John Wick: Chapitre 4

By now you know what to expect from a John Wick movie. I thought the franchise was losing a little momentum in chapter 3 so I was worried this could be disappointing. It's not. It's even more on steroids than any Wick before! Even close to 3 hours it doesn't feel to long which is very special for a action movie. This franchise has set new standards. If anybody says a movie is good like John Wick, it better f'n be! The set pieces as everyone mentioned before are really insane this time. The Tokyo sceney with illuminated cherry blossoms was beautiful. The only super illogical thing that bothered me was that nobody flinched at the nightclub, eventually they did but after a whole 10 minute beatdown through the whole club, but then again it's a shady nightclub for high table people. If you liked the first three movies, get your ass to the cinema. Yeah.

Stuntman turned writer/director Chad Stahelski struck gold with his 2014 surprise hit John Wick. It was somewhat of a comeback for the legendary Keanu Reeves and reinvigorated the action genre. Since then it's become THE action juggernaut franchise. Now we are on number 4 and while usually things get redone with that amount of sequels, this film innovates and thrills to new heights in an absolute epic.

One of the most surprising aspects of this particular entry, is the story being written as well as it is. Something that is hard to come by in the genre at times. Not saying the others in the franchise weren't but this is easily the best story diving deeper in the high table aspects as well as John Wick's true emotions . The rich characterization is also at its best with outstanding additions like Skaarsgard, and even more screen time for supporting greats like Fishburne to compliment the magnificent Reeves. RIP Lance Reddick. It's nice to have such substance amongst the endless high octane ballistic visuals.

Speaking of ballistic, this movie goes more all out than any I've seen for insanely well crafted choreographed shootout and fight scenes. Just when you thought you've seen it all, Stahelski/Reeves prove their action minds are ever evolving. These guys were born to make action movies together.

The extremely vibrant colors and plethora of locations is also a feast for the eyes. The sharp atmospheric imagery creates the ultimate backdrop for not only the action but also just the dialogue. The sound is also top notch and perfectly compliments the intensity. It's just an absolute sensory journey that you don't get in too many action films aside from the Wick genre.

Overall the limitless and outrageous action alone is nothing like we've seen before for the genre or just cinema in general . But also this rich unique story may only build Wick's timeless character for more films in the future which at this momentum will be welcomed.

Henchmen just standing there, waiting to get hit, reacting to things that didn't hit them, people in the club just doing the same dance even while people are being killed right in front of them, the cars in traffic keeps moving even while people are getting killed, cars are crashing and bullets are flying, but nope.. traffic just keeps on going. I can't unsee any of it.

It looks painfully unnatural compared to how well the previous 3 films handled the fighting.

There's a ton of wasted movement and shot decisions based on making a scene look "pretty" rather than "good."

I know they can do better. I've seen it.

A couple cute twists of the story doesn't really carry the rest of the film, but it was at least still entertaining.

I'm gonna have to rewatch this one another day. But I found myself beginning to doze off repeatedly like an hour 1/2 into the movie. I can't quite put my finger on it. The villain was definitely boring, the story line and dialogues seemed a bit stretched out. The fight scenes and overall feel of them didn't quite do it for me like the first 3 movies did. I think there's gonna be mixed reviews on this one. I felt there were several plot holes. And I'm in limbo about how I feel about the ending. It seemed fitting but then also didn't...? Lol. Idk man I just think some lazy writing went into play on this one.

Most American action flicks released these days have poor screenplays and overuse computer-generated imagery. The John Wick franchise is one of the few exceptions, along with Mission Impossible. These franchises keep getting better with every entry. Hollywood can make action masterpieces, but Marvel has greater demand, so that's what we get most of. It's a shame.

The stunts and choreography are beyond impressive. Every artist involved does their job to perfection. Donnie Yen's performance is unbelievable. Not only does he fight great, but he also has to move like a blind man. Keanu Reeves is also very impressive. Keanu IS John Wick. Although there are a few scenes where his enemies stand by and wait for their turn to attack, it's easy to overlook because everything else is so great.

I can't fathom how anyone could choose to watch Ant-Man over John Wick. It's so fast-paced, and the choreography and stunts are mesmerizing and brutal. When the action breaks out, it's unbelievable. It's hard to explain -- you have to see it! Why watch a computer-generated "superhero" fly around when you can witness Reeves and Yen engage in a genuine and thrilling fight?