Summary

• John Wick movies have had a significant impact on action movies, raising the bar with their strategic filmmaking tactics and innovative action scenes.
• The franchise has paved the way for unconventional action stars and allowed actors to reinvent themselves in challenging roles.
• The John Wick movies prioritize storytelling, engaging characters, and technical aspects like fight choreography and soundtracks to create a rich and immersive action experience.

Since it debuted in 2014, the John Wick spinoffs in the works, the high-octane action series looks to continue its successful trends. In addition to being an excellent source of cinematic entertainment, the John Wick franchise has raised the bar in the action genre by employing strategic behind-the-scenes and in-front-of-the-camera filmmaking tactics, and thinking outside the box when constructing its many memorable action scenes.

While the first entry in the franchise, John Wick, is more of a slow-burn drama for the first third of its storytelling, the movie swiftly ramps things up with its first major action scene, thus effectively establishing for the audience what to expect in the future installments. As seen in the subsequent movies in the franchise, Keanu Reeves's John Wick utilizes more creative ways to dispatch his enemies, providing audiences with great moments in every John Wick movie. Moreover, director Chad Stahelski's attention to detail when developing storylines and using varied geographic locations for settings all contribute to the different ways John Wick changed Hollywood's action cinema for the better.

10 The John Wick Movies Paved The Way For Unconventional Action Stars

Bob Odenkirk's Nobody probably wouldn't exist without John Wick.

One of John Wick's underrated qualities is that it's allowed many actors associated with the franchise to reinvent themselves and take on increasingly more challenging roles. Additionally, John Wick's success has led to the creation of action movies with unconventional leads, as seen in Nobody and Free Guy. While Reeves has starred in other action vehicles such as Speed and The Matrix franchise, his turn as John Wick firmly solidifies the A-lister as one of Hollywood's leading action heroes. With Keanu Reeves's behind-the-scenes nunchucks training for John Wick: Chapter 4, the actor continues to display his commitment, thus bringing about one of Hollywood's least likely action stars.

9 The Fight Choreography & Stunt Work In John Wick Is Just As Important As The Story

Directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are experienced stunt performers and stunt coordinators.

John Wick co-creators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch's prior experience in Hollywood as stunt performers and stunt coordinators aids significantly in making each fight scene in the franchise feel kinetic and as real as possible — regardless of how major or minor John Wick's opposition might be. While the John Wick franchise is known for its compelling story about a highly skilled assassin coming out of retirement to avenge the death of his dog, the fight choreography is another important element that sets it apart from many of its classic and contemporary competition. Each fight scene is easy to follow and backs up John Wick's status as a legendary combatant.

Historically, the action genre doesn't receive the same level of prestige and glory at the Academy Awards as movies in the drama and biopic genres because they are typically made with box office sensibilities in mind. Furthermore, when an action movie does receive Oscars attention, it's typically for awards like Best Film Editing, as seen with Mad Max: Fury Road, or Best Costume Design, in movies like Black Panther. However, the importance of well-crafted stunts and fight choreography to enhancing a movie's story is reinforced as seen with the Oscar buzz surrounding John Wick: Chapter 4's stunt work.

8 The John Wick Movies Rose The Bar For Better Storytelling In Action Movies

Each entry in the franchise has a compelling story that transcends action movie storytelling tropes.

John Wick's storytelling is one of its greatest strengths, as it's been able to take a relatively absurd concept such as a former deadly assassin coming out of retirement to avenge the death of his dog, and expand it into four successful movies with a TV series to boot. While John Wick's longstanding success is impressive, it highlights the importance of action filmmakers crafting a rich and engaging story for audiences to follow, in addition to its hard-hitting fight scenes and tense shootouts. Furthermore, each entry in the John Wick franchise reveals new things about John's past and associates, thus convincingly expanding the series beyond just a simple revenge tale.

7 The John Wick Movies Remind Audiences Why Star Power Is Important

Seeing Reeves interact with other respected industry veterans sets it apart from other action movies.

Action movies like Sylvester Stallone's Rambo franchise and Jason Statham's The Transporter series excelled in featuring convincing leads who'd single-handedly dispatch their enemies in movies that were rife with blood, violence, guns, and attractive women, but they faltered in of having equally compelling ing characters, including villains. From Willem Dafoe and John Leguiziamo's ing roles in the first John Wick to Ian McShane and the late Lance Reddick's continual ing roles throughout the franchise, the John Wick movies have displayed the importance of star power when casting actors in a long-standing franchise. By featuring stars in ing and villainous roles, the John Wick world feels more believable.

Additionally, seeing Keanu Reeves interact with an actor like Laurence Fishburne after their iconic collaborations throughout the Matrix franchise feels like a nice Easter egg, and it suggests that the filmmakers care about more than just the protagonist. While it is important to have a strong lead carry an action series, it's just as important to have him or her interact with competent characters that challenge them in different ways. Furthermore, introducing new characters and stars along the way perfectly sets the stage for more potential John Wick spinoff movies without things feeling contrived, as audiences are more likely to see an offshoot if its protagonist is established as compelling.

