John Wick

[Deku Tree]

I went and saw this today. It's a straightforward, unapologetically cliche rampage movie. The pacing and choreography are pretty good and I thought Keanu Reeves put in a good performance. I enjoyed it.

[Apollo the Just]

yknow im always down for an unapologetically cliche rampage movie. might check this out.

[ScottyMcGee]

I was interested in this. At your first line I thought you were going to say it sucked, but apparently not.

[Deku Tree]

Nah, it's a good time. It's just a simple story about a useless, spoiled bully who accidentally messes with a hard working badass and now he has to pay. I liked it in the same uncomplicated way I liked Pacific Rim.

[Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds]

Just watched this the other night.

Amazing.

The thing is, all the action is the opposite of clichéd. Keanu's performance was incredibly good, with martial arts used well (largely Judo, if I'm not mistaken), and a shooting technique called the Center Axis Relock system. There's a certain gravitas to his expertise and destruction. The world lore is solid and entertaining. The filming style was ideal. No shakycam, MY STARS, THANK YOU. There were a few instances of clever little additions (subtle distortion of the framing when he's experiencing negative memories) which honestly made a huge difference to how the scenes were perceived. There was nothing trite in his decisions, and a lot of tropes were completely avoided at key moments. All the characters played to their exact roles. I really, really, enjoyed watching John Wick.

[ScottyMcGee]

Well damn. I shall now watch John Wick.

[Deku Tree]

Aww yeah, just learned that a sequel is coming.

[Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds]

:headbang:

[Deepfake]

I loved this. The characters absolutely made sense, and the director actually paid attention to logic where it was necessary. It doesn't matter that it's a revenge fantasy because it's possibly the only one I've ever seen where the decisions and behavior are all well-thought out by the creators.