John Wick Chapter 4 (released 3/24/23)

John Wick is back to kick names and take ass...wait... So this is the fourth film in the John Wick franchise. Everything is coming to a spearhead and John just wants the hell out. Bigger locations and bigger body counts were expected going in. The story is essentially John trying to figure out who he needs to kill to let him live his days out in peace. The plot at first was meh because it was just action or set up for everything else. The final act makes everything come full circle and actually bowties this as the final entry for John. Will he get his freedom or die trying? I can't tell you that, that would spoil the fun and the stakes. All the characters are engaging as always, and they even introduced a character that could potentially be the new morally grey assassin we can follow if they continue the franchise. The pacing was a bit more of an issue in this movie. Ironically the thing that hindered the pacing was the action sequences that just never seemed to end. I know this is an action movie, but it felt like some of the set pieces went on for 15 minutes. There are only so many weapon variations you can use to keep the scenes fresh. The spectacle factor was here as always. There was even a homage to old-school top-down shooter video games in one of the sequences. However, John had a case of Blackwidowitis. He should have died from at least 3 or 4 falls that he took throughout the film. Overall, it is a solid entry into the franchise and there is plenty of material coming out to continue this well-built world.

Story - 18%

Characters - 20%

Pacing - 16%

Spectacle - 20%

Entertainment - 17%

Total score: 91%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here