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John Wick: Chapter 4 Early Reactions Promise The Best Wick Film Yet

Keanu Reeves in John Wick 4 Lionsgate
By BJ Colangelo

It's been a long time coming but, yeah, we're thinking he's back. Keanu Reeves has returned for the fourth installment of the "John Wick" franchise in his biggest and most badass movie yet. He is bringing his fight against the members of the High Table from around the world, kicking ass and taking names across New York, Paris, Berlin, and Japan. Chad Stahelski is back to continue his directorial dominance, shooting a screenplay from Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, based on characters created by Derek Kolstad. With the addition of Donnie Yen and the promise of anime-influenced fight sequences, it's safe to say "John Wick: Chapter 4" is easily one of the most highly-anticipated releases of the year.

Action franchises have a reputation for jumping the shark after a few entries, but based on the early reactions from critics who have already seen "John Wick: Chapter 4," it's safe to assume that the adventures of Baba Yaga aren't suffering a similar fate. We've rounded up some of the early feedback taking over social media, so if you were on the fence about checking out the upcoming film, perhaps the hype will help make that decision a little bit easier.

John Wick: Chapter 4 early reactions

Donnie Yen in John Wick Chapter 4 Lionsgate

Even with the extended runtime of "John Wick: Chapter 4," it sounds like critics are calling it well worth the extra time. Eric Eisenberg of Cinema Blend admitted he was concerned about the epic length, but that the film more than earns it.

Kirsten Acuna from Insider was less thrilled with the long runtime, but commended the film by saying, "This is what we head out to the movies to see." She also tweeted that Donnie Yen is "an INCREDIBLE addition to the franchise," which is music to the ears of anyone who is also unhealthily obsessed with the "Ip Man" series (like yours truly).

Hunter Bolding made the massive claim that the film is "easily the best in the series," which is some seriously high-praise considering all three previous "John Wick" films, well, f***ing rule. Bolding's responses were part of a thread, where he also stated that Donnie Yen steals the show. I mean, duh. He's Donnie Yen!

/Film's own Vanessa Armstrong agrees with Bolding, going so far as to declare it as "the best movie [she's] seen in ages!" Considering what a jam-packed year 2022 was of amazing titles, this is some seriously high praise. And obviously, we know and love Armstrong here, so we're happy to take her word for it.

Eammon Jacobs at Insider wasn't quite as hyped as some of the other critics, saying, "The exhilarating action is perfectly executed, but the story was dumb — then again, we're all here to watch Keanu Reeves kick ass, and he does it so bloody well." As far as I'm concerned, that's still a hell of a compliment! Jacobs shared additional thoughts in a thread and admitted he had a hard time with the 3-hour runtime. But he did highlight Rina Sawayama, saying she's so good she deserves her own spin-off. WE'RE HERE FOR IT!

But the positive feedback doesn't stop there. Folks from publications all over can't stop talking about how much they enjoyed "John Wick: Chapter 4," and that's some exciting news for action fans everywhere. Here are some other critics' feelings about the film in their own words.

I'm going to be honest, I spent some time looking for genuinely negative reviews for this film to add some balance, but I genuinely couldn't find any. (Of course, this will change once the film debuts.) But outside of some folks thinking the film is a little too long for their liking, the response seems to be overwhelmingly positive. It's always a great day when folks have good things to say about cool movies.

"John Wick: Chapter 4" arrives in theaters on March 24, 2023.

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