'Wanted' - The more I see, the more it annoys me...

[clanglee]

But every action movie creates its own "rule sets" You have reality based action, You have silly action, you have fantasy action, etc. In the world that this movie sets up, these people have these special abilities, which allow them to perform these sorts of actions. What's so difficult about that? I, personally, hated the second two Matrix movies by the way. The whole series seemed to me to be written by a 12 year old.

[SRP76]

You have silly action, ...and then you have just-plain-silly. Which is what this movie seems to be. Just a collection of effects, for people to stare at the screen with a glazed look in their eyes, murmuring "coooooooooooool*gurgle*". But then, it's not like that's anything new.

[Danny]

no, it is just taking it to a higher level of piss-take'dom.

[MoonSylver]

Now, Wanted... When - supposedly in a real world (they're not in a computer program are they?) - somehow someone can perfectly judge the impact strength and momentum of one car against another, judging the Z axis roll given by this impact, the Y momentum produced, and manage then to do so - somehow between two independantly driven vehicle - to throw one car perfectly over another such that sun roofs line up....blah blah... It's of course absolutely unbeliavable utter rediculous over the top bollards... I've gotten the impression from the promos that they have some kind of reality-bending abilities, such as when he curves the bullet, shooting directly at Angelina Jolie & causing the bullet to curve around her & strike the target behind. You seem to be making the assumption that this is set in a "Rambo/Lethal Weapon/Die Hard" state of reality (which aren't very real, but I digress...) but I don't believe that's the case. Not to say the movie still might not suck, it still might be just cool effect for their own sake, but at least I do believe there is a "plausible" explanation for them.

[DeadJonas190]

It's actually based of a really good comic, but it looks like they Hollywoodized it for the masses. Anyway, since it is based off of a comic book and not anything in the real world and it is just a movie (something I think may be missed when complaining about it) I have to wonder why it is so unbelievable that things that can't happen in real life can happen in this comic book based movie. Because we all know that the dead walking around and eating the living is realistic... Just making a point.

[Neil]

It's actually based of a really good comic, but it looks like they Hollywoodized it for the masses. Anyway, since it is based off of a comic book and not anything in the real world and it is just a movie (something I think may be missed when complaining about it) I have to wonder why it is so unbelievable that things that can't happen in real life can happen in this comic book based movie. Because we all know that the dead walking around and eating the living is realistic... Just making a point. OK... Let's stick with zombie movies for a second. Why is the Day remake getting slated? One reason is the 'rules - Zombies screaming like godzilla? Zombies climbing up walls etc? The 'rules' are not consistant or fair to the audience. IMHO, a film needs a good consistant set of rules so the audience can 'trust' what their watching, and therefore believe in what they're seeing. If the 'rules' are not fair, or are completely unrealistic, or the characters behave in an outlandish/unbelievable way, then people will not believe what they're seeing on the screen and therefore not care. What makes Romero's zombie films so good? The rules are simple (all you have to do is accept the dead are rising for some reason) and generally the characters behave in pretty believable ways! You therefore have far more belief in what you're watching, so hopefully you care more! From what I've seen of Wanted so far, it seems there is absolutely no explanation of how they can smash two cars into each other so as to lauch one perfectly through the air, spinning it through exactly 180 degrees before it lands... If the 'rules' suggested they had some telekinesis or something, then I'd be more willing to believe it. But it seems that is not the case... Instead they can just do this $hit, and the audience just has to accept it. If the 'rules' are this redulous then the audience is expected to believe anything can happen, so why invest any care in what they see on the screen. It's all a cheat... HOPEFULLY! I'm utterly wrong about Wanted. And infact it works well...

[Danny]

It's actually based of a really good comic, but it looks like they Hollywoodized it for the masses. Anyway, since it is based off of a comic book and not anything in the real world and it is just a movie (something I think may be missed when complaining about it) I have to wonder why it is so unbelievable that things that can't happen in real life can happen in this comic book based movie. Because we all know that the dead walking around and eating the living is realistic... Just making a point. well the problem is it would be like bub in day punching his fist at the sky, being struck by lightning and when the smoke clears hes got a massive blonde perm and is playing a rock guitar solo on the hood of a cadillac, surrounded by naked women and fireworks, and the humans are still just as afraid.

[MinionZombie]

Because we all know that the dead walking around and eating the living is realistic... Just making a point. Well said Jonas, you can't argue with that. Also, Ghey08 is considered a sh*t movie, because it's a sh*t movie - full stop. While yes, some 'rules' of the genre (or common themes in good zombie films anyway) are broken, there aren't many rules to just action in general - which is so wide open it's like a ten dollar whore's legs after chucking out time. There might be common themes in action films - i.e. fast cars, guns everywhere, huge explosions - but beyond that, you don't really have any rules. And likewise, one film's set of rules doesn't necessarily translate to other films within the same genre. Dumb & Dumber and Ghostbusters are both comedies ... but they're totally different. One has two idiots in it, the other has ghosts and slimer and a giant walking Sta-Puft geezer walking around. I'm sure if you two took your notions of "real world rules" that seem to be so picky, and applied them to a whole range of movies, particularly your favourites, those films would then be completely ruined because of such a view. I mean Ghostbusters 2, not as good as 1, but still awesome - they spray pink jizz all over the Statue of Liberty, plug a Nintendo joypad into it, and then walk it through New York - now in reality that structure cannot walk, it is physically impossible, it's not even constructed for that to be possible - but it happens in GB2. "Oh that's a supernatural movie..." you might say, and indeed it is - ergo - it's not based in the real world, like many, many, many, many movies, it is based in a fantasy world. Likewise, Wanted is based in a fantasy world where it's possible to curve the trajectory of a bullet just by flinging the gun a bit when you're firing. This theory of yours about a movie you've never seen doesn't hold up. *sigh*

