Cindy Prascik's Reviews of John Wick Chapter 4 & Captain America Brave New World

 My dear readers: This past week I caught up with a pair of action flicks from franchises in which I was once invested.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First on my agenda, John Wick: Chapter 4.

Hoping to finally earn his freedom, our hero John Wick is on the run again.

The John Wick franchise seems to blow up its universe pretty much every movie, only to find a way of repeating the same formula with the next outing. JW4 is no real exception, and if the schtick is wearing a bit thin, there's still a lot to like here. Keanu Reeves was born for this role, and there will always be some joy in seeing him play it. Ian McShane elevates any project lucky enough to have him. The cinematography, set design, and fight choreography remain head-and-shoulders above average for the genre, but...maybe there's something to be said for franchises that quit while they're ahead. Chapter 4 is overlong, and the fight scenes, well-done as they are, drag on and on. The movie doesn't manage to hold any real suspense, so ultimately its aesthetic virtues can't save it from being uninspiring.

John Wick: Chapter 4 runs 169 minutes (I'm not kidding) and is rated R for, "pervasive strong violence and some language."

John Wick: Chapter 4 retains some of the assets that make the franchise great, but it might be time to put this one to bed. Of a possible nine Weasleys, John Wick: Chapter 4 gets six.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is now streaming on Peacock.

Next on the docket was Marvel's Captain America: Brave New World.

Sam Wilson officially takes the shield and must foil a nefarious international plot.

In my house, we stan Anthony Mackie, so I was very much looking forward to him taking the top(ish) spot in the Marvel hierarchy. Brave New World gives him a serviceable film with a strong supporting cast and a decent storyline. The movie is almost entirely without the forced humor and convoluted timeline/universe jumping that plague most Marvel output. If the movie is a bit longer than it needs to be, it's not nearly as bloated as most Marvel pictures, and it's well paced enough to (mostly) get away with it.

Captain America: Brave New World clocks in at a pretty reasonable 118 minutes and is rated PG13 for, "intense sequences of violence and action and some strong language."

Captain America: Brave New World is a solid beginning for an iconic hero's new chapter. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Captain America: Brave New World gets seven and a half.

Captain America: Brave New World is now streaming on Disney+.

Until next time...

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-