John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Review

John Wick: Chapter 2 is the 2017 action thriller directed by Chad Stahelski, written by Derek Kolstad, and starring Keanu Reeves, Common, and Laurence Fishburne.

The Plot
John Wick kills a bunch of people. No, I'm serious. That's the plot.

The Positives
The film retains most of what made the first movie great. It still has that sleek production design, camerawork, stuntwork, smooth action sequences and gunplay.

It expands on the interesting world and atmosphere from the first film. What I loved about the first film was its world. It had this world where pretty much almost everybody was an assassin and killing people was treated casually, where literally someone could kill someone else right in front of them and nobody would notice. Yes, it's dumb, but it's amazing at the same time. That was so charming about it. The first John Wick was more contained because it was set in a single city. This time, the setting expands internationally.

It's just a mindless, fun action film and that's really all it needs to be.

The Negatives
The narrative isn't as strong here as it is in the first one nor are the characters. Sure, the first John Wick didn't have a good story. I acknowledge that story isn't the focus of these films, but at least in the first film, at least the narrative was somewhat enjoyable. At least in the first one, I was kinda like "I can't wait to see how John Wick finally gets revenge on that kid who killed his dog". Here, it's like "I want to see how John Wick kills dozens of people."

The biggest gripe I have with this film is that it does sometimes feel like a rehash and a cashgrab. But, at the same time, it's good enough to where its sequel is justified. I mean, they're already making a sequel and I'm a bit skeptical on how the third film will turn out. Yes, they improved from the first film in its own respects, but if you really think about it in a certain way, you'll probably notice that it does feel somewhat like a cashgrab.

Conclusion
Is John Wick: Chapter 2 better than the first? Actually, I don't know. Yes, but no at the same time. All you need to know is that this movie is good, mindless fun action film and this movie was a fun time for me to watch.

Score: B+