Wanted is not your typical comic book movie.  First, it’s rated R, and the only other two comic book movies I can think of that fall into that is A History of Violence, and the Road to Perdition.  Second, like the two movies mentioned there’s no superheroes or villians in the traditional sense.

Let me say, I enjoyed the comic book that the movie is loosely based off of.  I enjoy the writer Mark Millar’s work, for the deeper narrative he’s attempting to tell, but am not the biggest fan of how he tells it.  He’s not an Alan Moore or Frank Miller who pile of the layers to the bigger story their attempting the tell.  Millar is much more blunt without the finesse those other two show.  However what Millar is saying is important and not subjects generally covered.  Wanted much like his latest series (soon to be movie) Kick-Ass explores similar territory as the book and also movie Fight Club.

Millar’s protagonist (if you can call him that) is an office drone much of like shown in Office Space and the tv show the Office.  The first part of the movie and comic series is built so we feel for this character and are drawn in to his world.  We’re supposed to feel sorry for him, and relate, reflecting on our own droning lives.  Now the brilliance that does seep out is that we come to like the main character Wesley Gibbons so much that we don’t bat an eye at the violence dished out and become complacent and accomplices at the horrors he causes.  Wanted to me is a reflection on the pc-90’s while Millar’s latest series Kick-Ass is a reflection on superheros for the YouTube generation.

Deep material if you want to take it that far.  On the surface though Wanted is a fun ride with over the top violence.  Not for everyone but definitely recommended for high school and college age males who want to see lots of people get shot.

Top comic movies of 2008 so far:

1) Iron Man

2) the Incredible Hulk

3) Wanted