We ended up having to wait much longer for John Wick: Chapter 4 than initially anticipated (it was first slated to come out May 21, 2021), but fortunately for fans, that wait is almost over. However, there are a select few who’ve been able to see this 2023 new movie release early, and judging by the reviews for Chapter 4, this action franchise has another critical hit on its hands. In fact, Chapter 4 is on pace to have the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of all the John Wick movies.
The John Wick: Chapter 4 reviews started coming in last week, just a few weeks after the first social media reactions were shared. So far there are 86 critic reviews logged on Chapter 4’s Rotten Tomatoes page, with 80 of them leaning “Fresh” and just six of them being “Rotten,” with CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg giving the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars in his review. That leaves Chapter 4 with a 93% Tomatometer at the time of this writing. For comparison, the first John Wick movie is ranked at 86% and both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 - Parabellum are ranked at 89%.
Now granted, with just a few more days to go until John Wick: Chapter 4 opens wide, more reviews will likely come in for the movie, and some of them may skew more negatively. So it’s entirely possible that Chapter 4’s Rotten Tomatoes score could decrease, perhaps even ending up lower than were its immediate two predecessors are. Still, the fact that Chapter 4 is currently the most critically acclaimed of the John Wick movies is impressive, and even if it doesn’t permanently stay at 93%, it’s still sounds like it’ll be an enjoyable experience for fans of this franchise and anyone looking for a good action romp.
Along with Keanu Reeves obviously back as John Wick, this latest installment features the return of Laurence Fishburne as The Bowery King, Ian McShane as Winston Scott and the late Lance Reddick as Charon. The newcomers in John Wick: Chapter 4’s cast include Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins and Clancy Brown. Director Chad Stahelski resumed his directing duties, and Shay Hatten and Michael Finch wrote the script.
John Wick fans can also take comfort knowing that Chapter 4 isn’t the only offering this franchise has coming up. Yes, John Wick: Chapter 5 isn’t guaranteed just yet, but The Continental series is now on track to premiere on Peacock later this year, where we’ll learn how Winston Scott rose to power in the 1970s. Additionally, Ana de Armas is leading the Ballerina spinoff, which will see Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Anjelica Huston (who plays The Director in the the third John Wick movie) reprising their roles, as well as Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, and Catalina Sandino Moreno playing yet-to-be-identified characters.
You can see for yourself how John Wick: Chapter 4 turned out starting this Friday, March 24. If you’d like to rewatch the first three movies ahead of time, you can stream them with a Peacock subscription.
