John Wick: Chapter Two Review
R: Strong Violence Throughout, Some Language, and Brief Nudity
Summit Entertainment, Thunder Road Pictures
2 Hrs and 2 Minutes
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Peter Stormare, Peter Serafinowicz
REVIEW: Well the day is here. Who knew we’ll ever see a day like it. Keanu Reeves starring in a sequel to a movie. We can go on and on about how much the Matrix sequels suck, but it’s rather impressive to see Keanu Reeves not only starring in an unexpected yet awesome action flick being John Wick but also see it warranting a sequel. Will it succumb to the Matrix curse by sucking so much? Here’s the answer. NO!
Legendary hitman John Wick is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins' guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome, where he squares off against some of the world's deadliest killers
THE GOOD: With movie sequels, you have titles just ending in 2 or you have part 2, but you never see a chapter two. It’s kind of shocking to see the sequel to something like John Wick be called John Wick: CHAPTER TWO. This has the audacity to call itself CHAPTER TWO like its narrative is similar to a storybook or something. Why can’t it be called John Wick: Reloaded or something, well that’s because this film actually plays like a second chapter to a larger film. Right when the film begins, it concludes the story that was left open ended in 2014 as it’s prologue before it dives into a new story that is far different from its predecessor. For this being a sequel, it is not a rehash of the first like lazy sequels such as Taken 2 or Transporter 2.
What makes John Wick: Chapter Two special against every action sequel is its world expansion. It sets up more rules about this world of assassins similar to the Wick and shows the many different types of assassins there are. When you thought there was only one assassin hotel, the film is quick to reveal that there are more in different territories where they abide by their same rules. They set this hotel up like it’s a niche brand.
Call it Holiday AssassINN
If that isn’t clever enough, the film shows different technicalities in this world and how getting ready for “work,” is like.When Wick uses a certain code such as, “I need a tasting,” at a bar thinking he’s about to drink beer, he’s led to a gun showroom that sets up different variations of guns on display like they are drinks. It's part of a montage sequence that seems straight out of both Kingsman and The Incredibles but original in its own right.
If you didn’t buy Wick as the Boogeyman everyone feared in the first film, chapter two shows the Baba Yaga as the most badass as he’s ever been. You see John Wick actually “work” and boy does it suck. It sucks seeing him having to go through so much shit from beginning to end that you just want to see him live a normal life. We see him humanized by the love of his deceased wife, but somehow some mob boss just wants to set him off. Didn’t they see the tagline for the first film? It was DON’T SET HIM OFF!
Fighting against John Wick is like playing against that expert player in any FPS game. Call of Duty, Battlefield, Goldeneye you name it. That being said can somebody make this into an actual video game? Not put John Wick into another DLC of Payday 2, but give him his own video game? He deserves one now at this point.
The John Wick franchise is becoming similar to the Indonesian The Raid franchise to me where the first film is stylistic and over the top with a simplistic story and great execution. It sets up its own rules, plays by its rules, and delivers amazingly choreographed action sequences WHEREAS IT’S SEQUEL dives more into this world all this violent madness takes place in. It gives the lead a bit more depth and character while cranking up its action level to eleven with numerous of innovative and imaginative set pieces at the foreground of where these action sequences take place.
This movie has it’s own Baseball Bat Man and Hammer Girl which are Common Gun Man and Silent But Deadly Ruby Rose. The film has Common going against Wick on a subway train car in an action sequence can’t feel like it wasn’t inspired by The Raid 2. It’s nice to see Common and Rose play as nothing but badass killers in movies now. It’s February and this is the third film Ruby Rose has been in. I just hope to see one day they’ll graduate from antagonistic henchmen into little action stars. I can just see it now: their profile being the face of a movie poster of a badly titled action film as they do a little action movie star smolder look.
Director Chad Stahelski reuses the technical aspects that made his first film so special and brings it back to a larger effect. The production is slightly bigger, but yet it remains grounded. The action is still tightly filmed where you can see the bloody violence through tracking shots and clear view. One of my favorite aspects of the first film was its subtitles which were stylish and unique amongst films with the regularly generic subtitle font. If a character is speaking in another language or in sign language, the subtitles are in a new stylistic font different to the first film. Most of the subtitled dialogue is in white, but if the word is a noun, action verb, or threatening terms, they’re in a colorful significance. It was something unique about the first film that was rightfully bought back.
If the action wasn’t enough, the film even gives you a cute little Matrix reunion between Laurence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves. By that time in the film you’re already astounded by the awesomeness of the violence that you’re overwhelmed by it. You’re just one step away from going
THE BAD: The only complaint I have against the film is one major misrepresentation of New York. If you are a New Yorker or ever visited New York, you know how the MTA train station looks. The film has the likeness of the stations in New York, but then the film features a train that looks absolutely nothing like our train station. It’s so clean and pristine that I was both flattered and mad. I was flattered that it portrayed our trains like that but mad that it looks so good. You’re just there going, “what the hell MTA system is this and WHY CAN’TWE HAVE THIS?”
LAST STATEMENT: John Wick: Chapter Two exceeds all expectations by expanding its universe with imaginative action sequences that deliver bigger and better the second time around. It is one of the best R-rated action sequels of all time [next to Terminator 2].
Rating: 5/5 | 96%
Super Scene:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| John Wick Killing in New Inventive and Badass Ways |
NOT MY MTA |
| Expansion of the World of Assassins |
P.A.B of a Villain |
| Raised Stakes | |
| Keanu Reeves Performance | |
| MATRIX REUINION | |
