MovieChat Forums > Wanted (2008) Discussion > They bend physics laws, but they are not...

They bend physics laws, but they are not in the Matrix

posted 11 years ago by pepinator2000
33 replies | jump to latest

What a steaming pile of crap movie.

At some point I was actually expecting some reasoning behind why these assassins were able to pull off such outstanding feats such as being able to play, run and fight over moving trains as if gravity and wind did not exist, or how can they actually shoot curved path bullets, among an endless list of incredible stunts, unfortunately, the explanation never came. This is an stupid Matrix-esque movie, with all the Matrix super human cliches, but without a reasonable Matrix explanation as to why these fellows seem to be able to bend the laws of physics. Oh wait, I remember, they can do all of these because they train by kicking each other asses; so this is the Matrix plus Fight Club...or maybe they acquire super human skills by bathing on those rat sewers, perhaps rat's pee is the key.

They tried to portray the idea that there is common people living common lives, completely oblivious of another way to live; presumably better and superior by means of being an assassin, which gives you super skills. Nevertheless, they never explain how said super human skills are acquired (other than receiving repeated beating from fellow assassins). Man what a *beep* up idea, take the red pill and become an assassin or take the blue pill and you will stay hmm "normal" and "boring" by not killing people.

Not to mention the endless cliche scenes of a skinny "hot" chic kicking eveybody's butts. I mean, come on, Trinity could kill a bunch of cops in seconds, but there was a valid reason provided within the Matrix movie universe on which all that could be possible, whereas in this movie, no reasons are provided for Angelina's super powers.

Now, if this was not supposed to be a Matrix copycat, then what is it? Are they living in a parallel universe where they have a different set of Physics laws? Are they all dreaming? What the hell is going on, why can they do all that?!!!!!

Anyway, this movie ended up being a series of cool wannabe scenes tied together almost randomly. It makes you wonder... was McG involved in this?

Regarding the fabric's binary code, how do they translate binary to letters? What code do they use for it? Is it ASCII or EBCDIC which were invented until the 20th century.

Furthermore, do their character set is Latin alphabet only so they can only kill Latin based 27 character named bad guys? Did it include the letter ñ for Spaniards? Otherwise if you are Spaniard and you have an ñ within your name you are free to go. All the bad Iñigos and Iñakis out there, you are free to go dudes!

Or is it a thousands character set that would include Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Korean and Cyrllic characters? I doubt that, as the set would be so difficult to translate in the middle ages as it would be impossible to decipher the binary to human readable words. For the ones that do not understand this, translating a code of 27 letters to binary may have been easy to figure out, decoding a set of thousands of possible characters from binary codes would be impossible without computers. No monk could ever figure that out.

So the Fabric is a bit racist and will only give you Western names probably excluding Spaniards, hence all the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Russians, Serbians, and all the bad guys NOT having a Latin alphabet based name would be off the hook.

By the way, can someone give some food to Angelina Jolie please? Watching her hip bones and extremely skinny arms, it is becoming creepy.

[–] Yummy_Brains 11 years ago

Since the loom is greek mythology I think they should have hinted they are the ancestors of demi gods. They are still mortal but have super human reflexes but only if they are brought forward not supressed (as wesley thought suffering from anxiety attacks)

Would make sense, and link back to the loom, and make sense they can do things normal humans cannot, that the were following the Fate's commands. Grim reapers, so to speak.

[–] pepinator2000 11 years ago

Interesting! I would have liked it more if that had been included in the movie.

[–] lynnrnsd 11 years ago

You know what's funny? With all the comments about how skinny Angelina Jolie is in this movie, she's eating in SO many scenes!

[–] pepinator2000 11 years ago

Bulimia

[–] peter_t_2k3 11 years ago

The problem with this film is you have to watch it with an open mind, not thinking about what is and isn't realistic.

If you can do this then it's a fun movie. It's not trying to be something amazing with a great message it's just their for fun and for me it works. I do love films with meanings, that are well plotted and greatly realistic at times, but sometimes it's good to just sit back and watch something that's fun and knows it is.

[–] pepinator2000 11 years ago

I would try to buy your idea if the movie tried to be all fun mindless scenes to watch.

But, the movie is not only that. It tried to take itself seriously.

They actually tried to give some explanation for what we see.

Yes they do. They do try to explain what is the movie all about. Morgan Freeman goes blah blah blah , and yet, he does not explain crap.

They try, and they fail at it. That is what gets on my nervs.

The film takes a while showing the training for the new chap in the brotherhood. What kind of stupid training consists of getting consistent beats?
What kind of stupid training consists of having Angelina Jolie in front of someone to make him learn how to shoot curved bullets? That means people having an erection can shoot curved bullets?

What the hell was all that training? It was not even fun to watch. It was senseless and stupid.

They could have skipped all that part, and the movie would stay the same. They did not accomplish anything whatsoever with those training scenes. Why did they include such an stupid training if its illogical and does not explain us how they acquire superpowers? Why?What is the even simplest logic in that?

I would need to have half of my frontal lobe removed to even remotely considering fun to see someone getting his ass beaten in order to acquire superpowers.

