I enjoyed John Wick: Chapter 2, when I watched it on Saturday night. I don’t think I enjoyed it quite as much as the first John Wick. I found it felt quite a bit “grander” and was more graphicly violent than the first film, but I guess that comes with getting a bigger budget after a surprise hit. My fear that it would strip back too many layers and mysteries from when I watched the first John Wick, in trying to “world build” into a franchise weren’t entirely founded – there wasn’t any clunky or overt exposition I noticed, just some points handled (mostly) naturally in context of the dialogue. Stuff like the “rules” of The Continental, and the consequences of breaking them. How all these pieces fit into the wider picture of assassins, crime lords, and secret societies were left pleasingly ambiguous (for now).

As with the first film, the cinematography was gorgeous. The light and sound design, combined with the framing and editing were absolutely on point. At no time was I unable to follow what was going on in an action scene – something which can’t said for too many “blockbuster” films these days. The plot felt like a reasonably logical continuation of the first film, and the main character was fleshed out in nice, subtle, ways.

Sadly, I need to wait until mid-September before I can watch John Wick: Chapter 3. I didn’t have high expectations when I started the series; I expected it to be somewhat overhyped and empty. But now I’m keen to find out how the story wraps up (or not, as the case may be).