‘John Wick’ wasn’t exactly the thinking-man’s movie, but damn it was fun to watch and it made a little bank. Translation: let’s make a sequel! Now traditionally sequels suck, with the occasional exception - and believe it or not, this is one such exception. Here are four reasons that allow ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ to surpass its predecessor: 1) It does not kill the dog. 2) Humour! It laughs at itself. It laughs at others. There are genuine chuckles to be had. 3) The body count is much, much... much higher. And 4) The reunion of Neo and Morpheus. Boom!
SWITCH: 'JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2' TRAILER
Picking up shortly after where ‘John Wick’ ended - after returning to the criminal underworld to seek his revenge, a marker is called in, forcing John (Keanu Reeves, 'The Neon Demon', '47 Ronin') to begrudgingly accept. Attempting to settle old debts and return to his “retirement”, John comes to discover that a contract has been taken out in his name with a $7 million price tag on it. Once again, people dare mess with The Ghost, and they - not him - start dropping like flies.
Director Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad have returned to usher the maestro Keanu Reeves back through the ballet of maximum carnage, surreally fusing the blood-splattered, take-no-prisoners action sequences with timely dry humour and a sensationally stylised look at the world of a hitman. Spanning New York to Rome and back again, the elaborately modern gothic set pieces and fashion seamlessly come together to create a visual action feast for the senses that you can’t help but enjoy wholeheartedly.
Surreally fusing the blood-splattered, take-no-prisoners action sequences with dry humour.
Look, its a bit same-same but different to the original film, but given its implied success they’ve clearly had a lot more fun and freedom here. The intricate John Wick world they set up in the first film is now given more detail for you to lap up. The fight sequences err a little on the over-choreographed side - but who cares. It's an elegant masterclass in precision, and god damn it I liked it! That shouldn’t make me a bad person. I like John Wick!