Wander
PARAMOUNTWander, the latest piece from shlock and gore peddler April Mullen, offers little variety from her previous pieces, with the biggest change being the ability to draw Aaron Eckhart into a starring role. However, the stark lack of interest and focus found in Wander leaves troubling questions regarding its quality control.
Opening any film with Eckhart and co-star Tommy Lee Jones hosting a “deep web podcast”, is an embarrassingly strange premise to set forth with. It is, inevitably, a filler moment meant to spark the lead story arc. While there is an appeal to be had in this odd dynamic, it feels as if Eckhart has lost his touch. Sharing the screen with Heather Graham reveals this and upsetting results soon follow. The general procession of weak subplots damages Eckhart’s performance and his abilities on the screen soon fade into bleak nothingness. He feels diminished. A shell of the man that starred in Thank You for Smoking.
Jones’ appearance offers a decent respite for those weary few that make it through the film. Tonal inconsistencies aside, there isn’t very much Wander can do apart from muse on the same few horror-induced images it has. They are flawed and ineffective the first time they appear, but for Mullen to assume it will work on multiple occasions is foolhardy. A tragic notion that shaking a camera around a wide-eyed, paranoid Eckhart will provide something far better than the bland paste profiled here. Convulsing between overbearingly serious notions of dark status quo-destroying information and random acts of backstory boredom, there is no amount of chemistry or consistency here that could balance this strange pairing of themes and cast members.
Wander seems to have struck a chord with Eckhart and Jones. Once careful about the projects they placed their trust and faith in, it does seem the two have taken the title of this film to heart, wandering onto any set that doesn’t shoo them away with a broom. An overlapping story is fine if handled correctly, but Wander is a flustered interlude waiting for something to happen, not at all concerned for the pacing of its narrative or what happens to the supporting characters. Mullen doesn’t need to be chastised for this, she is there with one intent in her heart, to bring audiences a competent piece of crime drama that will tide over the bored souls. Wander has a clear audience, and it taps into the few tropes which appeal to such a demographic, and, for better or worse, it works.