Hanna, adapt or die...

Hanna, directed by Joe Wright, stars Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett. For those of you who may not have known what Hanna was going to bring, this movie will come as a pleasant surprise. For the Sheep peeps, we were at WonderCon so we got a first hand look of Hanna. This film is a must see in my opinion and here is my reasoning why...

Storyline:

Hanna (Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Ms. Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Director Wright does a great job of giving the audience time to get to know the main characters, especially Hanna. Little snips from the past are incorporated that build until the end of film when the story comes together. Beauty in details, artfully done as is to be expected if you are familiar with any of Wright's work. (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement) A few too many-round-and-round-we-go shoots in the film for my taste, but I get why they were added. Sometimes life just makes you feel like you're going in a crazy never ending circle. Hanna brings a dramatic story to the screen while not bring over the top with the action as you might expect from the trailers. Saoirse does a brilliant job of playing a young girl discovering the wonders of a world so foreign to her with such authenticity, I loved it.

With stunt coordination done by the Jeff Imada (Bourne series) you are both blown away when the action does hit but at the same time thankful that it's not an exact copy of that style. When The Chemical Brothers music starts to kick in you know something is about to go down, and you're not disappointed. :) Creepy side characters have you rooting for young Hanna as she makes her way across the globe. Go Hanna Go!

Only a few places in the film that drag here and there, and a few of the stunts involving Hanna with Cate's character did seemed a bit over the top. I know they wanted to stick with what seemed possible for a 16 year old girl and for the most part they did. There were just a couple spots that made me wanna roll the ole eyeballs. Amber wanted me to add that she had hoped for a different plot ending, and without giving away anything to those of you who have yet to see it I kind of agree. Yes it's been done, but I felt it was done well in this film. I knew "something" was going to be exposed and didn't feel the high disappointment she did.

So over all, Hanna is well worth the ticket price. For those that like action movies with an independent flavor you will enjoy this film. :)

Getting 4 Genome Sheep

KD