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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Movie, Television and DVD Reviews  /  John Wick 3: Parabellum
Posted by: Heretic, May 17th, 2019, 10:20am
Yep, it delivers.

There's no change to the formula here, so -- you probably know whether you'll like this one or not.

It's bigger, better looking, bloodier, and doggy-er. The body count has to be approaching Stallone levels. The action sequences are the most inventive yet, especially the kills.

These are some of the only movies made for action genre fans that come out in theatres anymore. One of the main antagonists is played by the great Mark Dacascos, and there's also a showdown with Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. Some 'nods' to other films are a little too direct -- if you've seen The Villainess, the motorcycle sequence in Wick might feel a bit odd -- but for the most part, the whole thing is just pure pop culture bliss.

My audience was yelling, clapping, cheering, etc. throughout. If you're gonna see this, see it in theatres, where you can hear and feel the reactions to every glorious moment of hilariously excessive violence.
Posted by: Demento, May 18th, 2019, 7:06am; Reply: 1
More or less the same. But, it works for what it is.

I think this one is better than the second one. Like Heretic said, it's also bigger. To me this had way too much action, it was a bit exhausting. But, I'm sure some people will love that.

I suspect this one will do really good financially. So, I would expect another one soon. I'm happy for Keanu, that he found a new franchise. I've always liked him.
Posted by: DustinBowcot (Guest), May 18th, 2019, 7:47am; Reply: 2
I got bored watching the second one and didn't make it to the finale. I watch these things for their visual appeal and inventive action. I have to be in the right frame of mind. I never liked Keanu in Bill and Ted, and after that it took a few years for me to grow to like him. He's definitely earned respect.
Posted by: JEStaats, May 19th, 2019, 9:44pm; Reply: 3
Absolutely loved the nod to The Good, The Bad and the Ugly from the gun shop. Nice touch.

Already looking forward to#4.
Posted by: Warren, May 19th, 2019, 11:31pm; Reply: 4

Quoted from Heretic


My audience was yelling, clapping, cheering, etc. throughout. If you're gonna see this, see it in theatres, where you can hear and feel the reactions to every glorious moment of hilariously excessive violence.


Can’t wait to see this, loved 1 and 2.

This must be a Canadian/American thing, I can’t think of anything worse than people " yelling, clapping, cheering, etc. throughout" If I'm going to pay $28 for a movie ticket I’m hoping the only noise I hear is coming from the film (other than comedies), and in Australia that’s generally the case. I only make this assumption because you mentioned it and because I've seen movie goers (actors) in movies acting like this.

For the most part I've actually stopped going to the cinema to watch horror, not that anyone is yelling or clapping but even the giggles after a scare annoy me, and I feel it can quickly kill the atmosphere.
Posted by: DustinBowcot (Guest), May 20th, 2019, 1:27am; Reply: 5
That's exactly why I don't watch horror. It often makes me snort with laughter. Especially supernatural stuff. It just cracks me up than anyone can be scared. I'm also just generally bad to watch a film with. If that film doesn't hook me then I will audibly groan at whole host of screenwriter 'do nots'.
Posted by: ReneC, May 20th, 2019, 2:10pm; Reply: 6

Quoted from DustinBowcot
That's exactly why I don't watch horror. It often makes me snort with laughter. Especially supernatural stuff. It just cracks me up than anyone can be scared. I'm also just generally bad to watch a film with. If that film doesn't hook me then I will audibly groan at whole host of screenwriter 'do nots'.


I can totally see you doing that during OWC reviews too.
Posted by: DustinBowcot (Guest), May 20th, 2019, 4:33pm; Reply: 7
Yes, sometimes I do groan out loud when reading OWC scripts. I thought everybody did. Sometimes I also have to explain to others why I'm groaning and then when I explain it to them, they groan at me like I shouldn't be wasting their time with it. Or, sometimes when I explain it to them, they look away half way through the conversation to their phones or whatever. Cheeky feckers.
Posted by: ReaperCreeper, May 22nd, 2019, 9:14am; Reply: 8
I've enjoyed the movies so far, even if they are fairly stupid (especially since the first one felt considerably more grounded than the second, or at least that's how I remember it.... the second one felt like it took place in a bizarro world of sorts, but I still enjoyed it).

At the very least I'll watch this one when it's available to rent through my local library. I don't hate the movies; I'm just not too attached to the franchise.
Posted by: Dreamscale (Guest), May 30th, 2019, 5:49pm; Reply: 9
OK, finally got to the theater to see this, and boy am I glad I did!

Excellent movie, for what it is.  Just mind boggling fight choreography, not just hand to hand, but also in the gunplay.

It's obviously very over the top and you have to buy into the world they've created, as well as buying into the fact that John Wick is almost unkillable, but if you can do that, there's just no way you won't be wowed by the action.

Although I liked Halle Berry's role and all the great action in Casablanca, when I think about the whole reason he went there, it's a little too out there for me, as he decides not to do what he set out for, and lost a finger in doing so.

Also, for me, the finale was a bit of a letdown.  When I recognized Yayan Ruhian, I was very excited for what I was sure would come, but the entire fight with the 2 Shinobis didn't play out as powerfully as I was hoping.  One thing that definitely did stand out in this fight was how much bigger Keanu is then these 2 formidable opponents, as when he threw them, he whipped them around like rag dolls.  Also, it seemed very believable in this fight, how at times, all 3 didn't seem sure what was coming next, and that's almost impossible to choreograph.

Same with Mark Dacaskos and the final fight.  It was great, but I was left wanting more, and I'm unsure if I appreciated the attempts at humor as the fight wore on.

Don't get me wrong, they were both great, but I was expecting more for some reason.

I was very happy to see that the ending was not an ending at all, and I look very forward for another entry in the john Wick universe.

Grade - A
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