[School of Movies 2023]
We covered the first film in May 2019 just before the third hit theaters, and since then they have shaped up to be four of the finest action films ever made. They boast laser-focused attention to choreography, physical genius, artfully photographing long, unbroken takes with astonishing lighting and otherworldy music. All of it revolves around a firestorm of a performance from Keanu Reeves, himself experiencing a deserved renaissance.
The fourth film ends on a definitive and deeply satisfying melancholy note. So, while the series itself limbers up for all manner of spin-offs, sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, reboots and action figures, let us take stock of what made this quartet special.
'John Wick Turbo' has been a re-editing project, where I sought to trim away a little of the second film's world-building, adjust the third film's pacing and dial back the fourth film's runtime, bringing all of them to the 101-minute sweet spot of the 2014 original. And talking about this process allows us to really get granular about the impressive strengths of each.
Zombieland
Joker
Friday the 13th
Rambo
IT: Chapter Two
Arrival
What We Do in the Shadows
300
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Sing Street
Fate of the Furious + Hobbs & Shaw
Foodfight!
Stranger Things [Seasons 2 & 3]
Spider-Man: Far from Home
The Last Unicorn
The Island of Dr Moreau
Inside Out
Dark Phoenix
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
King Kong
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