DVD review: Wanted
James MacAvoy stars as Wesley, a put-upon loser who discovers he’s meant for something different in “Wanted,” based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones. Wesley meets the Fox (Angelina Jolie), who tells him his father was part of a secret cabal of assassins, and that Wesley himself must join with them to fulfill his destiny.
The Fraternity, led by Sloan (Morgan Freeman) lives by the credo, “Kill one, save a thousand.” An ancient loom tells them the people who must be removed from the wheel of fate to keep society running smoothly. Wesley has been chosen to find the man who killed his father, the Fraternity says – but the society also has its dark secrets.
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the film removes the superhero dressing of the source material, but manages to improve on it.
“Wanted” is visually stunning, and looks sharp on DVD. There are special features including an extended scene, a featurette about adapting “Wanted,” with Millar; and additional featurettes primarily focus on the film’s visual style and effects. The two-disc special edition also comes with a code for a digital copy of the film.
– Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Comics vodcast: Action Comics 870, Deadpool 3, Dragon Prince 2, X-Men Original Sin
Kyle Roberts and I hit on some of the week’s biggest comics, including Action Comics 870, Deadpool 3, Dragon Prince 2 and X-Men Original Sin.
I’m aware that as I post this, the date is wrong on the vodcast.
– Matt Price
Top Cow reveals David Finch “Dragon Prince” #1 cover
Dragon Prince is a five-part miniseries written by Ron Marz with art by Lee Moder. It stars teenager Aaron Chiang, who discovers he’s the Dragon Prince, heir to the bloodline of all dragons. This martial arts fantasy epic begins shipping in September.
– Matt Price
DVD review: Witchblade
(From Friday’s The Oklahoman)
“Witchblade,” based on the Top Cow comic book, came to cable television in 2000. The complete series has been released on DVD.
“Witchblade” is about a New York City police detective, Sara Pezzini, who encounters the Witchblade, an ancient and powerful artifact. The Witchblade is a gauntlet that’s been passed down from woman to woman throughout time and serves as a balance between the forces of dark and light. In the pilot, it’s implied that it was once worn by Joan of Arc.
Yancy Butler (“Mann and Machine,” “Hard Target”) starred as Pezzini, and she’s believable as a hard-bitten detective. Billionaire Kenneth Irons (Anthony Cistaro) and his right-hand man Ian Nottingham (Eric Etebari) both seek control of the blade. Will Yun Lee and David Chohachi make appearances as partners of Pezzini.
Some changes were made from the comic book. The costuming of the heroine was considerably more demure than the comics. And, given the TV show’s budget, some of the elements that would have been costly to create in the early 2000s were scrapped. Despite some elements changed from the comic books (originally written by Christina Z., drawn by Michael Turner, and edited by David Wohl), comic-book fans were generally pleased with the adaptation. The presence of co-creator and Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri as a series writer helped keep the show true to the concept of Witchblade, even as particulars shifted. While the program can be slow in parts, it’s a solid police drama with interesting supernatural elements.
The DVD set contains all 24 episodes (the movie pilot plus two seasons) and bonus features.
— Matthew Price
“Witchblade” blazed path on cable
From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
The tale of the Witchblade, an ancient weapon first seen in comics, blazed the path for original cable TV programming, says the publisher of the “Witchblade” comic books. “Witchblade,” the television series, will be released on DVD on Tuesday.
“When “Witchblade” debuted on TNT back in 2000 there weren’t that many comic adaptations particularly on television,” said Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik. “In fact in the era of ‘The Shield,’ ‘Monk’ and ‘Rescue Me’ it’s funny to remember that there wasn’t much original cable television programming.”
“Witchblade” is about a New York City police detective, Sara Pezzini, who encounters the Witchblade, an ancient and powerful artifact. The Witchblade is a gauntlet that’s been passed down from woman to woman throughout time and serves as a balance between the forces of dark and light. Yancy Butler starred as Pezzini in the 23 episodes which aired over two seasons.
Sablik said the “Witchblade” series stayed mostly faithful to the comic book.
“They were limited by budget as far as what they could do, but the key characters … were all there,” he said. “The Witchblade is still an ancient powerful weapon, but instead of a organic like metal it took the form of a more traditional gauntlet with a sword that came out.”
