Wanted: More John Stamos

I have a confession to make. I recently recommended that my friend catch a screening of the 1986 John Stamos-Vanity-Gene Simmons vehicle Never Too Young To Die at a theatre near him in Los Angeles. I know, I know, what kind of friend am I? I figured he'd get a kick out of it, and I was really sad that I lived over a thousand miles away and couldn't attend myself, having watched it on video and yet still longing to see a giant Stamos projected 30 feet high. But while reading my friend's blog, in which he briefly summarized the story for the uninitiated, I was struck with a startling realization. Never Too Young to Die has the same plot as Wanted. Intrigued yet?

In Wanted, trained accountant Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), who believes that his father is long dead, finds out that he was actually a master assassin who died yesterday, leaving him several million dollars and a gun. In NTYTD, Lance Stargrove (John Stamos), who believes his father is an oil executive, finds out that he was actually superspy George Lazenby, who died yesterday, leaving him a farmhouse full of guns and grenades. You see where I'm going with this? It gets better.

Wesley is recruited into his father's organization by his father's sexy co-worker Fox (Angelina Jolie), and trained to take out mass murderers, including the traitor who killed his dad (played by the nondescript German actor Thomas Kretschmann). Stargrove is recruited into his father's organization by his father's sexy co-worker Danja (Vanity), and enlisted to take out the wannabe mass-murderer and traitor who killed his dad (played by the unmistakable Israel-born singer Gene Simmons of KISS). Also, both Fox and Danja have utterly gratuitous nude scenes. I told you it would get better.

Kretschmann's Cross is not what he appears to be (he may have ulterior motives), and he has a scientist on his payroll who has a plan to blow buildings up using a thousand rats with bombs attached to them. Simmons' Velvet Von Ragner is not what he appears to be (he's also a transsexual nightclub performer), and he has a scientist on his payroll who has plans to poison the city's water supply. ...Okay, the similarities are starting to fade at this point, but I think I was doing pretty good for a while there.

Long story short, after you see Wanted, see Never Too Young to Die to see what the film would have been like had it been made in the 1980s with John Stamos and a much less talented director. Then see Runaway, then KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. Basically, see any movie that was lucky enough to cast Gene Simmons in it. You won't be disappointed, meaning that if you expect them to be hilariously disappointing aside from the involvement of Gene Simmons, your expectations will be met.

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