I’ll be able to know just how overpraised (or underpraised) “John Wick: Chapter 4” is, as there’s a scheduled press screening here in just over an hour.
The embargo has lifted and the 165 minute movie is getting really good reviews. I’m cautiously optimistic. An 88% on Rotten Tomatoes with an 8.1 average rating is impressive.
I’m reading a lot of comparisons to “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which is kind of insane, if you think about it — there can only be one ‘Fury Road.’
I had heard about Lionsgate Execs being impressed by a “John Wick 4” cut they saw last year, not to mention the highly positive test-screenings the film received and the confident-as-hell official runtime of 2 hours and 45 minutes.
As someone who really liked the first two films but was disappointed by the third chapter’s familiarity, I’m still very much looking forward to watching this one.
The first film was 101 minutes. The second film ran at 122 minutes, while the third clocked in at 131 minutes. Now, the pattern of "bigger and longer" will continue with this 165 minute behemoth.
Still, I’m actually surprised that “John Wick: Chapter 4” is going be close to three hours long. It’s not the type of movie that usually has this kind of runtime. The films have been lean, without much fat to them. Maybe they’re going for more story and substance with this one?
Production began on June 28, 2021, in Berlin and Paris, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and wrapped on October 27, 2021. Why the gap between wrap and release?
A fifth chapter has already been greenlit with Reeves saying he’ll keep making “John Wick” movies as long as the franchise stays successful. So he’s basically playing a game of wait-until-one-bombs at the box-office.
Given how successful these films have been, we could potentially end up with 8 or 9 of these. I’m not complaining, since the first two were fantastic and the third one was decent enough. However, a sense of repetitiveness is starting to seep into this franchise, but hopefully Reeves/Stahelski have a fresh and winning formula for ‘Chapter 4.’
The film is set to be released on March 24th, 2023. Keanu is back, so are Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick. Director Chad Stahelski is also back in the fray working with a script co-written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch.
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.