Rating: 3.5/5
John Wick has been a series that I’ve been conflicted about each time, especially once it moved beyond the relative simplicity of the first one
On one hand, the stunts are incredible, the set pieces are always cool at a minimum, and knowing that Keanu is doing them makes it so satisfying. Like, I don’t know why, but these movies make me feel joy in a way few movies can
On the other, the plot has grown convoluted. And while I like the stunts, there’s always too many so I’m burnt out before the movie ends
This one fixes the stunt complaint by placing them in choice places with distinct styles for each set piece. And while it’s still ALOT plot-wise, it at least reduces it down to a simple conclusion
Not all of the fights work for me — the German dance club one looks cool but the narrative is surprisingly poorly executed — there’s a scene where Keanu falls down the stairs and it goes on sooo long that it becomes comedic, and not intentionally so
Keanu is forced to act serious and stern, and it seems like his direction was just “say it slower than you think you should” and it made the audience laugh at times
All that said, this is still the best John Wick since the first, they learned a lot of lessons that made this one beautiful and compelling throughout