John Wick: Chapter 2 Review
9th March 2017The greatest concern for John Wick: Chapter 2, would be if it could live up to the high expectations of the unanticipated classic John Wick. Many fans worried that it would be subjected to the ‘Sequel Curse’ which includes the likes of Jurassic Park: Lost world and The Matrix: Reloaded. Fortunately for them John Wick: Chapter 2 came back bigger and badder.
We re-join John Wick in the fallout of the previous film as he tries to leave his criminal life behind, but when he’s forced into one final contract, his only option is to fight his way out.
This simple story leads to an adrenaline rushed 2 hour film, and that’s all it fundamentally is. Eventually the shooting wears thin and when you strip it to its core, you realise that it lacks substance. But the variety of gore filled action scenes provides a welcome distraction.
Some action scenes seem almost a little too over the top for the dark realistic theme, most notably when an injured John Wick uses a single pencil to eliminate two assassins. But this scene still manages to be oddly satisfying and one of the best in the film.
The film spends a lot of time developing the criminal underworld and this may be one of the greatest strengths of the film. The idea of a secret underworld hiding plain in sight is a fascinating concept, and the characters you meet in it are equally interesting. The codes that they live by and the safe havens they share, add a certain depth to the film as we learn the consequences of breaking those sacred rules.
By the end, the film does an excellent but shocking way of wrapping up the story of Chapter 2, whilst also setting the platter for the third and final instalment. Which is shaping up to be the best one yet.
Overall John Wick: Chapter 2 trumps the first one in terms of action and story. But still lacks that certain substance similar to the first.
