John Wick: Chapter 2 managed to pull off the seemingly impossible by giving the John Wick franchise some meaningful world building whilst also turning the action up to eleven. Ending on an almighty cliff-hanger a third films seemed all but guaranteed. But would Chapter 3, subtitled Parabellum, be able to bottle lightning once again? A seemingly impossible task that it pulls off with relative ease.
Following his assassination of Santino D’Antonio on Continental grounds, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has been made ‘excommunicado’, stripping him of all safety and privileges the Continental Hotel can provide, and a bounty of $14 million is placed on his head at the command of the elusive High Table.
John must take on every professional criminal in New York City in the hopes of surviving long enough to gain an audience with ‘The Man Above the High Table’. But with a High Table Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) putting pressure on Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne), John must call in his own marker on the owner of the Moroccan Continental, Sofia (Halle Berry).
Following his assassination of Santino D’Antonio on Continental grounds, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has been made ‘excommunicado’, stripping him of all safety and privileges the Continental Hotel can provide, and a bounty of $14 million is placed on his head at the command of the elusive High Table.
John must take on every professional criminal in New York City in the hopes of surviving long enough to gain an audience with ‘The Man Above the High Table’. But with a High Table Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) putting pressure on Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne), John must call in his own marker on the owner of the Moroccan Continental, Sofia (Halle Berry).
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is one hell of an action movie, perhaps one of the finest of the twenty-first century, but (and it’s a big but) the story is at times incomprehensible with even the most seasoned of John Wick fans being left a little in the dark as to what’s going on some of the time.
The whole shtick of the first two John Wick films is that the action was the star, and the story was there as set dressing. It was simple, intriguing enough but mostly superfluous. Chapter 3 makes the mistake of having the story integral to the action, and so it requires the need to understand how components like the High Table work on a much deeper level. The problem there lies in that John Wick has always been vague in its dialogue, so understanding how something as complicated as the High Table works without ever having seen it or really had it explained is kind of a problem.
In Chapter 3, the story is weaved in amongst the action far better than it was in Chapter 2, meaning you don’t get these long gaps where it’s all bark and no bite, now worldbuilding seems to happen simultaneously with the action and it’s very impressive to see. But with the decision to turn John Wick into a multi-media franchise alongside this film’s development, it means that there are some elements introduced here that are likely never to be resolved in the mainline John Wick films (such as the Ruska Roma syndicate) and the result can make it feel slightly baggy in places, something Chapter 2 managed to skilfully avoid.
But Chapter 3 more than delivers on its setup, delivering action on a scale unseen in the previous two films, all whilst maintaining the industry-leading fight choreography and never once feeling like it’s jumped the shark. From the opening shot of John running through a rain-soaked New York City, frantically trying to get what he needs before his bounty goes live, Chapter 3 is a full throttle thrill ride that doesn’t let up until the credits roll.
It does have the unfortunate job of being a middle child, in that it has no real beginning because it picks up immediately after the events of Chapter 2, and it ends on yet another cliff-hanger for Chapter 4, but it all comes together perfectly and builds to a monumental shootout in the Continental itself that will have you on the edge of your seat.
The whole shtick of the first two John Wick films is that the action was the star, and the story was there as set dressing. It was simple, intriguing enough but mostly superfluous. Chapter 3 makes the mistake of having the story integral to the action, and so it requires the need to understand how components like the High Table work on a much deeper level. The problem there lies in that John Wick has always been vague in its dialogue, so understanding how something as complicated as the High Table works without ever having seen it or really had it explained is kind of a problem.
In Chapter 3, the story is weaved in amongst the action far better than it was in Chapter 2, meaning you don’t get these long gaps where it’s all bark and no bite, now worldbuilding seems to happen simultaneously with the action and it’s very impressive to see. But with the decision to turn John Wick into a multi-media franchise alongside this film’s development, it means that there are some elements introduced here that are likely never to be resolved in the mainline John Wick films (such as the Ruska Roma syndicate) and the result can make it feel slightly baggy in places, something Chapter 2 managed to skilfully avoid.
But Chapter 3 more than delivers on its setup, delivering action on a scale unseen in the previous two films, all whilst maintaining the industry-leading fight choreography and never once feeling like it’s jumped the shark. From the opening shot of John running through a rain-soaked New York City, frantically trying to get what he needs before his bounty goes live, Chapter 3 is a full throttle thrill ride that doesn’t let up until the credits roll.
It does have the unfortunate job of being a middle child, in that it has no real beginning because it picks up immediately after the events of Chapter 2, and it ends on yet another cliff-hanger for Chapter 4, but it all comes together perfectly and builds to a monumental shootout in the Continental itself that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Chapter 3 looks and sounds just as stunning as you’d expect. The cinematography is as clean as ever, allowing you to see the whole fight and the excellent choreography that makes it. With a thumping soundtrack and plenty of bullets and explosions it’s a film you’ll want to watch with the volume turned up loud to let the bass get rumbling.
I do feel as though Chapter 3 does rely on CGI a lot more than the previous entries though, and it may not, but it’s just a lot more noticeable this time around. Environments that aren’t really there, and even the blood effects look a bit iffy this time around.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum may not work as cohesively as Chapter 2, but its ambition is certainly admirable. The universe of John Wick is blown wide open and presents dozens of opportunities for expansion outside of the mainline films, plus the action has been cranked up to unthinkably exciting levels without ever feeling like it’s gone too far. But the story is more complex than ever, and because of the lack of foundations laid by Chapters 1&2, Parabellum can feel a little out of its depth when trying to explain some of the rules and systems of the John Wick criminal underworld.
The bottom line is that if you like the previous John Wick films (and you should if you’re a fan of action films) then Chapter 3 is another winner, but it makes no attempts to bring new audiences into the fold even in the slightest.
I do feel as though Chapter 3 does rely on CGI a lot more than the previous entries though, and it may not, but it’s just a lot more noticeable this time around. Environments that aren’t really there, and even the blood effects look a bit iffy this time around.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum may not work as cohesively as Chapter 2, but its ambition is certainly admirable. The universe of John Wick is blown wide open and presents dozens of opportunities for expansion outside of the mainline films, plus the action has been cranked up to unthinkably exciting levels without ever feeling like it’s gone too far. But the story is more complex than ever, and because of the lack of foundations laid by Chapters 1&2, Parabellum can feel a little out of its depth when trying to explain some of the rules and systems of the John Wick criminal underworld.
The bottom line is that if you like the previous John Wick films (and you should if you’re a fan of action films) then Chapter 3 is another winner, but it makes no attempts to bring new audiences into the fold even in the slightest.