John Wick is back and better than ever. John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum picks up moments after the previous movie, with our favorite assassin be excommunicated and trying to gather as many resources as he can within the hour-long head start he’s been given before the $14 million bounty on his head is goes into effect.

Coming into this movie I was a little nervous because it’s the third film in the franchise, which means it had a lot to live it up to the hype of its predecessors. However, if you were a fan of the first two movies, you will absolutely love this latest installment.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick 3 (Courtesy of Lionsgate)

Keenu Reeves returning as John Wick was awesome because every time he returns to this franchise it seems as though he dives more in-depth into Wick’s. Wick might be one of the best action characters in movie history. The first John Wick movie was a bit more about his personal story and the second movie built the world. I felt like this movie had a perfect blend of expanding the world even more as well as giving Wick some more character development.

I was pleasantly surprised with how badass Halle Berry’s character Sofia was in this film. We all know Halle Berry is a badass already, but I was a bit cautious about how she would be utilized in this movie because I didn’t want a repeat of her role in Kingsman where she was basically sidelined from all the action. Although she doesn’t have a lot of screentime, what she does with her time is incredible. She had some of the best fight sequences the franchise has ever seen. Her dogs are the best and must be protected at all cost. I wouldn’t be surprised if they invested more into her character whether that be a spin-off movie or making her a mainstay in the future of the franchise.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick and Halle Berry as Sofia in John Wick 3 (Courtesy of Lionsgate)

Another new character introduced in John Wick 3 is Asia Kate Dillon as the “Adjudicator”, who reports to the high table and is out to stop Wick. Dillon’s character pretty much interacted with the entire cast which I thought was cool because it continues to show the interconnectivity of this assassins world. Returning cast members Ian McShane and Lance Reddick get more screen time in this movie as Winston and Charon. Since the beginning they have had Wick’s back so to see their characters get fleshed-out more was perfect. Not sure what the latest news is on the John Wick TV series but I would love for them to be on that show as the recurring characters. The mythos and the secrets in their hotel can be explored a lot more.

John Wick 3 is truly a non stop thrill ride from start to finish. I have to give it up to the director and stunt choreographers. The fight sequences and camera work are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Not only did the find new and inventive ways for Wick to take down agents but it was shot beautifully and you could see what’s happening without having to do a million jump cuts. Despite all the amazing action this third installment had a decent amount of humor I was not expecting. The humor worked really well in this movie and didn’t feel out of place at all. It also worked because there were little nods to things that happened in previous movies. My one minor critique of the movie is that some of the scenes could’ve been cut by one or two minutes.

John Wick 3 is now one of my of favorite action films of all time and I can’t wait to see where this franchise goes next!

9.0/10

John Wick 3 hits theaters on May 17.



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