"John Wick Chapter 4" officially opened with a bow at the time of its London premiere on Monday night with the online reactions embargo lifting during the event.
The fourth entry is set following the conclusion of "John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum," which saw Keanu Reeves' infamous assassin fall from high above the Continental Hotel after being betrayed by his friend Winston (Ian McShane). Of course, Wick lives. "Chapter 4" uncovers the infamous Pariah who travels the world in order to free himself from the rule of the elusive, cutthroat High Table.
The critically acclaimed action series has been praised with a hefty amount of enthusiasm in its first round of reactions particularly for its extensive bench of sparring partners that comprises Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Marko Zazor, Scott Adkins and Rina Sawayama. Another central topic of opinion is the film's runtime that is 2 hours and 49 minutes -38 minutes more than the previous entry's.
Los Angeles Times critic Katie Walsh liked the film with her praise of its design and visuals, calling it superior to other blockbusters from franchises. However, she added that there was one thing she disliked about the film: "Because it's dumb."
Collider chief editor Steven Weintraub had nothing but praise for the film, indicating that Reeves gets up to some mischief with a dragon's breath shotgun.
CinemaBlend critic Eric Eisenberg expressed some reservations regarding the film's long runtime. But he states that the film "earns it" through "smart timing" and strong set pieces.
John Wick: Chapter 4 director and franchise creator Chad Stahelski explains why he hopes to take a break from the series before starting work on the next chapter. Stahelski started his career as a stuntman in Hollywood acting as a stunt man prior to teaming up with star Keanu Reeves on the 2014 film John Wick. https://www.johnwick4movi.com/ was co-directing the film with David Leitch, before solely helming the following three sequels. John Wick was a surprise both financially and critically.
In an interview with /Film, Stahelski speaks about his plans for the next chapter of the series prior to John Wick: Chapter 4's theatrical release. In the interview, he shares that he feels it's time to take a break from the series before continuing Wick's story. In the meantime director Stahelski has said that he may not direct the next John Wick 5 film, telling the press, "I'm always saying, "This is my last film and this won't happen again.' And I'll say that now: This is my last one." As for why he feels it's necessary to take a break, Stahelski says:
While Stahelski is hoping to get away from John Wick's reluctant journey through the criminal underworld The franchise is set to grow with the Ana de Armas-led spin-off, Ballerina. It is set in the time between John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum as well as John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina explores the story of de Armas' Rooney, who begins her own journey to seek revenge against the murderers of her family. While de Armas is taking over the role previously played by Unity Phelan, Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Anjelica Huston will all play the roles of earlier installments of the series.
Following the success of John Wick: Chapter 4 and the other chapters in the series, Stahelski is set to apply his directing talents to new worlds beyond the high-stakes gunplay that was Reeves the master assassin. The year 2021 is when Stahelski was tapped by the company to develop a film adaptation of Ghosts of Tsushima the most popular 2020 PlayStation game in which a samurai defends the isle of Tsushima during the first Mongol attack on Japan. The director will also make a remake for the Highlander franchise and Stahelski stating that he envisioned his interpretation of the battle between immortals being a trilogy of films.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is among 2023's most eagerly anticipated films of 2023. As such, while there could be some disappointment over the possibility of a break between installments, it is evident that Stahelski's ideas could be beneficial for future films. In addition, with director's upcoming projects converting weapons for swordplay, the lessons that Stahelski learns from Ghosts of Tsushima and Highlander could allow for thrilling fight scenes in future films.