[Neil]

Likewise, Wanted is based in a fantasy world where it's possible to curve the trajectory of a bullet just by flinging the gun a bit when you're firing. This theory of yours about a movie you've never seen doesn't hold up. *sigh* Maybe... Maybe not... It's all about the fine line of tangability, and general writing... In the scenes I've seen thus far from Wanted:- 1) Hero is in a mall, with some shifty looking guy watching him. Angelina turns up as some eye candy for a minute before shifty guy decides to open fire... Missing every one. Why didn't shifty guy walk up to hero 5 minute earlier and shoot him in the back of the head? Why wait for eye-candy to turn up? 2) Baddy gives chase, somehow keeping up with 400HP of Viper in a delivery truck? Obviously this film obeys the same Hollywood laws of physics that suggest baddy cars can keep up with 500+HP performance motor bikes, but let's go with it.... Baddy cannot shoot heros at all... BUT CAN, under the craziest of condition, manage to bend bullets around a corner to take out their tires when needed... 3) The bending the bullet joke... All bullets are spinning due to riffling. Spinning them more makes them fly MORE straight... But it's a minor annoyance, and doesn't rate highly on my daft'dar to be honest... 4) The car crash one is the thing that has written the film off for me - until I hear/learn otherwise. It's just so outlandishly unbelievable that quite simply it means ANYTHING can happen. Maybe the next stunt involves riding on a scate board and jumping onto a low flying aircraft's wing, before jumping off into a roof top... THAT is actually MORE believable than the bollox we saw with the two cars crashing into each other to make one of them jump... Seriously... AGAIN! Hopefully I'm utterly wrong about the film... Let's wait and see... But I can't be doing with this lazy bollox writing for the sake of contrived unbelievable CGI effects purely for the sake of a CGI effect... Without believability or reasonable rules, it's utterly worthless/soulless...

[MinionZombie]

*clatters noggin against brick wall lined with nails* You should be part of the Labour front bench, at this rate! So you're fine with someone curving the trajectory of a bullet, so it flies directly at someone's head, then curves around them, and then nails the person behind, just by flicking your arm a bit when firing - that you're fine with, which was my point, not that a bullet spins in the air - did I mention that? No, what I did mention was a bullet leaving it's direct trajectory and curving around someone to shoot some behind them - and how you're fine with that, but not a car doing a fun flip. You're full of holes, Neil! Don't go in the water!

[Neil]

*clatters noggin against brick wall lined with nails* You should be part of the Labour front bench, at this rate! So you're fine with someone curving the trajectory of a bullet, so it flies directly at someone's head, then curves around them, and then nails the person behind, just by flicking your arm a bit when firing - that you're fine with, which was my point, not that a bullet spins in the air - did I mention that? No, what I did mention was a bullet leaving it's direct trajectory and curving around someone to shoot some behind them - and how you're fine with that, but not a car doing a fun flip. You're full of holes, Neil! Don't go in the water! I'm not fine with it, but - as I said - it's lower on my daft'dar. If they explained it with some special gun/bullet gizmo that somehow gives them a curved path, I could go with it - They've defined a rule, and as long as it's pretty consistant I'll go with it... It's about suspense of disbelief - Does the film work well enough to make you accept what you're seeing is acceptable/believable? Do the rules basically work and play fair? But the two cars crashing into each other, to launch one perfectly over another vehicle, at just the right speed and with a perfect Z-axis rotation... Hmmm... Had they sat down for months before and tested this? Did they know the structual integrity of the cars involved and the angular momentum required for the desired effect? Blah blah blah... Too many ifs buts and general stupidness required in that example, hence my issue with that specific example... Seriously, how is the car jumping scene any more plausible and less silly than my suggestion of someone skateboarding onto a jet plane's wing, and then jumping from that onto a roof top. Infact, it's less plausible and more daft... But, again, I'll happily wait to see and find out more about it, and hopefully I will be proved wrong, and its not just a bunch of stupid worthless action scenes hanging on a daft, limp, mindless script...

[bassman]

*sticks head through the door* Did somebody say Ghostbusters?? Seriously though....obviously Wanted isn't for everyone. Although I think everyone can agree that it's not going to be the next Ben Hur or Citizen Kane. It is what it is.

[Neil]

It is what it is. *puts hand up excitedly* "Is it Charlies Angels 3 sir? Is it??"

[bassman]

*puts hand up excitedly* "Is it Charlies Angels 3 sir? Is it??" No. Wanted has Morgan Freeman so that instantly sets it a notch above the Charlies Angels films. Even as outlandish as Wanted looks....I still don't think it can reach the levels of crap that the Charlies Angels films maintain(and the director of those films is directing the new Terminator.).

[Neil]

No. Wanted has Morgan Freeman so that instantly sets it a notch above the Charlies Angels films. You'd hope so! Even as outlandish as Wanted looks....I still don't think it can reach the levels of crap that the Charlies Angels films maintain. The thing is Wanted looks more outlandish, more unbelievable and therefore potentially just more daft... Anyway, I've harked on enough... Let's just wait and see me be proved utterly wrong