Blu-ray Movie Reviews

25-year-old Wes was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut; until he met a woman named Fox. After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers.

Director Timur Bekmambetov made quite the name for himself with the breakthrough fantasy/horror Nightwatch and Daywatch. These Russian films combined cutting edge imagery with non-stop action and went on to become quite popular worldwide. It was only a matter of time before the director made a film here in the US, and Wanted is a great fit for the director’s sense of style. This is pure summer popcorn with LOTS of action thrown in. Suspension of disbelief is a must when you cue this one up. The film borrows a lot of its craft from recent thrillers like Fight Club, The Matrix and even some Equilibrium but mixes in some newer high octane style of its own. The result wasn’t quite the knockout I was hoping for, but it was a fun ride.

When I saw this in D-Cinema I thought it had a slightly soft look to it. At the time I thought it was the theater but the Blu-ray presentation is almost identical to what I saw in theaters. Wanted has a very natural film-like look that doesn’t rely on razor sharp imagery and crazy stylization. Contrast levels are still very strong and there is no lack of color, but they didn’t make this look like every other film out there. I was impressed with fine detail in close ups and black levels and shadow detail were excellent. The CG effects blend in well with the live photography but there is some subtle softening that prevents the imagery from looking photorealistic. Overall this is a great example of a Blu-ray being faithful to the filming style, but I still wish the image was just a bit sharper.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is outstanding with a great mix of dynamics and surround reinforcement. Low bass extension is incredible with some nice infrasonic touches that you’ll feel more than you’ll hear. Surrounds are used aggressively throughout and there are some really cool panning effects that really add to the action sequences. The sound design of this film is intense and this lossless mix makes the most of it. Dialogue is balanced in perfectly though I don’t know how much of a fan I was of McAvoy’s narrative at times.

Universal has gone all out for this summer blockbuster and once again delivers the goods when it comes to next generation interactivity and features. This title is BD-Live and Bonus View enabled and makes the most of both of the profiles. This includes the ability to chat with friends while watching the film via an onscreen interface or sharing your favorite clips online. U-control features include the ability to watch the entire graphic novel on screen with voice overs and sound effects as well. This was an interesting feature since I wasn’t familiar with the original work. You also get a multi-view option similar to Hellboy II that enables you to switch between the finished scene, pre-VFX sequences and the storyboards.

Traditional extras include an assortment of production features that include an inside look into the visual effects, the origins of the story and the production with the international director. There are also some stunt features, cast bios, deleted scenes and profiles on the assassins. All in all, a very extensive package.

This summer blockbuster makes a great premiere on Blu-ray and Universal has once again gone all out on the extras. Action fans will definitely want to pick this one up. Highly recommended!