John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Length: 130 minutes / 2.17 hours
When the first John Wick (2014) came out, I thought it was just another action movie and paid it no attention. After a friend finally convinced me to see it, I was in awe of the “gun-fu” action sequences. Having a steady camera with amazing choreography made this series stand out enough that I saw the sequel in theaters. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as impressed with Chapter 2 (2017), as it leaned heavily on developing the lore of The Continental. To add insult to injury, it also fell into the Trilogy Conundrum: a fantastic standalone movie with a sequel that requires the third installment to wrap up the plot (e.g., The Matrix (1999)).
While I praise the simplicity of the first movie in this series, things have gotten ridiculous by Chapter 3 (2021). Yes, there are still some action sequences that maintain some of that excellent choreography. However, there were too many fight scenes with some gimmick that merely made me roll my eyes. Whether it was a fight on a horse against motorcycles, a fight with a pack of dogs, or a swordfight in a glass maze, I longed for fights that were more…stationary.
Additionally, Chapter 3 also ended in such a way that demands a fourth entry in the series. At this point, I’m more confused about what The Continental is, who runs it, and what rival factions are out there than when I started this series. Sure, a guy getting revenge for someone killing his dog is silly in hindsight, but at least it wasn’t endlessly complicated. I can only hope that Chapter 4 (2022) finally answers some questions because Chapter 3 did a poor job of tying up any loose ends.
A series devolving into ridiculous action set pieces, I give John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum 3.0 stars out of 5.
