John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - Written Review

For those who've seen the original John Wick (2014), you'll probably already know how brilliant that film was. Granted, it was a simple cheesy action thriller, but it reveled in the knowledge that it didn't need to be any more than that. What was actually surprising was how well-defined the characters and world of John Wick were, providing ample material for its sequel John Wick: Chapter 2. So, does this hold up to the original? Or are we left with another disappointing sequel?

John Wick: Chapter 2 is bigger, badder and bolder than the original, with some interesting character development for our titular lead and a great expansion to the world established in the first film. That being said, Chapter 2 feels underwhelming in that it can't quite capture the magic of the first film. Part of this is because this is the bigger sequel: there's arguably far too many characters to explore, and one can't help but notice the awkward pacing throughout. The first film was 100 minutes long, this film is 122 minutes, and those extra 22 minutes are definitely felt.

What's peculiar though is how well the whole piece seems to be moving along. The first maybe hour or so is cracking stuff, but as soon as the action moves back to New York, the whole thing begins to drag somewhat. The plot develops in an interesting way, but suddenly we're introduced to Laurence Fishburne to basically just kill about ten, maybe fifteen minutes while he explains everything we either know already or don't need to know. While it explores a new corner to Wick's world, it kills the film's momentum in favour of rather unnecessary world-building, before suddenly the action ramps up again and we're back on a roll. This, combined with some incredibly long sequences of John Wick wandering around make Chapter 2 just feel so much longer than it needed to be. If this was the Director's Cut, I'd be fine with that. However, it isn't. This is the theatrical cut, and it really needed to be edited-down to keep its momentum up.

Something else worth noting is that the BBFC censored the UK version of this film, with one scene edited-down to ensure a 15 rating - which would be fine if this was restored for the Blu-ray release. It isn't. It's only available on the 4K Ultra HD release. It might not make a difference to the film's quality, but if so little was cut, what was so awful in the first place? In fact, just keep the film as an 18. The audience is going to be fine with that, especially if most are going to be adults anyway.

Regardless, John Wick: Chapter 2 is a visual spectacle with some stunning cinematography, great action set-pieces and an intense score - although, if you've seen the first film, that's to be expected. I guess what John Wick: Chapter 2 lacks is a strong pace. There doesn't need to be an amazing plot or even spectacular character development, the focus is on the action - it's just for that kind of film to work, you need a strong pace, and Chapter 2 just sags in places. 7/10

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