Wednesday, March 1, 2017

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Bigger, louder, flashier, and more brutal than the predecessor, Chapter 2 delves deeper into the league of assassins. It's a well-made movie with nice practical effects and choreography, but at the same time, the great number of head-shots might make you numb halfway through the movie.

If you have seen the first John Wick movie in 2014, you'd have a pretty good expectation of the action, style, and the deep and detailed universe that the movie is set in. Events Chapter 2 start just a few days after the end of the first film and show how the titular character is trying to wrap up loose ends. But as it seems that the movie is about to slow down, a blast from the past hits John and pulls him back in.

The best part about the movie is the rich universe that it has created; from the Continental hotel to the tailors and sommeliers! Ian McShane particularly shines as the manager of the New York branch. Of course Keanu Reeves is great as well. His dedication to the stunts is somewhat comparable to Tom Cruise's. Other than these two, other supporting characters were not memorable, or even at points they were really annoying (I'm talking about Ruby Rose's character).

The story is interesting and compelling. It builds on what we saw in the first movie. Here John is not as sympathetic has he was there, but still he is the classic hero that you root for. As I mentioned, everything is super-sized in this instalment. However, too much of a good thing may not necessarily be good. As I mentioned earlier, the body count is so large that the fight scenes lose their allure.

Overall, it's a very entertaining and well-made movie. Fans of the first film should definitely watch it. I'd give it an 8.5/10. I am also curious to see where they will take the character for Chapter 3.