Wanted

by Zach Oat December 10, 2008 5:51 PM
Wanted

As a fan of the comic book -- well, as big a fan as you can be of a comic book about a horrible, horrible person by a writer who thinks you, the reader, are a worthless human being -- I was excited to see Wanted, and enjoyed it overall, even with the extensive changes. It's really a completely different story, but it's still chock-full of comic-book goodness. I don't know if I would have bought the two-disc special edition DVD, but for a bigger fan of the film, it's definitely worth putting on your Amazon Wish List.

Extended Scene: This... was not terribly exciting. Most extended scenes aren't, since it's usually just more of the same, but considering that this is a movie about super-assassins, this scene is particularly boring. Basically, it's a longer version of Wesley getting over his fear of shooting dead bodies, and a longer scene of Wesley making jokes before getting beaten up by the Repairman. There's no director's commentary on the scene -- or on the entire movie, for that matter. While the former was unnecessary, the latter is merely unfortunate.

Cast and Characters: A standard cast documentary, where we get everyone's take on their characters and their approach to the material. Given the interesting cast, and the fact that they talk to Wanted comic creator Mark Millar, this proves fairly entertaining. They even talk to Terence Stamp, whose role is negligible, and he says he's excited to be doing a movie based on a comic book, having apparently forgotten all about Superman II.

Stunts on the L Train: Want to know a fun fact about the stunt sequence where Wesley and the Fox race each other on the elevated train, and Wesley goes over an overpass while the Fox goes under? Instead of using a moving train, they used a moving overpass. The elaborate nature of the whole setup -- and watching the man who played Mr. Tumnus crash through a guardrail while on wires -- makes this mini-doc a must-see.

Special Effects: The Art of the Impossible: Maybe I'm just too used to everything being CGI, but I had no idea how many of the film's big action sequences were done practically, as in, using a real car and making it do what it does on-screen. The stunts with Fox scooping Wesley up in the red sports car? Actually filmed in slow motion on a green screen, then sped up and dropped onto the parking-lot background. When they do a barrel roll over the cop barricade? The car was on two giant wheels, so they could film Wesley through the sunroof, soaring over the cops' heads. And when they blow up the loom room, they have to time a whole bunch of explosions close together, so they seem normally spaced when shown in slow-motion. A pretty cool doc, given the number of stunts involved.

Groundbreaking Visual Effects: From Imagination to Execution: ...Of course, there was also a lot of stuff they had to use computers for. For instance, the train getting derailed? They didn't really do that. And the rats with bombs attached to them? Very few of them were real. But man, they sure looked real, didn't they? Again, worth a watch.

The Origins of Wanted: Bringing the Graphic Novel to Life: There are things about the movie that I think are better and worse than the comic. Obviously, the supervillain elements had to be nixed for budgetary reasons, and what studio wants to make a movie about a main character who rapes and murders people all the time? But it's interesting to hear Millar and others talk about adapting the comic. But first, it might be a good idea to read the comic, or even watch the Wanted Motion Comic included in this set. It's not as well-animated as the Watchmen motion comics Warner Bros. has been putting out, but it's not bad, either.

Through the Eyes of Visionary Director Timur Bekmambetov: Do yourself a favor -- don't watch this documentary, in which people tell you how unique his vision is. Instead, go rent Night Watch (and, if you want, Day Watch) and see for yourself. Dude is crazy.

The Making of Wanted: The Game: And do yourself another favor: unless you have an Xbox 360, a PlayStation 3 or a computer with a lot of free memory, don't watch this long commercial for Wanted: Weapons of Fate. You will want to buy it, and a system to play it on. It's a sequel to the movie, and you can play as Wesley or as his dad, who's kitted up in his supervillain gear from the comics. (Squee!) You can curve bullets, stab around obstacles and generally mess people up. It looks awesome. Plus, there are free cheat codes hidden in the menus of this set, for things like unlimited ammo, infinite lives and more.

"The Little Things" Music Video Mash-Up: I would have gladly traded this to see what the "Alternate Opening" on the Blu-ray version was. It's probably nothing special, but neither is this.

What are you waiting for? Buy it now!

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