Each of the trailers for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum have been met with a glowing response on social media, and now that the film’s first critic reactions have surfaced, it’s beginning to look like the movie might well live up to the hype.
Predictably enough, much of the praise is directed at the set pieces, suggesting that Chad Stahelski’s trilogy-closer is going to continue the franchise’s run as one of the most stylish action properties of recent years. What’s more, it sounds like the upcoming flick is going to deliver some serious canine action that will bring the whole series full circle.
#JohnWick3 is AWESOME. Some of the action set pieces are so insane you’ll wonder how director Chad Stahelski and his team filmed them. Saying that, the @Halleberry/#KeanuReeves set piece featuring her dogs might be my favorite. Wait till you see this one. Esp if you like dogs… pic.twitter.com/ym2Tn012xw
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) May 3, 2019
I cannot even begin to describe how good the dogs in #JohnWick3 are
— Vinnie Mancuso (@VinnieMancuso1) May 3, 2019
Chock full of inventive set-pieces and brutal kills, while also providing new facets to the intricate underworld lore fans of the franchise have come to love, #JohnWick3 will please fans of the franchise. pic.twitter.com/Pxa30kG11d
— Jim Vejvoda (@JimVejvoda) May 3, 2019
Onto my proper #JohnWick3 reaction: Pure visceral cinema. After the dramatic world expansion of CHAPTER 2, CHAPTER 3 returns to a leaner, exhilarating story chock full of breathless, bone-crunching action and even a few laughs. I was sweating 30 minutes in. This movie RULES.
— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) May 3, 2019
Our own @JimmytotheO has seen @JohnWickMovie! #JohnWick3 #Parabellum! He calls it “… an ass kicking, ramped up thrill ride with amazing characters that continues to prove that director #ChadStahelski and #KeanuReeves make a perfect cinematic partnership.” pic.twitter.com/hs7GTzBWL0
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) May 3, 2019
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 — PARABELLUM fucks! It’s chock full of insane action, the mythology of The Continental, and a slew of colorful antagonists. #JohnWick3
— No Context Sean Mulvihill (@NotSPMulvihill) May 3, 2019
#JohnWick3 is action at its finest. It raises the bar for the franchise and adds new depth to the#JohnWick universe. @asiakatedillon, @halleberry and @mark_dacascos are all great additions.
It also features what may be my favorite kill of all three films.@FilmInquiry pic.twitter.com/n2qgBUmEkk
— Brent Goldman (@bgoldman22) May 3, 2019
#JohnWick3 continues to build on the series' mythology and has some of the coolest action and most memorable side characters of the entire series. I'm not sure about everything it adds, and certain things will be controversial (no spoilers). But overall it's more @JohnWickMovie! pic.twitter.com/Vodcx2nJwE
— Mike Rougeau (@RogueCheddar) May 3, 2019
If you want more John Wick, #JohnWick3 definitely delivers. More insane fights (the Casablanca sequence, OMG), more lore, more dogs (big plus!). pic.twitter.com/e7k6h1qDWD
— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) May 3, 2019
There's a bit in #JohnWick 3 where Keanu and a bunch of bad dudes are just chucking knives at each other for about five minutes straight and it's pretty much the greatest thing ever.
— Ethan Alter (@ethanalter) May 3, 2019
#JohnWick3: A eye-popping, jaw-dropping, show-stopping killer. Extends world-building dynamics beautifully, but also assigns meaningful resonance to character-driven action. Keanu Reeves is perfect, @AsiaKateDillon is magnetic & @halleberry kicks ass. ❤️’d every stellar minute! pic.twitter.com/cIBF61IZK1
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) May 3, 2019
#JohnWick3 delivers. More insane fights, more lore, more dogs and those assasins played by The Raid-guys. Wow.
— Steffen (@TvMaurer) May 3, 2019
Oh, sweet, we can give our reviews of #JohnWick3! It’s AWESOME! Grandest, most elaborate set pieces of the franchise, and a deeper look at this weird criminal underworld. This franchise rules. https://t.co/NBO4KkZvoX
— Lon Harris (@Lons) May 3, 2019
#JohnWick3 is the electrifying end, if it is the end, of John Wick. It’s not a perfect movie but it cements John Wick as the definitive action icon of the 2010s. The movie begins on a high note and, exhaustingly, keeps it up the entire time. Also: VERY GOOD DOGS. pic.twitter.com/h5TVkNy3sP
— Eric Francisco (@RedMaskEric) May 3, 2019
While a John Wick movie tends to be a hazardous environment for any dog to wander through, the trailers have shown us that the hounds owned by Halle Berry’s character are capable of fighting back. Berry herself, meanwhile, seems to have garnered some praise in the role of assassin Sofia, and the same can be said for Orange Is the New Black actress Asia Kate Dillon as High Table member the Adjudicator.
Also making their series debut is Anjelica Huston as John’s protector on the High Table, along with Mark Dacascos as vengeful assassin Zero. As for returning players, obviously you can’t make a John Wick movie without Keanu Reeves, but you can also expect to see more from Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King, Lance Reddick as Charon and Ian McShane as Winston.
Which of these characters are still around by the time the credits roll is, of course, another matter. Indeed, Stahelski even claimed last year that John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum will have the highest kill count of the series to date, and we’ll find out if the film can keep that promise when it arrives in theaters on May 17th.
