“John Wick: Chapter 4” may be almost three hours long, but that doesn’t seem to have limited enthusiasm for the movie. The latest installment in the action franchise finds Keanu Reeves once again fighting his way to the top of the High Table — and the top of the box office.
Less than a decade after the first installment sent the retired hitman back to work to avenge his dead dog, the actor continues to enjoy his second wave of movie stardom at the age of 58. The enthusiasm for the “John Wick” series stands out as a notable contrast to the current woes facing the “Star Wars” franchise, as interest has been dropping off for the series. Meanwhile, Marvel’s cinematic universe faces similar challenges, as highlighted by the departure of longtime executive Victoria Alonso this week.
What gives? How did a violent and hyperstylized martial arts series wind up more satisfying than Disney’s greatest IP?
In this week’s episode of Screen Talk, Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson discuss the new release in light of the challenges faced by other studio product. However, not content to focus exclusively on the biggest releases, they also leave room in this week’s episode to touch on some smaller films opening this month: the Dardenne brothers’ “Tori and Lokita” and Sundance winner “A Thousand and One.”
Watch the full episode above or listen to it below.
Screen Talk is produced by Azwan Badruzaman and available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify, and hosted by Megaphone. Browse previous installments here, subscribe here, and be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear the hosts address specific issues in upcoming editions of Screen Talk.
