http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VR8twaQNfPM&feature=related- link to wanted clip

MIGRAIN ANALYSIS OF WANTED CLIP

M- Close up of a rat with a bomb attached to it which then explodes, connotes more danger up ahead.
- Medium shot of Wesley running in slow motion with two guns in his hands, connotes he now has the power, guns are a phallic symbol of male dominance and power, the fact he has two makes him more powerful.
- Medium shot of his face, he’s very angry and ready to fight
- Long shot of Wesley jumping through the window, connotes he’s invincible, which is further emphasised when he gets shot in the arm and knifed but still manages to carry on fighting and wining.
- When fighting the butcher, the butcher taunts him by calling him a “pussy”, this connotes the lack of respect men have for women, and the fact Wesley gets more aggrieve because of this remark suggests he doesn’t like being on a women’s level when it come to fighting.

I- Men are the stronger sex, as its only men in this fighting scene fighting back
- It can also connote the ideology of women just being sex objects as the word “pussy” refers to women’s sexual organs.
- There is also a lack of value towards human and animal life as Wesley kill a lot of people and there is no care, instead he is seen as a powerful role model for men.


G- Action- Fast paced music, building being exploded
-A lot shooting, guns in the air, killing of people shown very vivid images of heads being shot and blood spilt everywhere, it all adds to conventions of an action movie



R- The word “pussy” shows lack of respect towards women, it degrades them and puts them below men, and it shows how women are seen as nothing which suggests they have no value or purpose.
- Representation of men is strong and powerful through Wesley, as the gun symbolises his power & control.

A- Appeals to both male and female audiences from ages 16-40, this clip in particular appeals to females as they may find Wesley very attractive however males may watch it and inspire to be like him
-People also may watch, especially the working class for escapism in this more spectacular life

N- In this clip you can see aspects of Todrov’s theory as Wesley is in the disruption phase of trying to get his life back to normal
-There are also aspects of Propp’s theory as Wesley is presented as more of an hero for himself

Reviews

http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=14586&s=Reviews – Rotten Tomato review

http://living.scotsman.com/movies?articleid=4208635 –By Siobhan Synnot
"Mostly, her job is to cock triggers and look scruptious"- this quote agrees with my hypothesis as it shows she is only really good for one thig

http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/movies/27want.html -By Manohla Dargis
"Ms jolie-Fox-Few American actresses with pin-skinny arms, can make beating up a guy look so easy and, yeah, man, like fun."- this qoute disagrees with my hypothesis as it shows women are capable of being just as strong

"Sad suck guy is told that to be a man he has to drive a fast car, shoot people, and have an f-off attitude. I say, let's just be who we are and give hollywood the middle finger." This quote shows how it's not women having to change but this time its men, as usually its in chick-flicks were women shange to become more permiscous.

AO2- To improve my SHEP knowledge i will research more into the wider context, i need to put in more wofk in this area

AO5- i've done research into Laura mulvey and her theory however i need to research more into other texts and historical texts relating to the way females are represented in action movies, also film reveiws and books

AO1- i have done alot of migrain analysis of my movie however i need to look into other movies and analyse them

Film Review

In all, I couldn’t find much to like about “Wanted.” It’s a poser film, trying to appear hip and cool, when it’s derivative and long-winded. It’s all style over substance. I’m sure it will have its fans, though, particularly those who list “Shoot ‘Em Up” and “Smokin’ Aces” among their favorite films. What’s sad, though, is it’s really just the male equivalent of a chick flick. In these so-called women’s films, the sad sack protagonist is told that in order to get the guy, she has to put on make-up, a sexy dress, and act slutty or stupid. In films like “Wanted,” the equally sad sack guy is told that to be a man he has to drive a fast car, shoot people, and have an f-off attitude. I say, let’s just be who we are and give Hollywood the middle finger.

Wanted analysis

Media Representations

Females- To an extent they are being represented as the stronger sex, as Fox is shown to be an empowered female role model as she has control and power mostly through out the movie. However other females in the movie have more of a negative representation, for example Wesley’s girl friend who is represented as a slag/tart who has sex with his best friend occasionally.
Males- Most of the males are represented as strong except Wesley who is seen as a weak man who’s not in control of his life or who he is. This representation changes as the film progresses and he begins to learn how to kill and use a gun which then makes him a stronger person.


Media Languages and form

At the beginning Wesley is being represented as a nobody who has no sense of life. This is shown through his dead end job, girlfriend who cheats on him and also the fact he lives in a dump. Wesley is represented as someone who has no purpose in life; however it all changes around for him when he meets Fox. Fox is represented as the stronger sex in the beginning as she saves Wesley from being shot dead (however we later realise she was saving her self), this connotes she has more power which is emphasised by the fact she’s the one holding the gun. Later we see Fox again saving Wesley as she comes in a fast sports car to his rescue. The audience can male and female roles being reversed as it would usually be the man saving the woman. Fox is represented as the stronger sex again, which is seen when she’s driving into the police to push it off the road, there is then a close up on her face, her face expression is smiling fearless as she rams into the police car. This connotes she is scared of nothing not even the law, also that she live in the fast lane and care only about herself. While all this is going on Wesley is sitting in the passengers’ seat scared to death ad about to cry. At this point in the movie males are being represented as the weaker sex. However this does not follow on throughout the movie as Wesley begins to get stronger and take over, which is seen in the scene where there’s a medium shot of Wesley running into the bombed building with a gun in each hand, which connotes he is now in control of his life. This is also seen earlier when after he meets Fox he feels more enthusiastic towards life so decides to tell his obnoxious boss to “fuck herself”. Furthermore Fox is also seen as a sex object as when she come out of the bath she is naked and exposes her self to Wesley, which connotes she is promiscuous and also conforms to Mulvey’s “male-gaze” theory


