Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

The more I think about John Wick, the more I appreciate it. Because with its delicate balance of action and story, it comes across as a perfect action film and that level of seamless storytelling, quite frankly left me slightly nervous to see the sequel to this intrepid story. Not because I expected the quality of the film to suddenly drop significantly. No, what had me worried about this film, was the sheer unknown that comes with a sequel.
 
After all, you can have everyone involved from the first film and still settle in for a sub-par sequel. Because sometimes outside influence or creative overthinking can force a fun property into an ‘alternate direction’ that removes everything the audience loved about the original. Or, the folks behind the scenes can take a page from The Hangover saga and give us so much of what we loved in round one that in essence, you’re basically getting the same move over again and thankfully, my concerns about such matters disappeared as John Wick: Chapter 2 played out because well, it is simply a magnificent sequel.
 
Now for those unfamiliar with this film, it picks up a short time after the first one, and in this tale, we find John Wick finally wrapping up the last loose ends when it comes to his dealings with the Tarasov family so that he can finally return to retirement and live his life out in peace. But alas, that kind of peace is something that John will never enjoy. For an old friend comes calling to have a debt that John owes, repaid, and this act of repayment will not only send John back into the world he’s trying desperately to escape, but it will change his life in every negative way imaginable when treachery and revenge, come into play. 

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​Truly, what made this sequel so memorable for me, was the sheer fact that the story was able to deliver more of those powerhouse action sequences we so enjoyed from the first film, all while providing us with some outright incredible character development, specifically for John. Instead of being a tortured vessel focused on revenge, he’s a character who has clearly had enough of the killing and the brutality of his world and wants nothing more than to escape this life and everything it stands for and once more all of that comes across in Keanu Reeves’ subtle performance and the desire and conviction that comes from said performance allows for the audience to cheer John on in his quest to be free of the darkness surrounding him at last.
 
However, while the character study portion of the film was downright beautiful to watch, there is another incredible aspect of this story that stayed with me long after it ended…the world that John inhabits. This fascinating community of assassins that John is a part of was only touched upon in the first film, so to see a sprawling world hidden away from our prying eyes where murder and deceit have created a thriving community and economy is compelling to watch and by immersing us into that world…it makes John’s disdain for it all the more powerful and his decision to turn his back on it, regardless of the cost…all the more logical as well.
 
When all is said and done however, this is that rare breed of sequel that manages to hold a flame to the original and thrill the audience in new and exciting ways and while it doesn’t surpass the original, it doesn’t have to in order to qualify as an amazing film. After all, the first film was a fresh and original idea and that can never be replicated, and I’m glad that this story didn’t try to surpass the first one. Instead it embraces and expands upon this world and sets the stage for an epic finale and I simply cannot wait to see how John Wick’s harrowing and heartbreaking story comes to an end. 

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