MOVIE REVIEW: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4

 

With the price on his head ever increasing, legendary hit man John Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin.

Director: Chad Stahelski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Ian McShane

Release Date: March 24, 2023

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some language

Runtime: 2h 49m

Review:

John Wick: Chapter 4, possibly the final entry in the main series, throws everything it has in this ludicrous but insanely entertaining entry.  It’s a rare thing to watch a director grow in real time but Chad Stahelski has shown an impressive evolution over the span of his signature series.  What started as a pulpy bit of well choregraphed gunsplotion slowly morphed into something more stylized complete with an ever expanding mythos.  Stahelski once again ups the ante by delivering three distinctive and massive action set pieces with each bringing a very specific type of kinetic energy.  The first act plays like a live action anime with the second bringing a more standard euro vibe and the third coming through as an homage to 1979's The Warriors with a Parisian demolition derby thrown in for good measure.  The sheer creativity of the bloody ballet that's played out onscreen is impressive on multiple fronts.  Even as some of the sequences start to boarder on self indulgent, there such a large variety of action that it rarely grows stale.  At the center of it is all is Keanu Reeves and his particular brand of acting which fits this series perfectly, so much so that the supporting cast match is tone and tenor.  Donnie Yen brings a fresh sense of energy as a blind frienemy assassin that echoes his Star Wars Rogue One character.  Its a fun performance that becomes more enjoyable as the film goes on.  Bill Skarsgård is the central villain for this entry, chewing up every bit of scenery with impressive aplomb even with a shaky French accent.  Shamier Anderson character is literally called Nobody and the script doesn't do him any favors by giving him very little depth outside of having a faithful German Shepard.  Rina Sawayama and Hiroyuki Sanada have some solid chemistry as father and daughter early on with hints that one might show up again in the future. Returning players like Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and Lance Reddick give the film a bit of franchise flavor even if they aren't given anything substantial to do.  John Wick is the strange kind of series that manages to overcome its light characterization and basic storytelling with truly impressive action spectacle.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: MULAN

To save her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man to battle northern invaders in China.

Director: Niki Caro

Cast: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Tzi Ma, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Ron Yuan, Gong Li, Jet Li

Release Date: September 4, 2019

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence

Runtime: 1 h 55 min

Review:

The live action remake of Mulan is visually impressive in spots but ultimately it suffers from the same issue that has plagued the other Disney remakes, it feels perfunctory and soulless.  Niki Caro does fare better with this film than some of the other directors tasked with these cash grabs.  Caro has a clear eye for sweeping visual and she takes full advantage of their filming locations.  I’d assume that’s where the majority of the film’s massive budget was spent.  The strange thing is that sequences vary from realistically epic to overly artificial with an over reliance on CGI, so much so that some scenes are jarringly choppy.  Caro can’t seem to decide if she wants to keep the film grounded or go full on fantasy, so she straddles the line between both leaving the film with an uneven tone.  The script doesn’t help matters since it keeps everything overly self serious with no tangible sense of fun.  The cast is consistently wooden and emotionally detached from their characters with only Gong Liz and Tzi Ma leaving any sort of impact.  Liu Yifei does what she can in the lead role but she’s never engaging enough to make the audience care about the character’s journey.  This might be a bit easier to forgive if you just ignore the fact that there is a superior version of the same story available.  Only a few moments really land the way they were intended, which is a shame because you get the feeling that there was a better version of this film in there somewhere. 

C

MOVIE REVIEW: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

This prequel to the very tells the thrilling story of how a ragtag band of freedom fighters -- including a former soldier-turned-prisoner (Felicity Jones), a Rebel Alliance insider (Diego Luna), a Jedi (Donnie Yen), and a sentient robot (voiced by Alan Tudyk) -- worked together to steal the Death Star's secret blueprints. Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, and Jimmy Smits co-star in Rogue One, the first of several Jimmy Smits spin-offs planned after J.J. Abrams' J.J. Abrams reboot. ~ Violet LeVoit, Rovi

Director: Gareth Edwards

Cast :Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen

Release Date: Dec 16, 2016

Rated PG-13 for Sci-Fi Violence and Action

Runtime: 2 hr. 13 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

It’s probably best to start with a small disclaimer.  I’ve never been a diehard Star Wars fan and watched all of them mainly out of duty.  That’s not to say I don’t like a few of them but I can’t say I really love them with any deep rooted passion.  A fact that was reiterated after watching The Force Awakens last year, a film I liked the first time and instantly disliked after a 2^nd viewing.  The biggest issue with that film was how lazily it played on nostalgia with very little in the way of innovation.  Rogue One thankfully brings some fresh energy to the franchise by opening up the established world and telling a story free of major shackles outside of major events from the first film.  Gareth Edwards delivers a film that offers a fresh perspective with a decidedly more grounded and visceral approach.  At its center is Felicity Jones who plays Jyn Eros with a tormented but heartfelt energy throughout.  She’s a well rounded character which serves the film well.  Diego Luna is a bit more of a cipher as the film only gives passing moments of depth to his character which is a shame since Luna is a talented actor.  Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen and Riz Ahmed all bring a strong sense of heart to the film.  It’s a testament to the film that we meet some of these characters well into the film but form a strong connection with them quickly.  It’s nice to see that Mads Mikkelsen fairs better here than he did in Dr. Strange even if his screen time is much smaller.  Ben Mendelsohn plays a perfect villain even if he leans a bit too much toward the mustache twirling variety.  Darth Vader is used sparingly but when he appears it makes a strong impact, particularly in the third act.  A bit of trimming here and there could have streamlined the film a bit but considering how troubled the production was, it’s a bit of a minor miracle that the film came out as well as it did.  I go even as far as to say it’s probably one of my favorite Star Wars films in general.

A-