"Hanna" - in theaters

When I first saw the trailer for "Hanna", I thought it looked... funky. But in a good way. It seemed to be one of those movies that was too cool for it's own good, but didn't realize it. That's not a bad thing, though. Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, the story starts with Hanna (played by Saoirse Ronan) dressed in furs hunting in the middle of a desolate, cold forest. As she stands over her pray, a man, Erik, (Eric Bana), whom you later find out is her father, comes up behind her, and suddenly they are in a knock-down drag out fight. You soon find out that they have lived in isolation for most of Hanna's life, after her mother was murdered by Marissa Viegler (Cate Blanchett). Marissa works for the CIA, and Erik used to be an asset of hers. One his wife was killed, Erik took Hanna off the grid, where he raised her to basically be a warrior.

While Hanna is a lean, mean, killing machine, she also yearns for a sense of teenage normalcy. She wants to know what music is, and have friends. Mostly, she wants to get out of the woods. So when she flips the switch on a locating device, you're not entirely sure whether she's doing it so she can leave or if she wants to kill Marissa.

So anyway, the government picks up Hanna and take her to a "secure facility" (that's what they're all called, right?), where she demands to speak with Marissa. A false one is sent in, whom Hanna promptly kills, and then escapes. She is calm and efficient as she dispatches guard after guard, mostly without the use of a gun. It's badass.

Hanna's capture and subsequent escape were all of a part of her and Erik's plan. So once she leaves the facility, Hanna must get to their rendezvous point. Along the way, she is taken in by an English family on vacation, where she befriends their teenage daughter. Their friendship is sweet, mostly because it's the first time that Hanna has ever interacted with someone her own age.

I could go on about the plot, because it's quite intricate, but that would spoil your fun if you saw this movie.

In terms of performances, I totally buy Saoirse Ronan as this badass teenager. She has this innocent look about her, and you would never expect her to be able to take you out with her pinkie finger. She's wound so tightly that she'll snap at any second, and it's brilliant. Cate Blanchett is simply devilish as Marissa, with her sweet Southern accent and affinity for shoes.

Another highlight of this film is the soundtrack. It's just... cool. Done by the Chemical Brothers, it alone gives the film that too cool for school edge that was apparent from the trailer.

So on the CWeave scale, I give this film a 7.5. It's hip, it's now, and it's worth the ticket price. It could've used more humor. But then again... what film couldn't?