If one were forced to rank the John Wick movies, “John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum” by itself would probably be the default weaker link of the series in the same way one would make the impossible choice of picking the weaker of the Lord of the Rings films, or perhaps a parent picking a favorite offspring. It isn’t for a lack of incredibly choreographed hand to hand and firearms combat or superb story. That remains unyielding.
Perhaps fittingly, because of its latin title meaning “prepare for war”, Parabellum is somehow more brutally violent than its preceding films in the best of ways. The expansive grand assassin universe and lored mystique of John Wick are ratcheted up higher still in this now fabled epic, with the kind of legendary underpinnings that makes for the best of stories.
Taken as part of a whole, Parabellum is a fluid continuation of the ground-breaking, unrivaled quality of the series, and represents a novel streak of achievement. A testament to good, concise writing and excited world building, the simple clarity of violent purpose propelled with this third installment remains fresh, creating the risk of leaving a captivated audience with unquenched bloodlust when the series ends.
The problem with “John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum,” therefore, is that you are not currently watching it right now. No, you’re wasting away on the internet, reading this amateur movie review, when you could be feasting your eyes on hands down the best action series of the decade, if not this young century. With three brilliant and ever escalating entries, John Wick should be a household name for movie fans, and prescribed to all cinephiles as part of a balanced cinematic diet of glorious carnage.
9.1/10
As AJ Thinks 