At this point we can say that we truly understand this franchise. It is all and only about saying how John Wick is invincible. This is like a rule now, and all that the creators have to do is put him in engaging situations where he gets to say this. The world-building has gotten denser with every new film in the trilogy, and the scale has been growing too. I’ve loved watching this world expand around one centre – the character of John Wick. The stakes surprisingly involve him alone, he’s got nothing to save but himself. This is probably why investing in this series has been so accessible and fun – We’ve got only this one man’s goodwill and swagger to worry about. I feel it’s also safe to say that this franchise wouldn’t exist, or at least continue without the presence of Keanu Reeves. The associations he brings latch onto the fictional character, and that in turn boosts its value.
The makers have amped up the aesthetics in this third film, with louder lighting decisions and crazy noir-inspired visuals. There’s a lot of rain, neon-lights, smoky alleyways and it’s a treat to have these classic genre elements add to the appeal of the series.
The fourth film’s conflict is going to involve John teaming up with someone, (lovely how they took just three scenes alone to develop this character’s anger), and it sure looks like a new direction from the franchise’s one-man-army format so far. Also, mad props to the belief that Keanu Reeves will never age and that he will look exactly the same 8 years after the series began, because the actual story has been happening within a matter of few weeks.