Director: Chad Stahelski
Distributor: Belga Home Video
Duration: 131 minutes
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (DVD) – Movie Review
Back in 2017, we had the chance to take a look at John Wick: Chapter 2, which was a direct continuation of the first chapter. The second movie proved to be a great entry in the series, albeit with a bit less charm than the first installment. Both movies could easily be linked together, creating one big movie or story, and this is pretty much the same scenario when it comes to chapter 3. The movie immediately dumps you in the midst of the action, where the second movie had ended. Our knuckles were itching for some good old fashioned action scenes, and we weren’t disappointed one bit.
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has gone against the rules of the High Table and spilled the blood of someone on sacred ground. This rule is one to live by as an assassin, as safe havens are meant to be completely safe and there’s a no-killing rule when present in such a location. Nonetheless, as John is good friends with Winston (Ian McShane), the proprietor of the Continental Hotel, he gets an hour to get away safely, before a bounty is placed on his head. While this hour doesn’t come without its fair share of dangers, John manages to make it back to where he came from, hoping he could be temporarily protected, to find the one that stands above the High Table, and ask for forgiveness. This brings him to Sofia (Halle Berry), who still owes John a favor. Reluctantly she agrees to help him, but she also puts herself in danger by doing so. In the meantime, Winston is approached by the Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon), who is to punish all those who helped John Wick get away.
The movie follows a rather typical ‘John Wick’ flow, where there’s a lot of action and just enough information to keep the story interesting from start to finish. This movie starts off with a bang, as it’s all about the bounty that has been placed on Wick’s head, meaning he’s being chased from the start. You’ll go from action, to some quieter scenes, in order to properly show what is going on and to create a certain depth that could not be achieved by doing rapid successions of action sequences.
Acting performances can be narrowed down to the performances of Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Lance Reddick, and Asia Kate Dillon. These cast members do a great job bringing the John Wick universe of assassins alive. Even at the age of 55, Keanu Reeves puts down a very impressive performance as an action movie hero. Halle Berry also does a very impressive job of supporting John Wick on his journey throughout this movie. Outside of these A-listers, we also have a lot of supporting roles done by big names such as Laurence Fishburn, Anjelica Huston, and Robin Lord Taylor. Overall, the movie is a spectacle in terms of those who have been cast to perform in it.
The DVD edition of the third chapter of John Wick has around thirty minutes of bonus content. One part of the special features will revolve around the making-of, the choices behind the movie, and other pretty standard stuff. The rest of the additional content will be about John Wick Hex, the videogame about the John Wick universe. You’ll get a trailer of the game, as well as some behind the scenes footage. Overall there’s nothing too fancy to be found, but it’s interesting to see the cast’s opinion about the movie and some snippets of the upcoming game.
Conclusion
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a decent continuation of the series, and when watching the ending of the movie, it’s clear that the full story hasn’t been told just yet. While we hope that the cow doesn’t get milked dry, we don’t notice a dip in quality just yet. Yes, of course, the first movie was the best, because it introduced us to the explosive character of John Wick and the badass fighting scenes, but the sequels pack a lot of charm as well. If you liked the first two movies, this third film deserves a spot in your collection as well.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (DVD) - Movie Review,
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