[–] peter_t_2k3 11 years ago

"I would try to buy your idea if the movie tried to be all fun mindless scenes to watch. "

Sorry but the film is trying to exactly be something to just enjoy, some fun. It is not taking itself seriously it is instead you who is taking it serious when it wasn't intended. Are you saying the directors believed all that was seen could happen - no, obviously they didn't believe it and where just having a laugh.

Watch something like demons 1 and 2 it is similar in the sense that both these films don't always make sense, but their not intended to.

[–] pepinator2000 11 years ago

Demons 1 and 2 are 1000 times better than this movie.

Maybe I will watch again Shoot Em Up to see Clive Owen killing everybody, at least in that movie they dont try and fail to show how Clive Owen gets super killing powers by repeated beating by some random butcher.

[–] peter_t_2k3 11 years ago

Why do they have to show how they get super powers though? It's hinted at that god might have a part, or fate. Really it's left for the audience to decide.

The thing is what has caused it isn't the important thing really. Look at night of the living dead and its sequels, there's hints at what caused it, mainly a satellite falling from space in the original, but it never actually admits it, because its not about what caused it but simply about the consequences. I feel if you accepted the world seen in the film just for the sake of the film you'd actually enjoy it a lot more.

[–] pepinator2000 11 years ago

I am astonished about the films you have mentioned and the comparisons you are making.

You are not only defending this movie, which could be ok for the people who happen to like it, but you are going beyond that comparing this piece of trash with movies like Demon, and Night of the Living Dead. WOW.

You are bringing up iconic, cult films of the 70s and 80s to compare them with this movie. Really?

Are you even aware of what you have said? The movies you are talking about are millions of times better than this just-for-the-money mass-produced Matrix copy-cat Nikita copy-cat piece of garbage film.

I am baffled.

I will wait for a response, maybe next you will be comparing this movie with Miracle in Milan, The Bicyle Thief, The Cross of Iron, Papillon or The Godfather.

EDIT: Oh and one more thing, in this movie, they are actually *trying* to explain how to acquire superpowers, did not you watch it? You have to get repeated beating from a butcher that call people "fags". Is it not awesome and logical? Its a rhetorical question you dont have to answer that one.

[–] peter_t_2k3 11 years ago

You are obviously not reading my post correctly.

I wasn't saying they were similar, basically I was trying to highlight the fact that you are trying to use logic in a film that isn't based on logic.

Take for example my favourite horror film, Dario Argento's Suspiria. A lot of people dislike it, because it's quite surreal and things don't always add up. That is because the film is quite like a nightmare, a dream, and in nightmares and dreams things don't always follow logic. I'm not saying that Wanted is better than Suspiria it's far from it but what I'm saying is it in a sense uses the same principle. If you don't like it then fair enough but your hatred for the film, its illogicalness is what makes the film, it's supposed to be like that.

Oh and did you actually watch the film yourself? Because the superpowers did not come from being beat up. The lead always had the superpowers remember thinking he suffered from panic attacks and stuff, thus taking his medication. The beating wasn't to give him powers, it was to try and help him learn the truth about his powers so he could grasp and then control them.

Finally yet again I am not calling this a great movie, but to me it is a fun movie. It's nothing to be marvelled at, but when you just want to relax and have some fun it's the kind of film I'd put on.

[–] pepinator2000 11 years ago

First of all, movies that seem to be nonsense but nevertheless are loved by many people yet are not wide stream accepted are known as cult movies, and most of them have something new or at least unique to offer, something that is seldom found in other movies. They have something that attract audiences and they gain followers trough the years. That's what have happened with some Dario Argento's movies. I also think they are good even if sometimes its difficult to explain why. I love them because they can be creepy on so many levels I cant find on other movies.

But Wanted just does not feel like that kind of movie. I dont find anything unique or appealing in it. It seems like a movie produced only to cash in as much money as it was possible and it is kind of annoying to watch a movie that steals so much from Fight Club, the Matrix and Nikita and so many others without offering something unique. I think people can tell when a movie is made with at least some artistic effort behind it. I dont find that in Wanted, all I find is greed to make money.

So my point in that matter is that the mystery surrounding the brotherhood was not written on purpose, it as a flaw in the script. It seems they just did not care to explain that and just focused on explosions and cool ways of killing people as if that was appealing.

Some directors and writers purposely leave open endings and loose ends to make people wonder. This movie Wanted, is not the case.

On the other hand, you are bit incorrect about The Night of the living dead not explaining things. That movie is a critic of the western society. George Romero has explained many times that the zombies are the average western citizens, that have become zombified, they all do is watching TV and buy stuff at the malls while seemingly lost any residue of useful brain activity.

I seriously doubt Wanted has that level of social criticism. It was a movie made to make money.

Finally, if repeated beatings dont give people their powers, then you say its the Gods that are giving members their powers. Which is a flawed reason.
If that was the reason. Why would the Gods give powers to members of a brotherhood that has become rogue and is no longer obeying said Gods' wills?

