I just returned from a late night viewing of WANTED. Since I've a four month old at home, this was rather fortuitous for us. In-laws are in town and they graciously offered to mind the baby while we stole a couple of hours to go catch what I'd term an enjoyable flick. Of course there are overpowering shades of The Matrix Trilogy and Fight Club galore, but what makes WANTED stand out on its own, is the willingness of the screenwriters to take the core of the comic book and craft it for celluloid.

The stuff I enjoyed from the comic book is mostly there. I say mostly because the most obvious piece lacking is the whole superhuman / supervillain angle and the Bad-Vs-Evil tussle. The movie has good guys and bad guys Hollywood style, but that mostly works. Timur B. has a great eye for spectacular set-pieces and Angie Baby pouts sexily throughout the movie, eventually climbing out of a spa/hot tub giving us a great view of her spectacular buttocks and bare backside. What more can you ask for?

Lately I have been busy adapting a couple of the titles I write for the big screen (no, I won't tell you which ones. :-) and seeing WANTED made me think of the challenges in adaptation.

Comic books and movies have different visual languages and what works in one may not be the best for the other. True, both share similarities in that the primary stimulus is visual, but the power of the moving picture juxtaposed with sound and music is entirely different from the sequential art of comic books. That being said both media are potent when handled well.

WANTED is a good example. It was a thoroughly enjoyable comic book and is a good watch as a movie.

So until next time, toodles and take care.

mohaps

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