Film review: Wanted

Wanted @ IMDB

What's been great about this Summer Blockbuster season is how good and< popular the Comic Book Films have been. But what has also been great is how they've stuck close to the original stories and really respected the< creators and their creations.

Then we get to Wanted.

Wanted the comic written by Comic Legend Mark Millar with art by the incomparable J G Jones. It pains me to say that I haven't read it yet but I do know it's about a young man who finds out that his Father was a super-villain who, years ago, had banded together with other super-villains, killed all the heroes and took over the world.

Wanted the film is about a young man who finds out his Father was a member of a covert team of assassins who kill people.

Bit of a tonal shift there.

Importantly, the creators were aware of the changes and had no problems with them. Bit of a shame, but lets look at the film on it's own merits.

What we have here is a throwback to the days when Riggs and Murtagh ruled the Box Office. You've got violence, gun play and swearing. Considering the amount of marketing the film is getting, it's quite surprising. But that's okay, because we like good looking gun play is Casa Del Doyle and we get plenty of it in this film. What with the majority of the characters being semi-mystical assassins being able to bend bullets round corners this is pretty much of a given. The film delivers in spades with some great set pieces, from the opening roof top leap to the trigger happy showdown.

So, as eye-candy goes not a problem. All action boxes get ticked (or blown to shreds) so no issues there at all.

The issue with have is when people open their mouths and talk* and the plot rears it's ugly head. It's your basic revenge story with a twist thrown in. It's not that the acting is bad, everyone acquits themselves. James McAvoy makes for an interesting lead, Angelina Jolie finally gets to be in a film where she doesn't have to hide her tattoos.

It's not bad, but it's not great either. But there is one big stumbling block.

It's called The Loom of Fate.

The assassins get all their targets by interpreting threads woven in cloth by The Loom of Fate.

The Loom of Fate.

If you can get past that, the film is very enjoyable. If you can't get past that, the film falls apart.

I just about got past it and had a great time.

Loom of Fate.

I really need to read the comic.

In a word? Loom.





* I say that but when Morgan Freeman opens his mouth and says "Shoot that Motherfucker" it is pretty good.

Two and bit weeks in: The PS3 Update

It's awesome.

Maybe it's because I've had a couple of years in the console wilderness but it's awesome having a PS3.

The last console I had was an X-Box and I swapped that for my Brother-in-Law's DS way back in 2006 so it's been a long time of handheld gaming.

I love having a Blu-Ray player, especially with my awesome new TV. I love having wireless controllers. I love being able to download demos off the PlayStation Store. I love being able to buy full games off the PlayStation Store. I love linking my PSP up to the PS3 via wireless.

I haven't got much into the online game stuff yet. I do have some online games (GTA IV and Metal Gear Solid 4) but haven't got into them yet.

The updates are a bit annoying. That's one reason why I haven't played Metal Gear online yet is because you have to download a big update before you can play it. Some of the games install themselves as well does take a while. It's not a problem but it is there. The install on Metal Gear was fine though, as during the whole time it was installing ('bout ten minutes) Solid Snake was stood on screen smoking endless cigarettes whilst health warnings about smoking came up on the screen.

Games wise, my opinions so far are as follows:

GTA IV

Brilliant. Still GTA but amazing.

Metal Gear Solid 4

A fresh kind of madness. Looks amazing, makes no sense.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

Giant robots smashing each other up. Brilliant.

Burnout Paradise (borrowed)

Looks stunning, plays just as good. The open sandbox nature of the game should be confusing but isn't.

Heavenly Sword

Game is fun but the best thing about them is the cut-scenes. Directed by Andy Serkis, they are stunning. Shame the game can't quite keep up. Completed it as well.

Uncharted

Great action game, loads of fun, nice characters and looks great.

All in all, having a PS3 is ace.

Film review: The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk @ IMDB

You know what? I like Ang Lee's Hulk film. Sure, it was goofy as hell but then so were the comics. I went to the cinema to see it and found it quite refreshing after the glut of X-Men inspired films with people wearing dark leather costumes and all that.

It was silly. And a bit talky.

Not any more though.

