John Wick: Chapter 2

Starting 2019 with a bang, I finally saw John Wick: Chapter 2 after watching it gather dust on my shelf. The first John Wick released in 2014 and was a shot of pure unexpected adrenaline, and also saw its leading man Keanu Reeves return to the spotlight once more. Chapter 2 sat on my watchlist for some time and maybe it was the fear of diminishing returns that often occurs with sequels that drew me away. And it's not like the original left the door open for a sequel anyway so I pressed play with some caution and tried to contain my expectations.

The story begins not long after the events of the last film as John Wick buries his weapons under his basement and tries to continue living a normal life with his past well and truly behind him. However, this peace is disturbed when a high-ranking member demands he returns to eliminate another member and then he can officially be free. This attempt at an inciting incident was a warning sign for me and was flimsy to begin with considering Wick's stronger motivations in the last film. But it's not long before the story quickly develops even further and, as the action quickly ramps-up, the film finds itself and becomes a joy to watch.

Rather than just reproduce a hollow follow-up, returning director Chad Stahelski expands the John Wick 'universe' and delves deeper into this fascinating hidden society which helps this overcome the story issues at the beginning. That's not to say that this is perfect as it does falter when later introducing Laurence Fishburne's character and his exposition monologues, which worryingly reminds me of Predators. Nonetheless, the action is where Chapter 2 really shines and puts most of its competition to shame. The choreography is fun to watch but Stahelski manages to shift the tone and adds surpassing moments of humour that keep the experience fresh and exciting.

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a good a sequel as any fan could have hoped for and ends a dozen times stronger than how this story began, which brings me to Chapter 3 which I really hope doesn't disappoint. And if Stahelski is successful, then this could rank up there with some of the best and most consistent trilogies of all time.