The whole point of the movie is, the brotherhood is following Morgan Freeman's agenda rather than the Gods'. They have been doing so for years. The Gods had asked for their heads. And yet, the same Gods are giving these folks their powers and abilities? Wow. The Gods must be crazy.

[–] peter_t_2k3 11 years ago

Firstly the actual definition of a cult movie is quite tricky and different people have different ideas on what actually makes a cult movie. Some state it is simply a movie that did bad - cinema reviews etc. but has then went on to do quite well e.g. DVD releases, often with a specific crowd. It doesn't state anything about the actual content and I'm sure their are a lot of movies classed as cult that offer nothing different, unique etc.

To the god thing, according to some the characters are descendants of gods which would explain where they got their powers from and how they could become leaders, do what they want, play god etc. However I feel you're missing the point of the film. The point isn't how they got their powers, it's the fact that they have the powers and they can use them. The film is about someone being thrown into this strange world, realising he's a part of it and that he's spent his life doing nothing when he had the power to do anything he really wanted to.

I agree that George A Romero's films are not just about the zombies. Dawn of the dead is a prime example with its location in a supermarket, it's about greed, how we humans always want more - rather than simply hiding and trying to escape one of the leads decides it's his supermarket and he wants it all. However I feel some people ask too much for films.

I love films that make me think but I find too many people want smart films all the time, I found this while on my degree in film and tv production. Sometimes its great for a film to just allow us to sit back and entertain us. Not all films have to be deep and I feel a lot of people forget this.

But it seems we are just going to go around in circles. I will never call this film amazing, but it's fun and as I've said previously if you ignore the impossibility of it, if you let your mind accept the possibility of what you are seeing, then you may enjoy it a bit more.

[–] pepinator2000 10 years ago

Well, this piece of crap has certainly not become a cult movie for sure.

[–] d-adrian-williams 8 years ago

this guy wans an explanation for everything in the movie universe, what next? heres some advice NEVER watch star wars, theres a thing called the force that nobody knows the origin of, theres also loads of aliens which arent explained either, dont see the difference between the force and what these guys can do, yet im sure youre not on their boarde asking how annakin got his jedi mind tricks from.

[–] pepinator2000 8 years ago

force usage comes from midicholorian count in blood

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] yusef-ghanima 10 years ago

this is comics like kick ass, stupid.

[–] pepinator2000 10 years ago

So what, many comics make more sense than this steaming pile of crap movie. Including Kick Ass.

[–] yusef-ghanima 10 years ago

what makes sense about light beams coming from superman eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] pepinator2000 10 years ago

he is an alien. what make sense of people bending bullets?

[–] yusef-ghanima 10 years ago

they practice zen or indian magic. like the boy in the matrix who bend spoon.

[–] pepinator2000 10 years ago

they practice zen or indian magic. like the boy in the matrix who bend spoon.

Thats not shown in the movie.

Superman being an alien IS shown in the movie.

[–] yusef-ghanima 10 years ago

being an alien doesn't give him right to bend laws of physics, and people moving things from a distant by what seem to be mental power is a common known phenomena that was studied by scientists in every day world.

[–] pepinator2000 10 years ago

Yes I agree, but, you are not getting the point.

The point here is, Superman movie shows Superman being an alien. Whether it is physically possible he can concentrate energy through his eyes or fly is irrelevant. Since an explanation in this fictional universe is given, suspension of disbelief works.

Now, about Wanted, they never explain why these guys can bend bullets.

[–] yusef-ghanima 10 years ago

you don't get the point, superman needs an explanation and doesn't offer a good one but wanted doesn't. how do you explane moses opening a road in the sea, it doesn't need an explanation for many people who believe in the god of moses. same with moving things from a distance, including bending bullets, many people belive in such mental powers for special people in the real world.

[–] pepinator2000 10 years ago

After reading your replies now I understand why you like this movie so much.

[–] d-adrian-williams 9 years ago

wow pepinator how much of an explanation do you need? morgans character said he can speed up his heartbeat and that makes him do amazing things, more than the average human, we see the guy at the beginning jumping through the window across an amazing length of air befor crashing into next building, NOW seeing this coupled with the information that wesley can do this also we can all ASSUME that wesley will be able to do simarlar feats as morgans character told him, when superman as an alien uses his light beams no one stops and says, "how is he able to beam lights through his eyes?, whats the science behind it? this isnt jurassic park, and thats not the film they were trying to make it seem what you are looking for is the wanted origin story, what you have to do is try and just take the journey the filmmaker intended! you know WHAT he can do AND where he got his ability passed from, what more do you want?

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

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[–] peter_t_2k3 10 years ago

I wouldn't say that. A lot of people who watch these type of movies don't want to be super special they just want something different. A lot of people including myself watch films for escapism. I watch lots of sc-fi, horror etc. because I enjoy going to a place that isn't real. That's not to say I dislike real films, but sometimes I want something different

[–] mrrockey 10 years ago

It's not the "real-world"(no movie has that) or the Matrix, it's simply a heightened reality.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 6 years ago

Wow, you really thought this one through. Some posters rant to troll or hate without valid reasons but you've made quite a few actually even if I like the film.