John Wick 4 (2023)
Laura’s Rating: 3/5 Stars
I loved the first John Wick and really enjoyed the second and third film. This was a highly anticipated sequel for me, but it was just okay. I saw this movie at the Grandview Theater and enjoyed one of their creative themed drinks (Baba Yaga).
The Analysis:
This was easily the weakest of the four movies. Even with sequels, I think good movies should stand on their own and there wasn’t a ton of context in this film. It’s been 4 years since the last installment came out (thanks Covid), meaning it’s been a while since many people watched anything in this franchise. I think that with so much time in between films, there should have been a bit of a refresher or quick reference to what was happening in the film’s universe. I watched all 3 movies within the last 2 years and it still took me a bit to figure out where we left off.
Overall, I thought the movie was entertaining, but nothing special. Some of the fight scenes went on waaay too long and easily could have been cut down, which, in turn, would have reduced the film’s daunting runtime of nearly 3 hours.
Despite a lackluster start, the movie really hit its stride in the last third and felt like the classic John Wick that I love. There’s a scene featuring a shootout with incendiary rounds that is shot from a birds eye view and follows Wick through a building. This was both visually interesting and a great way to show the explosive shots without a first person view of the violence. At one point, there’s a voice overlay from a radio host cheekily narrating the action while pumping a solid soundtrack into the scenes. The music and action sequences really peaked for me here. I think my favorite scene was around the Arch de Triumph in Paris where Wick pulls impressive stunts in a classic muscle car and then escapes on a motorcycle. These felt like classic Wick motifs and the stunts were impressive and entertaining.
John Wick 4 was an entertaining action flick but it’s nothing spectacular. I definitely recommend watching (or re-watching the first three before viewing).
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