This might very well be the best movie of 2023…even though we still have another 9 months to go. John Wick: Chapter 4 was a beautifully written, awe-inspiring emotional rollercoaster that masterfully concludes the tetralogy.
What an AWESOME MOVIE! And what an amazing way to wrap up the tetralogy (which is fancy for a series of 4 movies) of the most famous hitman in the world, John Wick.
I don’t want to get into spoilers with this article as the movie only came out four days ago, but this film easily takes the top spot (in my humble rankings/opinions) in the best Spring films of 2023. This movie is just that good.
Everything in this movie, from the cinematography, choreography, actor performances, special effects, CGI, writing, directing, etc., was so masterfully crafted that even a recent-comer to the franchise (such as myself) could sit back and appreciate the character/story of John Wick and all of the hard behind-the-scenes work making such a film takes.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t really a massive fan of the John Wick franchise before coming into this film as I found the first movie, which was the only one I saw before watching Chapter 4, a little boring. Obviously, I love a good action-adventure movie as much as the next guy, but I just found John Wick’s story in Chapter 1 subpar when compared to the likes of Jason Bourne (The Bourne Identity, to be more specific), Kill Bill: Volume I and II, and Pulp Fiction.
I mean, the first movie sets up the plot to be just about John Wick going on a mad killing spree because some gangsters killed his dog and stole his car. Now, after watching the movie back and then watching the Chapter 2 and 3 over the last few days, I see how much of the actual story/plot I was missing by having such a narrow, limited appreciation of the film’s symbolism/hidden messages.
Nevertheless, in my opinion, the real MVPs for this movie are all of the cinematographers, editors, filmographers, special effects coordinators, stunt coordinators, and stunt men as they turned a relatively simple action-film premise into an amazing visual masterpiece that rivals the likes of Star Wars, Avatar, DC, and Marvel.
These people are truly masters in their field as there wasn’t a wonky, hard-to-watch, or cheesy action scene in the entire film (or at least I missed it if one exists), which is an enormous compliment for a film with this kind of hype, budget, and expectations.
(Lionsgate Movies-John Wick: Chapter 4-Final Trailer)
Yet, I’d be remiss to not also point out the brilliance of Keanu Reeves, the rest of the cast (in particular, the late, great Lance Reddick), and director Chad Stahelski as their vision and performances neatly complimented the visuals. Sure, there may not be a lot of dialogue (I think I read Reeves only said 350 or so words in the whole film), but huge monologues and wordy debates has not been the defining factor for this franchise.
It has been the action and combat.
These characters, led by Keanu Reeves’ John Wick, have pulled off one of the most incredible feats an actor can do in cinema: telling the audience a story through actions, emotions, and non-verbal cues.
The John Wick role may (I’m still internally debating) not necessarily be an Academy Award winning one, but Reeves definitely deserves the praise of the like of the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, etc., just as like how Chad Stahelski should get the plaudits for his work behind the camera.
And, thankfully, this movie has been rewarded for its greatness as turned it not only has raked in a massive $73.5M opening-weekend box office haul (a franchise record, along with being the most of any movie this year to date), but it also has a 94% certified fresh critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 8.4/10 IMDb rating.
This truly is a fantastic, satisfying ending to the John Wick legacy (well, for now as he’s going to appear in the Ana de Armas spinoff movie).
Images Source: Featured Image: (Lionsgate Movies) (John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Final Trailer – Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård – YouTube)
In Text Image 1: (Lionsgate Movies) (John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Final Trailer – Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård – YouTube)