Hot on the heels of the brilliant Iron Man film we get a 'rebooted' version of the Hulk, this time with 20% less talking and lots more smashing. A lot more smashing.

The plot is, as ever, Bruce Banner on the run trying to not to get angry because when he does he turns green and smashes stuff whilst running from the army who want to turn the Hulk into a weapon. Those who have glanced at the Internet will recall that the current Mr Banner, Ed Norton, fell out with the studio because he wanted the film to be a 2 and a half hour character piece and the studio wanted a 90 minutes lean mean (green) action machine.

So what do we get?

We get a good film. It cracks along, the acting is good and there's no freaky transitions that draw you out of the film. It does brush over the character stuff, which will hopefully mean there will be a Director's Cut when it comes out on DVD.

You do, or at least I, want them to get deeper into the Hulk/Banner conflict. But this isn't possible because they don't let the Hulk speak. One of the defining aspects of the comic is that Hulk hates Banner. Hates him. Says it all the time. Not in the film and when you lose that you lose a bit of the dynamic between Banner and the Hulk.

This is what happens when the Hulk is based on the TV show and not Peter David's legendary run on the Hulk comic.

But the reason why you go see a Hulk film is not for the talking but for the smashing. Which is great. Really great. The Hulk looks great. Him smashing stuff looks great.

You also get the Hulk fighting a decent enemy in the Abomination. This is where some comic films suffer in that there is no decent villain for the hero to be let loose on (Superman Returns, I'm looking at you). But not here. Here we have a grumpy Tim Roth getting the Super Solider Serum and going toe to toe with the Hulk. That bit is great and is a good indication of what the Captain America film might be like. Then his transformation really begins and we get to see some excellent trashing of New York.

So. I don't have a problem with this film, it's not as good as Iron Man but better than any of the previous Marvel films (excluding Spider-Man). There are loads of Easter eggs for the fans, much like the end of Iron Man.

It bodes well for the future of Marvel's current crop of movies.

In a word? Smashing*.






*Sorry, but you knew that was coming.

Uh-oh

Someone can't let go of the character.

DVD Collections I Need to Get Round to Completing At Some Point

1) John Carpenter

Looking pretty good so far but missing Dark Star, Halloween, Prince of Darkness and Memoirs of An Invisible Man. You may mock that last one but I went to the cinema to see it and I liked it. The music is awesome.

Seriously.

2) Alec Baldwin

I've got The Royal Tennenbaums which has the excellent narration from The World's Greatest Actor, also Glengarry Glen Ross with Baldwin making The World's Greatest Ever Cameo. Not enough. I need to buy a copy of The Departed, rather then keeping my friend Ryan's copy (even though he has had my copy of Army of Darkness for at least 4 years). Also Team America as I'm almost 73% sure he did the voice for his own puppet in that. And The Shadow.

What?

3) Batman

Topical, this one. Haven't a single Batman film. Bit poor that. Roll on the Blu-Ray releases.

4) Kevin Smith

Looking at my shelves, shockingly light on Smith DVDs. I've got the US version of Mallrats with the great commentary, Dogma, Clerks Animated and Clerks 2 but no Chasing Amy, no original Clerks. My geek head is hung in shame.

5) Criterion

For those in the know, Criterion make the best DVDs. The best. And my sole Criterion DVD is the Beastie Boys Video Collection. Hard Boiled and Seven Samurai are two Criterion DVDs that are going to have to go on the list.

But, I hear you ask, why DVD when you have a PS3 that plays Blu-Rays? Simple: not of all these are out on Blu-Ray and they're cheaper on DVD anyway. And the PS3 upscales the DVDs to HD anyway so they look great on my ace new TV.

Not as great as The Fountain on Blu-Ray but great nonetheless.

Forgot I could do this

Which probably explains the lack of posts this month.

That and the PS3. More on that later.

Wow.

Didn't think that was going to look THAT good.

This has been a good weekend

1) It was my birthday yesterday.

2) I got The Fountain on Blu-Ray. To play on my...

3) PlayStation 3. Oh yes.

4) But what's the point of having a PS3 without a nice TV to watch it one? So we bought one, a 32" LG Scarlet which will arrive Thursday.

All is good with the world.