John Wickis a series that not only served as a fresh face for the action genre but also revived Keanu Reeves’ career. While the films continue to showcase how dedicated Keanu can be to the stunts required of the role, there is something about the story that seems to have been lost with the sequels. The original film had a very emotional push considering the main villains had murdered the hero’s dog gifted to him after the death of his wife. With each sequel, the films have strayed further away from this.
John Wickwas released in 2014 and was a surprise hit among audiences and critics alike. The well-done action was certainly a drawing point, but what kept a lot of fans engaged was the obviously understandable element of John wanting revenge for his dog being killed. This key part of the story meant that John had an emotional drive towards accomplishing his goals, and most of what he does in the film is done in reluctance.
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What Made John Wick Work?
The original film’s emotional push works so well because it very much follows the classic hero’s journey. John’s wife dying and him getting a tease of happiness with the dog allows the audience to immediatelyconnect with him as a character. When his dog is killed, the audience then feels the loss that he already does. While his reaction is a bit hyperbolic to what some may consider, it does feel like a reaction many would at least want to pursue.
This pursuit of revengeconnects the audience to Johnand is further supported by the climax of the movie. After killing Iosef at his safe house, John is then sent on another path of vengeance as he goes after Viggo at the docks. This last section has often been pointed to as a weaker portion of the film. It felt as though John has completed his mission already, having gotten revenge on his dog’s killer. This final climax feels tacked on and ultimately unneeded.
Where Did The Sequels Go Wrong?
This final point is reminiscent of the sequels. With no more emotional push behind John being back in the “life”, the movies lose this edge. The immediate sequel starts with John on a missionto retrieve his car. This, again, has an emotional push in that he’s attempting to reclaim parts of his new life. However, he is quickly able to snatch it back and escape in proper action fashion.
What seems to have happened, is that the sequels misunderstood the central hook of the first film.The sequels showcase an ex-assassinwho is desperately trying to escape the life. The first film, while seemingly fitting this description, is actually about something different. It is about an ex-assassin trying desperately to cling to his new life. This distinction might seem trivial, but it is an important one.
John’s motive for escaping the life originally was because he fell in love. What is his motivation now? This is what’s mainly missing with the new films. Why does John keep fighting against his old life? He says he doesn’t want to live the life of an assassin any longer, but the sequels aren’t about him outrunning old ghosts. They’re simply about him dealing with being in that life. He’s called upon to perform an assassination he owes, then has to go on the run whenhe breaks the Continental rules.
What Could The Series Do To Recover?
The sequels, especially the third film so far, have focused on how to make the action more and more intense. These action scenes have, admittedly, become more inventive if not a little too zany and over-the-top. There is some worry that as these movies continue on, they will simply become action-forward movies. This would be a poor move, as other series that have followed this trend have found the initial film being devalued as a result. An example of this can be seen withLiam Neeson’sTakenseries.
Everything after John kills Iosef begins feeling like more of the same. The fact that there are multiple movies simply extends that climax that many feel was already unnecessary. If subsequent movies want to have the same emotional push as the first, it would be interesting to give John a reason to get out of the life again.This next film appears to focuson how John gets back at those that dragged him back into the underworld before burning him, and this could provide for some interesting action scenes. However, is this going to be enough to support an entire film?
It’s not certain if theJohn Wickfranchise can recover from this downward trend, however, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Introducing more emotional elements that influence the action scenes is what can make these movies special. That’s certainly what made the first movie stand out, with inventive action scenes backed by a solid, emotional story.
