, silly, deadpan funny, and a helluva ride.
The concept is this: McAvoy plays Wesley, a wimpy loser recruited by a mysterious Fraternity of assassins who get their killing orders from an ancient loom (no, really), whose members include the feral, silent Fox (Angelina Jolie) and are led by Sloan (Morgan Freeman) -- but things are not quite as they seem, as Wesley learns.
Extras: Five featurettes highlight the making-of, from casting to visual effects to stunts. Watching the filmmakers create some of the most stunning set pieces to come along since The Matrix is a treat.
Also New This Week:
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian This dark sequel finds the Golden Age of Narnia extinct, and the land under the control of the evil King Miraz.
Step Brothers Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are two lazy leeches who work together to reunite their parents.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe 10 years after the first movie version of the show, Fox and Mulder are back to seek the truth again.
The Longshots Ice Cube stars in this family film, a true story about a young girl who becomes the local football team's quarterback.
