Personally, i hated the Arc du Triomphe (traffic circle) scene. Endless, boring. People getting bounced around like pachinko balls but none getting run over. Didn’t make any sense for way too long.

Also, as noted before, too muck reliance on body armor suits but then why not shoot feet and knees like on the previous movie to slow them down? It lacked sone coherence there.

Way too many non cycling guns.

Will need to rewatch it soon. First showing i was boringly overwhelmed. Likable but forgettable movie.

0-0

III, for me, was good, because it wasn’t woke, or Disney, and the production and choreography was off the charts good. So I wasn’t disappointed with it.

IV, the production was excellent as usual, but the choreography felt sloppy, elongated, and repetitive. The movie was simply 45 minutes too long. Someone said it, I was plausible, II, elongated, III they went further, but it was so well done it was enjoyable to watch.
IV, was barely tolerable. I’m sure it was in the beginning stages of writing, in the production meetings, how they needed to go further with the bullshit, more elaborate, longer, and try to fuckerize this one even more and they did it so much, so long, it ruined the film. They really fasted and festermented the series.

And just like anything else, that was good, that gets ruined, they have a spinoff movie set between 3 and 4 called Ballerina, and they are going to do a *cough* *gasp* *vomit* series. Another got damn fucking series, like there isn’t 1000 too many already. Put a fucking fork in it.

So, for me, the overhead shot with the Denarys shotgun shooting Dragon's breath rounds was what made the movie. I mean, 1000% stupid BUT excellect choreography and production.

The stairs and the circle were good as well AS LONG AS you kept in mind that this was stupid entertainment not a realistic depiction of reality, and where this was made quite clear to me was the depiction of the tattooed beauties broadcasting contracts from the Eiffel Tower (honestly in the first John Wick when three people together didn't just hose him down with ARs between reloads) but still: was not reality!

But very cool with the eyes.

Most people like or even love The Matrix. The sequels, not even a little bit.
I fear the Wick ensemble will meet the same fate.

I enjoyed JW4 but, goodness, the fight scenes were exhaustingly and unnecessarily long; they could've chopped 45-minutes off and still gotten the same ending. As always good music and visuals but, the story needed some help. I thought it was better than 3 but, the action scenes are much too long.

JW2 introduced bullet-proof suits, 'kevlar chic', turned me off from JW as really interesting story, to simple gunplay entertainment with interesting props.

The fights in this one were good but, they became repetitive... the shootout around the Arc de'Triomph was unnecessary, Scott Adkins role was over-played, Hiroyuki Sanada's roll was under-played, anybody know why JW was on the outs with the Russian Gypsies? the overhead view using Dragon's Breath ammo was pretty good if your story was built around a live-action video game otherwise it was simply a way to introduce some CGI/effects. Who and why was The Tracker involved...only to serve as an annoying and unnecessary antagonist to the overall story? Donnie Yen always delivers; his character is the most interesting but, this movie doesn't really standout other than it being a prop, costume, prop orgy.

I reluctantly gave this a shot the other night, and concur with the consensus... The action is now so over-the-top that it has become boring. The constant use of bulletproof suit jackets as magic shields against hundreds of bullets in particular really jumped the shark.

JW1 is still the best of the series, by far. It's realistic enough to still be entertaining.

I doubt I'd watch a JW5, if there ever is one. Hopefully this dies with him.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
anybody know why JW was on the outs with the Russian Gypsies?

That was back in JW3. After being excommunicated by The Table, he went to the Roma for help escaping New York. They reluctantly agreed to help him one last time, but burned their emblem from his back as a sign that he was no longer part of their family as a result of his excommunication.

So then in JW4, he has to earn his way back into the family in order to regain standing to issue a duel challenge.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Who and why was The Tracker involved...only to serve as an annoying and unnecessary antagonist to the overall story?

To be able to have an excuse to include more dog action. The attack dogs were apparently a big hit in JW3.

They had a truly fascinating universe that they could have made massive hay out of, but jumped the shark, the falling off buildings most of all, kevlar super-man suits second, and reactions to car impacts third.

If they had stayed within themselves there was so much to have explored in this universe. They've made bank, but missed a far bigger opportunity.

Chapter 4 got a little cartoonist for me, especially the fight sequence on the huge amount of stairs. I chuckled the whole way through the scene with the Dragons Breath shotshells scene though.

So I watched this again on a flight, and it was rough. I knew what I was getting into the first time I watched it because I recognized the progression of the writing.

But damn, it’s 100% not worth rewatching.

The dragons breath shotgun fighting scene was still cool as hell but on my second viewing I realized the entire movie is way too long.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Who and why was The Tracker involved...only to serve as an annoying and unnecessary antagonist to the overall story?

To be able to have an excuse to include more dog action. The attack dogs were apparently a big hit in JW3.

Yep. Because dog, and token black guy. That was all that was contributed by that guy. Well, that and showing that the French guy running the High Table was a cold, sick fuck, but there were many ways that could have been done. The scene with the hand, I had a hard time sitting through. It was purely to make the audience squirm. I have a hard time with writers and film directors who don't respect their audience or their characters and that was both in one scene. That's why I'll never watch Game of Thrones, because George R. R. Martin treats both with absolute indifference.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
But damn, it’s 100% not worth rewatching.

Yeah, I watch the first one once or twice a year and it's always good. The second one comes pretty close. I can't see myself sitting through JW4 a second time. The once in the theater was almost more than I could sit through.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
But damn, it’s 100% not worth rewatching.

Yeah, I watch the first one once or twice a year and it's always good. The second one comes pretty close. I can't see myself sitting through JW4 a second time. The once in the theater was almost more than I could sit through.

That’s not a terrible point. I watched JW4 in a theater with my son the first time. I still enjoy watching movies in theaters and watching it with my son added a lot of entertainment to the experience.

Watching it on a plane was probably a terrible environment to do so.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
I enjoyed JW4 but, goodness, the fight scenes were exhaustingly and unnecessarily long; they could've chopped 45-minutes off and still gotten the same ending. As always good music and visuals but, the story needed some help. I thought it was better than 3 but, the action scenes are much too long.

I saw this film last night, and the quote above is exactly how I felt about it. In a bid to push most films to the 3 hour mark did Hollywood run off all the decent editors?

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I've heard it said that Hong Kong film scene stunt guys call the lulls in these choreographed fights where they're delaying the action or basically looking busy while waiting their turn to get hit "noodle time" because they could just sit and eat a bowl of noodles while it's not their turn.

I watched it last night and did not know this then. Knowing it now makes that scene a little more humorous.

quote:

I didn't stick around for the credits, what did I miss?

It was worth signing up for a free 7-day Starz trial using Amazon Video to fine out.

I saw it in the theater when it came out. I was extremely disappointed in the movie - thought it was a very long, repetitive cartoon

Did not enjoy it at all given how good 1 and 2 were.

I don't know why, but this character fascinated me in the first movie. I really hoped that they would build more on it. There was a flirtation of past history and what may be that left me . . wishing for more. But no, it was not to be.
djby5y5h46qc1 by redstone71, on Flickr

They conceived of a fabulous universe, then drug it down with super-hero level abilities to fall off buildings and survive being hit by cars.

Had they restrained themselves a bit, and maintained the degree of suspended-believability that they initially had in universe then there were sooooo many fascinating characters, back stories and arcs that they could've followed that they would have been untouchable for many years.