Angelina Jolie fans are rediscovering one of her best action movies from the 2000s as it climbs the Netflix charts. By the beginning of the 21st century, Jolie was already a star and an Oscar winner. However, she found new success with a string of blockbuster hits in the 2000s, including Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the Tomb Raider movies.
While Jolie had recently stepped away from the movie world for several years, she made a welcome return in 2024 with an acclaimed performance in the biopic Maria. Of course, her absence didn’t stop fans from seeking out some of her earlier work. In particular, one fan-favorite тιтle from Jolie’s career has made a comeback on streaming.
Wanted Is One Of The Top Movies On Netflix Right Now
Wanted Was A Critical And Box Office Hit In 2008
2008’s Wanted has entered Netflix’s top 10, reigniting interest in the wild action thriller (via Netflix). Based on the comic by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, Wanted stars James McAvoy as Wesley, a put-upon office worker who is invited to join the Fraternity, a secret league of ᴀssᴀssins, of which Wesley’s father was a member.
Jolie has a scene-stealing role as Fox, the mysterious Fraternity member who helps to recruit Wesley. The rest of the cast includes Morgan Freeman, Common, and an early role for Chris Pratt. The movie was a critical success, scoring 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was also a huge box office hit, earning $342 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Fans are still waiting for a Wanted sequel, which has been discussed since the movie’s release back in 2008. However, even all these years later, there is still a lot of love for Wanted, as seen with its streaming popularity. Despite only being added to the streamer on July 16, Wanted is already ranked 10th in Netflix’s ten most-watched movies.
Our Take On Wanted’s Streaming Success
Wanted Is Still A Great Action Movie Experience
While it is always interesting to see what movies are rediscovered on streaming years after their release, it is not surprising that Wanted still draws in a lot of fans. In the aftermath of the success of The Matrix, Wanted was one of the first movies to deliver its own unique and stylized take on action movies.
There is a rich mythology in place, which makes it even more of a shame that there haven’t been any sequels to grow on these ideas.
Wanted’s curving bullets remain a pop culture hit, with the recent MCU series Ironheart even taking inspiration from that memorable technique. The action is wild and leans into the absurdity of it all without being a parody. It is a difficult tone to pull off, but Wanted nails it with plenty of funny moments to accompany the thrills.
Most of all, it is the world of the Fraternity that is what fans want to return to. There is a rich mythology in place, which makes it even more of a shame that there haven’t been any sequels to grow on these ideas. There still may be hope for a Wanted sequel one day, but for now, the original is there to take fans on a wild ride.
Source: Netflix