6 The John Wick Movies Rose The Bar For The Technical Aspects Of Action Movie Filmmaking

Each movie utilizes excellent cinematography, editing, and stunt choreography to help tell their stories.

Shaky camerawork is one of the greatest detriments to the action movie genre, as its use makes it difficult for audiences to follow the action and, in turn, the story. John Wick avoids this entirely on of Chad Stahelski working closely with his cinematographers and editors to ensure the action is not only enjoyable but easy to follow as well. John Wick is one of cinema's most efficient and dangerous men, and the John Wick franchise's reliance on extended shots, steady cinematography, and coherent editing enhances his reputation as a skilled killer. Furthermore, despite each entry's increasingly complex scenes, the action's aesthetics are always logical.

5 The John Wick Movies Proved That R-Rated Action Movies Can Be Commercially Successful

The success of the John Wick franchise has contributed immensely to destigmatizing R-rated movies.

While modern sensibilities suggest otherwise, Hollywood's history of sending movies into development hell has contributed to movies either never seeing an official release date, or faring poorly among audiences because of their watered-down content. Historically, studios prefer to greenlight movies with more family-friendly themes and imagery as they're easier to market to broader audiences worldwide, and they tend to be far less controversial than their R-rated contemporaries. However, John Wick's increasing popularity and success at the box office, despite its heavier themes and imagery, has effectively set a precedent regarding successful R-rated movies, and it accomplishes this feat without compromising its values.

While each entry in the John Wick franchise grows increasingly more violent and complex, the movies aren't just gore fests designed to gross audiences out. They all contribute immensely to telling an engaging story that is ultimately about a man trying to honor his deceased wife's memory in a world filled with highly skilled killers. While the John Wick movies are no doubt violent, the violence is necessary to get across its themes of betrayal and futility. With a franchise comprised of four movies, John Wick has contributed immensely to destigmatizing R-rated movies.

4 The John Wick Movies Show The Importance Of A Great Soundtrack

Each John Wick movie's soundtrack contains additional context to the character and lore.

Movies in this genre in particular feature soundtracks that are designed to enhance the action seen onscreen and heighten the sense of anxiety, tension, and suspense. Although effective and good enough all on its own, John Wick once again sets itself apart by utilizing unconventional music scores, motifs, and diegetic sound — that is, music heard within the world of the movie — to suggest the franchise's subtext.

One instance of the franchise masterfully utilizing music to enhance the action is on display in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum during one of the movie's shootouts. While he's weary and outnumbered by henchmen inside a club, a remix of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" plays in tandem with the action, and it highlights the arduous nature of John Wick's task by subliminally comparing it to each season one experiences throughout the years. The composition works exceptionally well in the telling of John's story despite not being a traditional music option.

3 The John Wick Movies Show How To Make Compelling Villains

All four movies feature an interesting villain who has a unique connection to John Wick's past.

Most action movies struggle with featuring compelling villains beyond them simply wanting to take over the world. However, the John Wick franchise features villains and antagonists who have personal connections to the protagonist, either via being former partners from John's past or having a connection to Winston of The Continental in some form or another. In the case of Viggo Tarasov from the first John Wick, he ardently advises against his men angering John, as he'd once seen him kill three men with a pencil, thus leading to his nickname, Baba Yaga. The scene not only expands John's lore convincingly, but it further characterizes the villain in a fresh way.

In the case of John Wick: Chapter 2, Cassian is the first of John Wick's opponents to give him a run for his money. Despite their fight ending with John gaining the upper hand, many of their previous interactions see things come to a draw. Additionally, John's refusal to outright kill Cassian despite the threat he originally poses to him reinforces his code of honor among fellow of The Continental, former or otherwise. Each opponent that John is seen engaging in combat with possesses some sort of advantage over him that forces him to fight through incredible odds, thus making them all memorable.

2 The John Wick Movies Show The Importance Of Making The Protagonist Vulnerable

John Wick's ability to lose any given fight raises the stakes and prevents the action from going stale.

In virtually every fight John Wick gets into, there's a strong chance he could lose because of the level of competition that he faces. This heightened sense of reality makes for engaging fight scenes since each movie presents a real possibility that John's next fight could be his last. Furthermore, John's vulnerability as seen throughout the franchise is refreshing, since most action movie heroes are portrayed as unstoppable killing machines, a la John Rambo or The Expendables. Audiences already know that John is formidable, but a huge part of what makes his journey enthralling is that he's still human and capable of defeat.

1 The John Wick Movies Emphasize The Importance Of Careful Worldbuilding

Each John Wick movie has its own distinct feel that helps keep the action fresh.

Despite the first John Wick's simple revenge-thriller story, the filmmaking, characters, and refreshing action sequences of the franchise help make it into one of the biggest of all time. With each subsequent installment in the John Wick franchise, audiences see the character overcome more challenging odds, and through the use of engaging side characters and uniquely written villains, learn more about John's past in a palatable way. With the creation of the show The Continental, the franchise continues to grow, and interest in the Ballerina wouldn't be possible without John Wick's incredible worldbuilding as seen throughout all four movies.