“Witchblade” remains Top Cow’s most popular comic book. Sablik described “Witch Hunt,” the first story arc by writer Ron Marz, as a good jumping on point for “Witchblade.” Comic-book stores have a special edition of the story for $4.99, collecting six issues.
“It’s the entry arc for the modern era of ‘Witchblade,’” Sablik said.
“Witchblade” is currently in development for a 2009 feature film.
Top Cow publisher talks “Wanted” origins
From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
James MacAvoy plays Wesley Gibson, a downtrodden loser recruited into a secret cadre of assassins in “Wanted,” out today in movie theaters. The film is based on the comic-book series by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones. “Wanted” was published by Top Cow as a comic-book series and is now available from Top Cow in graphic novel format.
“It’s basically about a young guy, Wesley Gibson, that is kind of an everyday schlub, works in a cubicle farm and doesn’t really do much with his life,” Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik said.
“One day he is approached by this mysterious woman named the Fox, who tells him that his father was one of the great assassins — probably the greatest assassin in the world. And that he and a group of other super villains secretly ruled the world behind kind of a veil of normalcy, and that he’s basically inherited his spot in the secret fraternity of super villains. From there, the proverbial crap hits the fan and Wesley has to go from being a zero to — I don’t know that I’d call it a hero, but definitely a guy who takes charge of his life.”
The comic-book “Wanted” has costumed super villains and alternate realities, while the film, for all its over-the-top elements, is somewhat more grounded in the real world.
“It was one of those rare instances that there was such a buzz on the property as it was being developed that we actually sold it around the time the second issue was getting put together,” Sablik said. “Which is one of the reasons that the movie kind of diverges from the comic book a little bit. Because at the time Universal picked up the property, the comic was still being finished. So the screenwriters had to take the inspiration and the beginnings and what they knew about the story and develop it from there.”
Sablik said “Wanted” was a good fit for Top Cow’s line.
“We tend to do kind of dark books, things with either with a dark sense of humor, or a horror or supernatural bent to it. It seemed like a good fit for us.”
Two of Top Cow’s other major properties are also making waves in other media. “Darkness,” about a young mobster who inherits a primal power, was a platinum-selling video game in 2007. And “Witchblade,” featuring a New York police detective with a supernatural gauntlet, is being developed for a 2009 film.
Movie review: Wanted
From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
“Wanted,” directed by Timur Bekmambetov of the “Night Watch” films, is a visually arresting, over-the-top, paean to violence. Based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and JG Jones, the film takes a different slant than does the source material — but manages to improve on it.
Wesley Gibson (James MacAvoy) is a down-on-his luck loser in a dead-end job. He knows his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, but he can’t motivate himself to do anything about it. Wesley is sleepwalking through his life, until he meets the Fox (Angelina Jolie).
She tells Wesley that his father, whom he never knew, was one of the world’s greatest assassins. And another of those assassins is after Wesley.
This begins the slam-bang action portion of “Wanted,” as Wesley finds himself introduced to the Fraternity, a group of assassins who call themselves weavers of fate.
Led by Sloan (Morgan Freeman), these weavers follow mysterious assassination directives, aimed at making the world a better place. “Kill one, save a thousand,” explains the Fox.
The storyline has twists and turns and double-crosses, but the visuals are what makes “Wanted.” Bekmambetov channels Tarantino by way of John Woo, but adds dozens of his own touches. The only off-note is the dialogue.
Some is lifted directly from the comics, but other scenes are just f-bombs dropped on anyone who might be nearby.
Still, this is what an adrenaline-filled action movie should be — a darkly comic vision whose flaws are obscured by the film’s unyielding pace.
Matthew Price
MOVIE REVIEW
“Wanted”
R 1:48 3 stars
Starring: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie
(For strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality.)
“Witchblade” teaser poster
Comics2Film has the (kinda naked) teaser poster for the upcoming “Witchblade” film. The teaser web site has been launched at www.witchblade2009.com.
– Matt Price
New “Wanted” teaser
A new teaser for “Wanted,” starring James MacAvoy and Angelina Jolie, can be found online here. The film, based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, opens June 27.
- Matt Price
More “Wanted” photos
Who wanted more photos from “Wanted,” the James MacAvoy-Angelina Jolie-Morgan Freeman film, based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and JG Jones? Everyone? OK, here you go!
