The R-Rated Violent Comic Book Adaptation On Max With No Heroes
It has been almost 16 years since Mark Miller’s provocative graphic novel Wanted was adapted into the same-name movie starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, and James McAvoy, who portrays an anxiety-ridden loser who finds his purpose in life as an agent of death for a secret and ancient organization of assassins. Now, nearly two decades later, Wanted has found its home on Max.
The Pre-MCU Era Of Ultra-Stylized Adaptations
Released in 2008, Wanted was a solid exercise in the ultra-stylized, hyper-realistic, and excessively violent narratives that were popularized by the likes of 2005’s Sin City and 2007’s 300, which follows the story of an apparent loser-turned-super-assassin. Wesley Gibson is a young man who finds his rather ordinary life turned inside out when he discovers he has an ability to temporarily increase his reflexes to superhuman levels. He then receives training from a mysterious organization called The Fraternity, which uses a mysterious loom to determine who lives and who dies.
A Hit Then And A Hit Now
By now, we’re used to the fact that the resurfacing movies weren’t overly successful at the time of their release but have gained renewed interest thanks to streaming platforms such as Netflix, Max, Disney+, and others.
However, this isn’t the case with Wanted because the movie was actually a commercial and financial success—it received generally favorable reviews and went on to earn just over $342 million against its budget of $75 million. The presence of a star-studded cast certainly helped its earnings.
Unapologeticelly Excessive
In short, Wanted was everything you’d expect from a Hollywood action flick, as it slams the pedal to the metal and rarely slows down with its relentless violence and its ingenuity in inventing new ways to attack, defend, and curve the laws of physics. It’s obviously made for the fans of over-the-top action who just want to see great visuals, fantastic fight sequences, things that go “BOOM!” and some notable performances by the film’s cast.
Far, Far Removed From The Graphic Novel
However, not everyone was charmed by Wanted, especially the fans of the original work, who called the movie a “disappointing oversimplification” of otherwise really cool source material. While that’s entirely to be expected from adaptations, Wanted took things a bit too far, and we wouldn’t be wrong to call it a derivative work that simply shared some basic premise.
There are significant differences between the two in terms of plot, character development, and overall theme—for example, The Fraternity is actually a consortium of supervillains instead of a league of assassins.
Available On Max
In fact, everything’s darker in the graphic novel: the protagonist of the comic embraces his dark side and power instead of focusing on self-discovery; there’s more explicit content in the original work, including plenty of graphical violence and sexual content.
The movie also ends on a slightly more positive note, which we won’t disclose to avoid introducing any spoilers for those who haven’t seen the film. Despite its shortcomings, Wanted remains an incredibly entertaining piece of cinematography with all the hallmarks of 2000-2010 era cinematography.
For those interested in watching this entertaining piece, Wanted is currently available to stream on Max.
