John Wick 4 Is The Best Action Movie Of The Last Decade?
The first reactions from critics are out, and as of now, John Wick 4 sounds like the best in the franchise and a new standard for action movies.
It’s hard to remember now, but before the first John Wick debuted, no one knew that the unassuming film would be Keanu Reeves‘ second successful franchise, and no one had any idea it would become one of them the greatest action movies of all time. Following the world premiere earlier this week, critics have started sharing their first impressions of the film, and it’s unanimous praise right now. John Wick 4 is on track to be the best action movie of the past decade, surpassing the last three films in the franchise, and Reeves’ other action-packed fourth film, The Matrix Resurrection.
Erik Davis is a film critic for Fandango, and he’s been around for a very long time, making this Tweet high praise. It’s true that with the runtime, John Wick 4 is the longest film in the series, with nearly 40 extra minutes compared to the third film. Thankfully it sure seems like the action setpieces will warrant the extended runtime.
Nick de Semlyen, the critic that asked Martin Scorsese about Marvel movies, says John Wick 4 has more dead bodies than Armageddon. That may be praise, and a bulletproof dog may be just as cool as an insane Steve Buscemi, but this is also the second critic praising the action. A consensus is forming, and it’s looking great for fans just a few weeks from the premiere date.
Felicia from DiscussingFilm, another experienced movie critic, is excited over how, after four movies, John Wick is still finding ways to innovate. Considering everything done in the previous action scenes and the lengthy list of normal household goods used as deadly weapons, it will be exciting to see if this is finally the film using a Roomba to commit murder.
In addition to the praise for all the action scenes, the extensive cast is a favorite of the critics. Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, and Ian McShane are returning from the earlier films. Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, Natalia Tena, Marko Zaror, and Clancy Brown are joining the cast (via IMDB). We know that Skarsgard’s Marquis de Gramont will be John Wick’s primary antagonist, almost a dark mirror version of the Baba Yaga, but the rest could be enemies turned allies or allies turned enemies.
Maggie Ma heaps loads of praise on Skarsgard for his John Wick 4 villain, continuing to acknowledge the Marquis’ outfits and locations in her thread. Given that he was covered in clown makeup for his last big role in IT, the audience will get their first good look at Alexander Skarsgard’s younger brother. All of the best action films, from Die Hard and Leon the Professional to The Matrix and The Dark Knight have a memorable villain to go against the hero.
The big question is whether audiences enjoy the Marquis and cheer wildly at the hyped staircase fight sequence. Keanu Reeves will have another hit on his hands if the last three movies are any indication. Early critic reviews are all positive, and the wait is almost over, so very soon, the general audience will get to experience the latest chapter in the John Wick saga.
John Wick 4 releases worldwide on March 24th.
