New John Wick Is 'Actually Perfect'

Critics and fans alike love Keanu Reeves in what may be the series finale
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 24, 2023 10:53 AM CDT

Many more bodies fall in John Wick: Chapter 4, but is Wick's one of them? That's the question fans need answered as they flock to theaters to see Keanu Reeves' assassin punch, kick, and shoot his way past hoards of pursuers after the multimillion-dollar bounty on his head. The fourth installment in the series, coming four years after the last, is reportedly the final film centered on Wick. And like the others, it's awesome, according to critics and audiences, who offer 95% and 96% scores on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. Here's what critics are saying:

  • "Saying goodbye to Wick is bittersweet, but at least the send-off left me sated," writes Venessa Wong at BuzzFeed News. It's "three hours of almost arousingly polished violence" that "will scratch every itch" true fans may have, she continues, going so far as to describe the R-rated film as "actually perfect." "The fights are longer, the body counts are higher, the opponents are even more powerful" and 58-year-old Reeves' commitment is "wildly moving."
  • David Fear was also left with "the distinct feeling of satisfaction." "The greatest action franchise of the past decade goes out on top, and reminds you why you loved this series in the first place," he writes at Rolling Stone. "Every stunt man employed here should get a bonus, and Reeves has not only kept up his training but picked up some new skills." "You may be slightly exhausted" by the end, but the "landing is stuck" and "that's no small feat," he adds.

  • "Blissfully entertaining" and "arguably the best-looking of the John Wick films," Chapter 4 is "far more narratively focused than its previous sequels, still managing to globe-trot a behemoth cast à la Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 while returning to a simpler conflict reminiscent of the original John Wick," writes Angelica Jade Bastién at Vulture. She praises "not just Reeves but the many actors in his orbit who shine with a blend of vengeful grace and humorous beats," giving special praise to martial artist Donnie Yen.
  • Chapter 4 is "quite possibly" the best film of the bunch, according to the Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan. "At nearly three hours long, it’s the most John Wick-ian of all the John Wick films, by virtue of the simple fact that there is more time to lavish on the films' fans exactly what they want, in spectacular fashion. And boy, is it spectacular." Indeed, returning director Chad Stahelski "ups the ante from the previous three films with one amazing set piece after another," O'Sullivan writes.
(More movie review stories.)

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