Really disappointing for the most part - Maybe skip this and watch the Raid: Redemption (2011)

Rating: 4/10 (27 May 2019)

Based off of critical and audience receptions alike, I hoped that John Wick would be the saving grace that the action genre needs in this day and age. I hoped that this would be the needle in the haystack of the newest additions to the Expendables, Die Hard, and Transformers franchises. I was expecting intense, fast-paced choreography, an intimidating villain, relatable motive, and stakes that actually felt like they held some weight to them. By the end of the film, my disappointment was immeasurable, and my day was ruined.
There's very little about this film that impressed me at all. Keanu did a fine job, but I was expecting a bit more, considering everyone regards him as a God now. The choreography was almost impressive, but I found that it was insanely slow, unexciting, and pales in comparison to something like the Raid. I was never bored. The dog was cute.
Part of what makes some of my favorite action films so special is that the audience is always on the edge of their seat, because at any moment, any of the on-screen characters could succumb to the lingering tension that's constantly in the air and actually die.
Stakes are one of the most essential aspects in an action film, yet this one lacks any. Because of the lack of tension, the action scenes suffer immensely. Not only are we constantly told that John Wick is invincible and can't be stopped, but we're shown this as well. We never see a hint of injury to him until the end of the second act, and even then, it feels completely unnatural and forced.
John Wick has next-to-nothing going for it in its story, which consists of three important plot-points: the villain, his wife, and his former buddy, Marcus. I'll go down the line and see how much each doesn't work
The villain is a hilarious clichÃ© that never feels intimidating in the slightest. From the moment we see our antagonist, we pretty much know exactly how the plot's going to play out all the way to the unsatisfying finale.
His wife's role had lots of potential to be an impactful and emotional beat in the film to be a reminder of why John is doing what he's doing, but she feels less like an organic character and purely like words on a script to get the story going where it needs to go. To give the audience a grip of how much she means to John, we are given exactly one montage and one video shown on a cellphone.
His friend, Marcus, has both problems mentioned above. Not only is his story extremely predictable, but you could hardly call him a character. You really couldn't care less whether he were to live or die. He is given a couple moments to shine in what is supposed to be tense, but comes off extremely goofy and laughable.
I might look like a goof nitpicking the story in an action movie, but when the action scenes don't work for me at all, what more am I left with?
There are a couple technical complaints such as ugly cinematography and bland music choices but nothing nearly as bad as everything else aforementioned.
I wanted to love this. I really did.
When's the last time we've had a great action trilogy? I want it so bad, but this disappointing entry makes me a lot less excited to watch the sequels.