Narrative

The narrative linear at time but then also non-linear, for example in the opening sequence we see a guy (Wesley’s dad) get shot in the head, then for about 3 seconds it rewinds back and shows how he got shot. The audience is introduced to a villain who is the guy who shot down his dad and the hero who is Fox, however this turns around as Wesley later finds out that the villain is in fact Fox and the fraternity, which he the has to fight for his life and take down. The main iconography in the film is the gun which represents the phallic symbol as it embodies male generative power and dominance. The fact that Fox is the one holding the gun in the beginning shows she is the one with power, which is later reversed when she throws the gun to Wesley in the end as she knows she will die, which connotes in the end the man will be the last one standing.


Genre

The genre is action/thriller. Being an action movie it conforms to fast car chases, explosions of bombs and cars, gun fights in the middle of public places ect… However it’s also a thriller as it has a mystery story behind it and suspense throughout.

Values and ideologies

There are different values and ideologies promoted throughout the movie , for example in the end Fox dies and Wesley survives, this connotes at the end of the day, even though Fox was represented as an empowered female role model, men are still and always will be the stronger sex. Also the values it promotes through Wesley, is that you have to change who you are to be accepted as someone in society, as he changed his attitude, clothing and kill people to become a man, which kind of glorifies the use of guns.

Theory- Laura Mulvey- “male gaze”

Mulvey discusses several different types of spectatorship that occur while viewing a film. Viewing a film involves subconsciously engaging in the understanding of male and female roles. The "three different looks", as they are referred to, explain just exactly how films are viewed in relation to phallocentrism. The first "look" refers to the camera as it records the actual events of the film. The second "look" describes the nearly voyeuristic act of the audience as one engages in watching the film itself. Lastly, the third "look" refers to the characters that interact with one another throughout the film.
The main idea that seems to bring these actions together is that "looking" is generally seen as an active male role while the passive role of being looked at is immediately adopted as a female characteristic. It is under the construction of patriarchy that Mulvey argues that women in film are tied to desire and that female characters hold an "appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact". The female actor is never meant to represent a character that directly effects the outcome of a plot or keep the story line going, but is inserted into the film as a way of supporting the male role and "bearing the burden of sexual objectification" that he cannot.

Plot Summary

"Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, we're introduced to a hero for a new generation: 25 year old employed slacker, WESLEY GIBSON. Wes is the most disaffected, cube-dwelling, clock-punching drone this planet has ever known. His boss chews him out hourly, his girlfriend ignores him routinely, and his life plods on in interminable boredom and routine. Everyone knows this disengaged slacker will amount to absolutely nothing, and so does he, until he meets the sexy, foxy woman named FOX, and then everything changes. Wes' estranged father is murdered, and the deadly Fox recruits him into The Fraternity, a secret society that trains him to avenge his father's death, by unlocking his dormant powers. And oh boy does he have powers, as she teaches Wes how to develop his lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, he discovers that The Fraternity lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: to carry out the death orders given by emotionless Fate itself. Wes, with his wickedly brilliant and sexy tutor, plus the paternal guidance of The Fraternity's enigmatic leader, SLOAN, young Wes grows to enjoy all the strength and success he ever wanted. But, slowly, he realizes there's more to his dangerous associates than meets the casual eye. And, as he wavers between new found heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one can ever teach him; that he alone controls his destiny. Written by Orange
A young man finds out his long lost father is an assassin. And when his father is murdered, the son is recruited into his father's old organization and trained by a man named Sloan to follow in his dad's footsteps.

Analysis of Fox

From the beginning Fox is represented as being in control. She is represented as an empowered female role model, when we are first introduced to her it is clear to see the amount of tattoo’s she has across her arms and hands. This suggests she is masculine traits; furthermore the tattoo on her hand matches the pattern on her gun. This connotes she sees the gun as being fashionable, it also represents her as having more power. However she is still represented as sexy and promiscuous through her costume and some scenes. For example in one scene there is a long shot of her coming out of water, her back is shown revealing everything from head down to feet which connotes she is seen as a sex object. However she is still shown as a strong independent female role model, for example in the scene where she’s driving in the driver’s seat rescuing Wesley, she’s driving really fast which connotes she has a fast lifestyle, also the fact she rescued Wesley who is a man connotes she has more power.

Analysis of characters

Wesley Gibson-

Wesley is represented as a nobody at the beginning of the movie, his girlfriend is screwing his best friend, he’s stuck in a dead end job, has no hope of being successful. In the beginning there’s a close up of him with his voice as a voiceover as he types his name into the Google search engine, which ends up with “no result”, it shows he’s not known, after theres a long shot of him standing around the office blocks, hes putting on his jacket which is being showed in slow motion, then around him everyone’s moving fast, which connotes he’s alone and as the world is moving around him he’s so isolated. The fact he is nobody is further emphasised when he is walking home and there’s non diegetic music with words saying “I think I used to have a purpose “, again showing he has no use in society. This is all changed when he meets Fox, his life turns around. The fact a women is changing a mans life shows she has power.