A semi-forgotten Marvel movie from the past is now streaming on HBO Max. As of November 1, The Wolverine is now available for subscribers to watch at their leisure. This may provide fans with a good chance to revisit the film, as it has sort of been overshadowed in the years since its initial release.
The Wolverine was released in 2013 and served as Hugh Jackman’s second solo feature as the iconic mutant. Jackman, of course, made his debut in 2000’s X-Men, which helped to usher in the modern era of superhero films. But Jackman got the chance to take the spotlight in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Unfortunately, the movie proved to be a disaster critically and commercially. But Fox opted to give it another go, this time with James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma) at the helm. That proved to be a good decision.
Here is the synopsis for The Wolverine.
Based on the celebrated comic book, this epic action adventure takes Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces unexpected and deadly foes in a life or death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.
Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Famke Janssen, and Will Yun Lee co-starred alongside Jackman in the solo adventure. Critically, it fared far better than origins, currently sitting at 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The screenplay was penned by Christopher McQuarrie, Mark Bomback, Scott Frank. McQuarrie has since gone on to become one of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood. He frequently collaborates with Tom Cruise and is currently finishing Mission: Impossible 7.
Commercially, the film did reasonably well, taking in $414 million at the box office against a $120 million budget. Most importantly, that was good enough to justify another solo Wolverine movie. Jackman and Mangold reteamed for 2017’s Logan, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. That may not have been possible without this movie paving the way. As such, it has a quietly important place in comic book movie history.
The Wolverine is now streaming on HBO Max.
What do you think? Do you dig this movie? Is it worth revisiting? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
