Looking back at the first movie from 2014, it’s clear to see that John Wick has changed a lot over the years. The franchise now has four movies and a TV spinoff show, and there is plenty more yet to come. This is a remarkable achievement for a movie that was initially seen as an underdog. The quality and originality of John Wick managed to cut through, and it became a huge hit with critics and audience. It still had to change in order to sustain itself as a viable long-running franchise.
There have been 10 years of John Wick, and it’s remarkable to see how it grew from humble beginnings into one of the most popular and influential franchise of the 21st century. Keanu Reeves’ mysterious assassin has battled his way across the globe, meeting new adversaries and delving deeper into the fascinating world of John Wick. It’s a rare thing for a franchise to deliver four brilliant movies without a flop, so John Wick‘s success is worth celebrating on its tenth anniversary.
Related
John Wick: Under The High Table – Confirmation, Story & Everything We Know
The world of John Wick is expanding yet again with that addition of a sequel series entitled John Wick: Under the High Table.
10 The Franchise Has Broadened Its Horizons
John Wick Is Now Set Up To Create Sequels And Spinoffs
The original John Wick was never intended to start a franchise. It was only after the movie’s immense critical and commercial success that Chad Stahelski and David Leitch started to come up with ideas to continue the franchise. John Wick is a great standalone action movie, but a lot of creativity was required to turn that into a franchise that could support sequels, spinoffs and TV shows.
The original
John Wick
was never intended to start a franchise.
The brilliant cliffhanger ending of John Wick: Chapter 2 sets up the future of the story in two ways. Firstly, it leads directly into the next movie, with John on the run without any help. More importantly, it hints at the complex world of the franchise, and the other assassins waiting in the shadows. The worldbuilding of John Wick: Chapter 2 ensured that there could be sequels and spinoffs that felt just as interesting as the first two movies.
9 The Supporting Characters Have Gotten More Interesting
The First John Wick Movie Doesn’t Develop Many Supporting Characters
John Wick provides a glimpse into a dense criminal underworld teeming with loathsome characters, but there are only a handful who leave a lasting impression. Ian McShane’s Winston and Lance Reddick’s Charon obviously become franchise mainstays, and Ms. Perkins and Avi also have some great moments. However, some supporting characters like Viggo seem rather generic, as if they could appear in any number of other crime movies.
Newer characters like Killa, Cassian and the Marquis have more individuality.
Newer characters like Killa, Cassian and the Marquis have more individuality, which reflects the way that the entire franchise has built an easily identifiable world that doesn’t conform to genre tropes quite so much. The fact that there is a John Wick spinoff based on Caine in development underlines how John’s supporting cast have become more eye-catching. None of the characters from the first movie would be great candidates for their own spinoffs.
8 The Roles Of Female Characters Have Improved
The Ballerina Spinoff Is The Culmination Of A Gradual Change
While John Wick‘s characters have become more defined across the board, this is especially evident in the franchise’s female characters. The John Wick franchise is and always has been dominated by male characters, but the more recent movies have beefed up the female roles. That’s not to say that there’s a problem with the first John Wick movie, and it should be noted that Ms. Perkins is one of its more intriguing characters. However, the change has been noticeable.
While
John Wick
‘s characters have become more defined across the board, this is especially evident in the franchise’s female characters
John Wick has started giving its female characters more individual personalities. Even the assassins who come after John, like Ares, have something to distinguish them from the crowd. Sofia, the Director and Akira are some of the franchise’s best characters, and they would all be welcome presences in future sequels. Ana de Armas is set to star in the John Wick spinoff Ballerina, which shows how far the franchise has come.
7 The World Of John Wick Has Gotten More Complex
The Worldbuilding Has Always Been A Big Positive Of John Wick
One thing that John Wick got right at the first attempt was its worldbuilding. Although there are parts of the first movie which might seem a little generic within the confines of the action genre, the Continental and some other details are enough to make John Wick stand out. Fortunately, these early hints proved to be a mere taste of what was to come in the world of John Wick, with each sequel coloring in the edges of the map.
John Wick
has constructed a complex and compelling criminal world.
With markers, the Ruska Roma, the Bowery King and more, John Wick has constructed a complex and compelling criminal world. The most important addition of all has been the High Table, which has facilitated several other interesting characters and obscure practices. It has also given the John Wick sequels more of a purpose, which has allowed John to continue his journey even after getting his revenge in the first movie.
6 John Wick Has Started Telling A Bigger Story
The Franchise Found A New Avenue After John’s Revenge Against The Tarasovs
The introduction of the High Table has changed the complexion of the John Wick franchise. The first movie remains a great standalone story, but most action franchises have to up the ante when they start expanding. John Wick has found a way to tell a story with a much larger scope without destroying or betraying what makes it so popular to begin with. Other action franchise go too big too soon and jump the shark, but John Wick has gradually ramped things up.
Other action franchise go too big too soon and jump the shark, but
John Wick
has gradually ramped things up.
