"Si vis pacem, para bellum"
The John Wick franchise is easily one of the most relevant film series today. The movies jolted Keanu Reeve's career back to life and cemented his character in meme and pop culture. Based around the emotional core of his lost wife and the dog, the first film was an action masterpiece. This has been the driving force of Wick and it's still prevalent in Chapter 3. The sequel had a tough act to follow but it managed to keep all the aspects that made the series great whilst going off the rails in the best possible way. While it's not my favorite one I still enjoyed it immensely. But how does it bid while high? The results were surprisingly dark.
John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the stupidest of the franchise but it's also the saddest. While watching the movie I instantly found myself trying to understand the psyche of Mr. Wick. In the first one we saw how a series of emotional events led him back to his violent ways. Then in the second one we learned that a simple life was no longer an option for him. In this entry there's simply no where else left for this man to go. He's been excommunicated by the High Table which subsequently started a war amongst assassins. Everyone is after him and any ounce of his past life is now unreachable. All he can do now is kill and play everyone's game just to survive. He isn't their greatest fear anymore, he's their pawn. John Wick is broken.
I became so fixated on his emotional state I almost didn't want to watch the film anymore. It was saddening to watch him dig himself deeper and deeper into a moral grave as he kills more and more. This wasn't entirely a stoner thought though, the film is aware of his dark path. Halfway through the movie he he sells his soul to the Table through a ritual. This is all to reinstate himself. I couldn't see him the same way anymore after that. To me he died in that scene. He gives up what he still hangs onto and more. The film takes this choice to a satisfying and less gloomy conclusion though. It's just the negative feelings it sparked in the moment that made me feel so empathetic towards him.
While the action of Chapter 3 is funner and dumber than any of the other films it's also far gorier. That's not problem for me at all when I'm sober or watching with friends. It's a different story when you're all laughing or gasping at gory scenes. For whatever reason when I'm high I'm a little more squeamish during gory scenes. This obviously doesn't apply to everyone but it did affect my judgment as a film to watch high.
When you're sober, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is a fun and intense ride. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone as a movie to watch high. For me it brought out a lot of the dark aspects I wouldn't want to think about as heavily as others. Overall I think watching it once high actually elevated my opinion of the film but I'll never do it again.
Critical Consensus: 7/10
High Factor: 5/10
John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the stupidest of the franchise but it's also the saddest. While watching the movie I instantly found myself trying to understand the psyche of Mr. Wick. In the first one we saw how a series of emotional events led him back to his violent ways. Then in the second one we learned that a simple life was no longer an option for him. In this entry there's simply no where else left for this man to go. He's been excommunicated by the High Table which subsequently started a war amongst assassins. Everyone is after him and any ounce of his past life is now unreachable. All he can do now is kill and play everyone's game just to survive. He isn't their greatest fear anymore, he's their pawn. John Wick is broken.
I became so fixated on his emotional state I almost didn't want to watch the film anymore. It was saddening to watch him dig himself deeper and deeper into a moral grave as he kills more and more. This wasn't entirely a stoner thought though, the film is aware of his dark path. Halfway through the movie he he sells his soul to the Table through a ritual. This is all to reinstate himself. I couldn't see him the same way anymore after that. To me he died in that scene. He gives up what he still hangs onto and more. The film takes this choice to a satisfying and less gloomy conclusion though. It's just the negative feelings it sparked in the moment that made me feel so empathetic towards him.
When you're sober, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is a fun and intense ride. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone as a movie to watch high. For me it brought out a lot of the dark aspects I wouldn't want to think about as heavily as others. Overall I think watching it once high actually elevated my opinion of the film but I'll never do it again.
Critical Consensus: 7/10
High Factor: 5/10
Comments
Post a Comment