John Wick Trilogy
"An ex-hit-man comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and took his car."
- IMDB
The Boogeyman
First of all, the cast. Of course Keanu Reeves is the heart & soul of the film but we also got Ian McShane, Willem Dafoe, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, & Lance Reddick. All very talented. But I gotta hand it to Keanu. There was actually a scene where he made me emotional. His line delivery caught me off guard. I can't say I've shed a tear for Keanu's performances before now. He did such a good job.
The concept is really cool. Any sort of Assassin or Secret Agent premise is solid. John Wick is thankfully one of the many takes on the idea that didn't fall through and had solid execution as well. It really throws you off though given how John Wick throws himself back in the Assassin's Creed. Not only do you not expect it but it's unnecessarily tragic... Let's just say that next time I get on the Sims 4, I'm going to create John Wick and give him all the dogs he deserves.
Really enjoyed all the fighting sequences. They're all well choreographed and believable to some extent. It also looks like Keanu a lot of the time, as if it's not just a lot of crazy motion blurring a stunt double. It actually looks like he did a lot of the fighting, which I think he did.
The Sequel
Spoiler alert. Keanu's new dog lives to the end of this movie. No tragic deaths worth mentioning here.
What I liked most about this sequel is that it expanded on the Assassin's Creed concept. Not only did we learn a bit more about laws and customs, but it also laid down the path for consequences further down the road.
Pacing was better in Jock Wick 2 than the first, though that's not to say the first was bad. I just felt that things were moving quicker and a lot was going on. I just remember seeing that I was 2/3 through the film but felt like I was less than half. Time was zooming. I hated the villain though. He was such a jerk, but not in a good villain way. He made Wick kill his sister than set him up to be a fugitive. That was so unfair. It set up the third well but I didn't like it.
A Franchise
John Wick 3: Parabellum was all about consequences. But whatever the story may be, the action of this installment was just so much fun. The first act alone was so action packed as John Wick was on the run. The knife fight went straight into that horse segment and that 10 minutes was a blast. The Motorcycle segment toward the end was cool too; real FF7 Remake vibes. The final battle in the hotel was awesome too as an all out war ensued through this epic climax.
Turns out, this is not so much of a trilogy anymore. The third films ends with more left to be done. The 4th film will be out before we know it and I'm definitely gonna see it in theaters. These films are genuinely fun and Keanu Reeves can do no wrong.
And yes. I did have PTSD when the dog was shot. But at least no dogs were harmed and I hope that trend continues.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
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