John Wick: Chapter 4
Synopsis
Driven underground into hiding by the High Table assassination guild, John Wick attempts to gain his freedom through a duel against his oppressors, whilst also fending off a bounty on his life.
Review
Expanding the scope of the series, director Chad Stahelski takes our titular on a globe-trotting adventure that only accounts for the series’ insistence of quality action films.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is more of what worked in its predecessor, Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which means enthralling the audiences with a barrage of non-stop inventive action set-pieces with stellar camera work and smooth editing. Audiences surely won’t be disappointed with the action on display here, paying homages to kung-fu, samurai and Western films, while also borrowing stylistic influences from first-person action video games.
Clocking in at almost 3 hours, Stahelski makes sure to include elements that build the plot, which only solidifies the dangerous stakes John Wick goes against, that provides a fresh perspective that was missing the prior two installments.
While remaining physically competent to perform the action-heavy role, the film however features Keanu Reeves’ weakest performance as John Wick, who has resorted to stoic, monosyllabic and stilted deliveries.
While on the other hand, franchise newcomers Scott Adkins, Shamier Anderson and Donnie Yen are a blast to watch on screen, with the latter being an exceptional standout that complements Yen’s talents as an actor and action performer.
John Wick: Chapter 4 continues the franchise’s showcase for top-notch blockbuster action filmmaking, whilst also deepening the lore of its world. The result is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride that provides an exhilarating experience to audiences.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Synopsis
After an incident renders Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) critically injured, the Guardians of the Galaxy, led by Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt), embark on a mission to rescue him from the clutches of the scientist known only as the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).
Review
Extravagantly eye-popping and emotional, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 showcases director James Gunn’s continued mastery over the comic book genre, that satisfyingly concludes the trilogy of its mismatched heroes, resulting in Marvel’s most genuine efforts since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Part of what makes Vol. 3 so engaging and memorable is director Gunn’s insistence to craft a standalone and self-contained entry, preventing the branches of any other Marvel franchise and its overarching story threads from intertwining with that of the Guardians.
The final product is one that priortises story, character, and team dynamics, while also delivering on the action-comedy, visual-effects laden spectacle aspect that franchise aficionados expect.
Vol. 3 presents itself to be a creator-driven film, rather one that is mandated by committee, and the audience can clearly distinguish the efforts from earlier Marvel entries. Boasting of high production values, polished visual effects and retro-futuristic set design, Vol. 3 is a vastly technically superior film that ones that directly preceded it.
The film also delivers on the acting front, with Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Bradley Cooper as Rocket delivering the best performances of their respective Marvel tenures.
Stealing the spotlight from the aforementioned is Chukwudi Iwuji, who as the malicious and obsessive High Evolutionary is a purely evil being, without any complex characterisation or motivations, succeeding in getting the audience to be repulsed by him whenever he is on screen.
While the overarching story is a positive, Gunn could have made more efforts towards the deeper characterisations of certain characters, in particular Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, and the new addition of Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock, who are unable to connect with the audience due to their lack of development and presence in the overall story.
While the seeds are sowed for future installments to build upon, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 concludes the trilogy storyline that James Gunn had mapped out for over a decade, providing the audience with a fresh, poignant and action-packed adventure, and is a true return to form for Marvel.
Texts of A Pop Culture Buff 