“John Wick 4” (John Wick: Chapter 4) just came out and became an instant hit. The picture has the highest ratings from both critics and viewers, and its official screening in all countries of the world, including Russia, promises huge fees. What is the secret of such a success of the fourth film in the series and is it worth spending your hard-earned money on a ticket? We have already looked at the novelty and prepared the main basic facts why you should definitely see it now.
Hectic dynamics
The first thing that strikes you right after the start is the speed with which events unfold. The film lasts a whopping three hours and during that time so much happens that would be enough for another trilogy. Each arena and battle is different from the last. Changing conditions, opponents and weapons. After a rather slow third film, you don’t expect this from the fourth part. The vortex of events is addictive and doesn’t give a second to exhale. That’s how you feel on a rollercoaster.
However, this is also one of the problems of Baba Yaga’s new adventures. All personal relationships between the characters went under the knife. There are more characters, but their roles are conditional and the characters are superficial. If for some reason you have not seen the previous films, there is no point in going to the picture. You will not understand at all who is who and why some people want to kill Keanu Reeves (Keanu Reeves), while others, on the contrary, give him all kinds of support.
Yes, and three hours do not watch in one breath. From the continuous rubilov you begin to get tired, the brain needs a break.
This level of action was a tangible step forward for the series. By the fourth film, John Wick is still surprising and entertaining. Fans of previous installments and dynamic action movies will surely be pleased with this one. In addition to The Fast and the Furious, there are simply no analogues in modern cinema. However, one should take into account the genre features and not expect plot depths and complex characters from the novelty.
high stakes
The first “John Wick” (John Wick) was so well received by the audience that the creators immediately began to give interviews about far-reaching plans. As a result, these statements played a cruel joke on the series. It’s hard to really feel for a character when a sequel has already been announced.
This time it’s different.
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Already in one of the first scenes, a well-known and beloved character of fans is killed, after which the Continental Hotel is blown up.
The audience comes to understand that the hero can lose, and this gives completely new emotions that were not even in the first film.
Style
After three pictures, John Wick is still a very stylish action movie, drenched in testosterone and toughness. The geography is extensive, so the hero visits many different locations, each of which has its own atmosphere, color palette and characteristics. A clear parallel with a computer game, where each subsequent level must be different from the previous one.
Everyone Jonathan fights is handsome, well-dressed and extremely charismatic. Admittedly, there are also freaks, such as the fat owner of the club, but this is just an exception to the rule.
Characters
Despite their simplicity, the characters in the fourth part turned out to be extremely structured. All veterans of the series are still beautiful and cause only positive emotions. Winston, played by Ian McShane, literally steals every scene with his participation. Keanu Reeves is still brutally brutal and Laurence Fishburne, as a living reference to The Matrix, continues to have fun. Particularly admired are the scenes where the whole trinity is together. It is a pity that there are few of them.
However, beginners are also remembered. Hiroyuki Sanada continues to play the wise noble Japanese from film to film and does it brilliantly. Bill Skarsgård has become a great villain and definitely deserves a lot more screen time. And Donnie Yen after Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Stories” (Rogue One) tried again the image of a blind hunter.
Each of the new characters is intriguing, I want to know their backstory. It’s a pity that John Wick 4 is in such a hurry to surprise with action that it completely forgets about its own heroes.
Want to spend the rest of your days watching John Wick movies?
Fight choreography
Shootouts and fights are the main thing for which it is worth going to the movies. The production has reached a whole new level, so for three hours you won’t see a single identical situation or arena. Closer to the final, what is happening generally turns into a real circus act. The battle on the road next to the Arc de Triomphe is one of the best scenes in action movie history.
There was a place for duels and samurai fights, and even paired gun fu – a fictional fighting style that combines melee attacks, edged weapons and pistols.
Interestingly, John Wick now fights with the same professionals as himself. All the hero’s chips are also performed by opponents without any problems, which is why the battles are added in dynamism and ferocity. There was even a place for a fighting dog, although the owner is not the main character this time.
