"John Wick Chapter 4" officially opened with a bow at its London premiere Monday evening, with the social media reactions embargo lifted during the premiere.
The fourth installment is set following the conclusion of "John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum," which saw Keanu Reeves' infamous assassin fall high above the Continental Hotel after being betrayed by his confidante Winston (Ian McShane). In all likelihood, Wick lives. "Chapter 4" finds the deadly 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 received a lot of praise from the first round of reviews particularly for its extensive pool of sparring partners which include Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Marko Zazor, Scott Adkins and Rina Sawayama. Another major issue of discussion is the running time of the film, which clocks in at an extended two hours and 49 minutes38 minutes more than the previous film's.
Los Angeles Times critic Katie Walsh loved the film with her praise of its design and visuals, calling it superior to other blockbusters of the franchise. The critic also noted about one element she hated: "Because it's dumb."
Collider chief editor Steven Weintraub had nothing but praise for the film. https://www.johnwick4movi.com indicated that Reeves is up to some shady things using a shotgun made of dragon's breath.
CinemaBlend Critic Eric Eisenberg expressed some reservations about the film's daunting duration. However, he says that this film "earns it" through "smart pace" and some strong set pieces.
John Wick: Chapter 4 director and franchise creator Chad Stahelski explains why he plans to step back from the series before starting work on the next chapter. Stahelski began his career in Hollywood by working as a stuntman before working with the star Keanu Reeves on 2013's John Wick. Stahelski was co-directing the film alongside David Leitch, before solely managing the next three sequels after John Wick was a surprise critical and financial success.
A conversation with /Film, Stahelski speaks about what the future holds for the action film franchise prior to John Wick: Chapter 4's theatrical release. He says he thinks he should take a break from the series before continuing Wick's story. At the same time, the director has indicated he might not direct a John Wick 5 film, saying, "I'm always saying, "This is the last time I'm doing this, this will never ever happen again.' So, I'll tell you now"This is my last one." In terms of why he believes that a break is needed, Stahelski says:
While Stahelski is hoping to get away from John Wick's adventure through the criminal underworld The franchise is set to expand with the Ana de Armas-led spin-off, Ballerina. The story is set within 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 quest for revenge against her family's murderers. In the meantime, de Armas is taking over the role previously played by Unity Phelan, Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and Anjelica Huston will all reprise their roles from earlier installments of the series.
After his efforts on John Wick: Chapter 4 and the other chapters of the series, Stahelski is set to apply his directing talents to new worlds that go beyond the gunplay high stakes of Reeves the master assassin. The year 2021 is when Stahelski has been tapped to create a film adaptation of Ghosts of Tsushima the most popular 2020 PlayStation game in which Samurai fights for the island of Tsushima during the first Mongol assault on Japan. The director is also expected to create a new version for the Highlander franchise and Stahelski said he was planning his interpretation of the war between immortals as three films.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is one of 2023's eagerly anticipated films of 2023. So, even though there could be some disappointment over the possibility of a discontinuation between films, it's evident that Stahelski's ideas could be beneficial for future films. Furthermore, with the director's future projects swapping weapons for swordplay the lessons Stahelski learns from Ghosts of Tsushima and Highlander will allow for more riveting fights in future films.