The massive change in the John Wick franchise takes place little by little, so that each movie reveals another piece of the puzzle without doing too much at once. It seems natural that John is trying to free himself from the High Table with a small army of allies dotted all around the world by the time that John Wick: Chapter 4 comes around, but it would have been a massive leap just after the first movie’s relatively small self-contained story.
5 The Franchise Is Making The Most Of Its Increased Budgets
Each Movie Comes With A Bigger Budget Than The Last
The first John Wick movie was made with an estimated budget of $20-30 million, which is small potatoes compared to the action blockbusters which usually vie for attention at the box office. Its commercial success meant that the sequel was given a healthy budget increase, and this trend has continued throughout the franchise. The other financial trend worth mentioning is that each movie has made much more money than the last. John Wick: Chapter 4 made $440 million with a budget of $100 million.
The other financial trend worth mentioning is that each movie has made much more money than the last.
What differentiates John Wick from so many other action franchises is that it has used its resources superbly. Other franchises can splash the cash without considering the story, but John Wick still feels just as unique and compelling even though its budget has more than tripled. There have been more exotic locations, more explosive action sequences, and bigger casts with more established stars, but none of this feels ostentatious or unnecessary.
4 The Movies Keep Getting Longer & Deadlier
John Wick’s Kill Count Keeps Rising
Just as each John Wick movie has steadily gotten more expensive, they have also gotten longer. This fits with the franchise’s move from self-contained crime stories to globe-trotting action epics. John Wick: Chapter 4 is over an hour longer than John Wick, which is an unusual trend for a franchise. This runtime is being utilized well, though, with more action sequences as well as a more complex story.
John Wick: Chapter 4
is over an hour longer than
John Wick.
The entire story of the first John Wick movie can be summed up in a couple of sentences, but doing so for John Wick: Chapter 4 would necessitate skipping over important details. The broad scope of the newer John Wick movies makes room for more detailed worldbuilding and lengthier action sequences, which also means that the kill count has skyrocketed. The first John Wick movie now seems tame by comparison to the sheer number of kills in Chapter 4.
3 John Wick Has Leaned Into Campy Action
The Franchise Has Gotten More Playful With Some Scenes
John Wick is a relatively simplistic thriller, albeit with a unique approach to action which makes it stand out. As the franchise has developed, it has leaned further into its campy side. John Wick’s choice of weapons highlights how the franchise has started to exaggerate outlandish action sequences. Although he always has an arsenal filled with guns, he has also used a katana, a book and even a horse as a deadly weapon.
As the franchise has progressed,
John Wick
has started constructing some more playful action scenes.
As the franchise has progressed, John Wick has started constructing some more playful action scenes which toy with the tropes of the action genre. Take, for example, the top-down shootout sequence that plays out like a video game. Another great example is the moment that John reaches the top of the steps up to his duel at Montmartre in Paris, only to be knocked back down and forced to slog through another chaotic onslaught of violence. This theatrical approach isn’t limited to the action scenes, as characters like Killa Harkan seem to come from a different universe to the first John Wick.
2 The Action Sequences Have Gotten More Audacious
John Wick Keeps Stepping Up The Spectacle
Aside from becoming more exaggerated and stylistic, John Wick‘s action sequences have also gotten noticeably more ambitious. This is obviously a result of the increased budget, which opens up more possibilities. What’s key is that John Wick‘s action has gotten bigger and better while still retaining the sense of identity that makes it unique. The action is all thoughtfully executed.
John Wick
‘s action has gotten bigger and better while still retaining the sense of identity that makes it unique.
Scenes like the raid on the Osaka Continental or the Arc de Triomphe fight in John Wick: Chapter 4 probably wouldn’t have been possible in the first John Wick movie. These scenes require a lot of careful choreography, dozens of stunt performers and some delicate direction. Managing all these moving parts on such a large scale isn’t easy, but John Wick consistently delivers spectacular large-scale action. The franchise has been one-upping itself since the first movie.
1 John Is A More Interesting Character Now
The Enigmatic Assassin Still Has Some Mysteries
John Wick has always been a mysterious character, but each movie reveals a little bit more about his backstory and who he associates with. The first John Wick movie introduces him at his lowest ebb, showing that he’s grief-stricken by the loss of his wife. Beyond this, there isn’t much else that’s revealed about the protagonist. He shows who he is through his actions, but the later movies flesh out his character in more depth.
John Wick
always handles its character development tactfully, leaving a few more mysteries which are yet to be solved.
Without resorting to heavy exposition dumps, John Wick shows who the hitman is based on his associations. Each time he comes into contact with another friend from his past – whether that be the Director, Sofia, the Bowery King, Koji or someone else – another piece of the puzzle falls into place. There’s still a chance Keanu Reeves could return for John Wick: Chapter 5, which would offer another chance to peel back the layers of an intriguing character. John Wick always handles its character development tactfully, leaving a few more mysteries which are yet to be solved.