Separately, I would like to note the fights with the participation of Donnie Yen. Since his character is blind, the creators had to constantly take this into account. Of course, it is not always clear how Cain (that’s the name of the hero Ian) understands where to shoot, but in most scenes everything happens organically and tastefully. The use of motion bubbles and the constant attachment to a cane are small details that add realism and effect to what is happening.
It’s a shame there isn’t as much realism in other battles. Now few people remember, but the creators of the first film separately spoke about the absence of the usual militant clichés. For example, John regularly ran out of ammunition. The chip is preserved in the fourth part, but in everything else it sometimes comes across as ridiculous.
Enemies obediently miss three steps and often attack in turn to make it easier for the older Keanu Reeves to deal with them. John himself withstands such blows, in which it is impossible in principle to stay whole. At the moment when the hero jumped from the third floor, fell on the car, and then on the asphalt, dusted himself off and just kept walking, people in the cinema gasped in amazement. It was so stupid and weird.
Literally in the next scene, poor Wick is violently thrown headfirst into an iron pole, then falls headlong down 200 steps. Here the audience was already laughing openly, although an important and important moment for the hero took place on the screen, and the director is unlikely to have achieved such an effect.
But the biggest assumption was and remains a bulletproof jacket. Heroes and villains regularly use clothing to evade bullets, but it looks funny to say the least. Although they explained in the previous parts why the clothes are so durable, by the fourth film they have become something of an ultimate shield. John covers his face, but his palms and part of his head are constantly open, and nothing protects our Belarusian from behind.
The lack of realism isn’t that big of a deal. Ultimately, sports cars flying between skyscrapers don’t stop Fast and Furious from raking in sky-high cash. However, these are the assumptions and “rules of the universe” that will have to be accepted. Only in this way can you enjoy what is happening and not get hung up on the next scene, where the hero’s jacket can withstand a direct burst of a machine gun, and the enemy, dressed in full armor and body armor, does not stand a chance has against a gun.
To date, there is no movie that can compete with John Wick 4 in terms of creativity in action sequences. In its genre, this is an absolute hit, a must-see for anyone who likes action movies and interesting situations in combat. You’ve never seen anything like it.
Camera work
An important detail that complements the impressions of the film is shooting. The way John Wick 4 looks is largely down to the operator. Interesting angles, close-ups and the right accents work perfectly together with a stylish image and visuals.
Separately, we want to highlight the scene, which seemed to us a real masterpiece. Near the end, John is given a machine gun with explosive cartridges. It is at this moment that the camera suddenly flies up and shows everything in the perspective of games like Hotline Miami. At the same time, the arena is completely seamless and seems to have been shot in one take. Everything is about seven minutes long, which is very long by the standards of modern movies. We already wrote that the fourth film is in many ways reminiscent of the game, but only after this moment does it become clear that the makers intended it that way. Fresh, effective and just plain cool.
end
The end of the film acts as the final chord, which can completely spoil the viewing experience, or vice versa – consolidate pleasant emotions. Unfortunately, the finals in the previous parts always remained open for sequels, but this time the writers went broke.
The story can still be expanded if necessary, but the director has already spoken out about plans to “take a break” from the character, and rightly so. Two spin-offs are currently being prepared for release. The series about the young Winston “Continental” (The Continental) and the movie “Ballerina” (Ballerina) starring Anna de Armas (Ana de Armas), the events of which will unfold between the third and fourth parts. The universe really has room to develop, but John Wick seems to have done everything he could. Keanu Reeves isn’t getting any younger, it’s getting harder and harder to pull off tricks on his own every time.
It is all the more pleasant that the story has a logical and very correct ending, which in many ways is the essence of the main idea of \u200b\u200bthe whole series – there will be a consequence for every action.
John Wick 4 is certainly not the most perfect movie. It has a mediocre plot, superficial characters and a lot of unrealistic assumptions. However, this is hands down the best action movie. In its genre, the picture became a hit, and all its high ratings are fully deserved. The staging, creativity and choreography of the fight scenes are all done at the highest level. This is the model that all filmmakers now look up to.
How do you like the movie?
Source: VG Times
Christina Moncayo is a contributing writer for “Social Bites”. Her focus is on the gaming industry and she provides in-depth coverage of the latest news and trends in the world of gaming.