John Wick is still pretty upset about his wife and dog, and in this 3rd installment of the series he’s got a price on his head. Can you see John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum if you haven’t seen the other two movies? And how old do your kids need to be before they see this one? The John Wick 3 Parent Movie Review answers the question ‘Is John Wick 3 kid-friendly?’ (Spoiler: NO).
Table of Contents
Can A Newbie To The John Wick Franchise Enjoy This Movie?
I kept saying I shouldn’t see this movie because I hadn’t seen the other 2. While it was a chance to give an unbiased review on John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum as a stand-alone film, I feel like it isn’t fair to go in and critique a movie if you don’t have the context of what came before. Sequels can be hard to gauge.
The good news here is that I don’t have to bash it and it was easier to follow along than I thought. I liked it for the most part. I left this movie feeling much like I did with Dark Phoenix (also watched it as a non-X-Men fan).
There is one difference here: I don’t feel compelled to go back and watch the other movies for the storyline. I mean, I think I got it.
But I might do it anyway because I’m fangirling a bit on Keanu Reeves right now. With Toy Story 4 coming out and his adorable cameo in Always Be My Maybe, it’s hard not to do!
Can a newbie to the John Wick franchise enjoy John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum as a standalone? Sure. But you’ll get a lot more out of it, I’m sure if you watched the previous movies.
You can watch this one without a lot of background- as long as you aren’t averse to a whole lot of gunfights, knife fights, and death that is.
Like- a lot, a lot.
About John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum
In this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled John Wick action franchise, super-assassin John Wick (Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail.
After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.
Rated: R
Run Time: 131 minutes
John Wick 3 Review
After watching John Wick 3 sit in decent box office position for the past couple of weeks, I decided it was time to watch this one. Currently, it’s sitting at number 7 just behind Shazam! for box office in 2019.
While I hadn’t seen the previous movies, I did know the basics of the John Wick story.
Here’s what I went in with: he’s an incredibly talented assassin (by the way, that feels icky to type that), his beloved wife dies, he loves his dog immensely, he tries to get out of the assassin business, but they killed his dog for trying… annnndd it all goes to hell from there.
Yes, it’s all because of the puppy.
Based on the movie I just watched, I was prepared enough with that small amount of info to understand and appreciate most of the scenes.
If you want to see this movie but weren’t sure you needed to watch the previous films, I think you’d be ok as a newbie walking in with this bit of background.
What that information didn’t help me with was truly understanding the support characters surrounding him. I knew they all had a history with him but I am sure I missed the nuanced story behind all of it. However, the way this story is told still allowed me to understand and appreciate what was happening from scene to scene for the most part.
John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum Review
This franchise is packed with some big names and they all did a fantastic turn onscreen. The scenes with Halle Berry, in particular, stood out for both the acting and action.
But we have Anjelica Huston, Laurence Fishburne, and Ian McShane as well.
Most of this movie is action and involves Wick trying not to be killed and in turn killing everyone who’s out to get him. And I do mean everyone. There are more guns and knives and deaths than I could count and the scenes are violent and intense for the most part. Not a ton of gore, but you know people are staying dead.
There are some bits where it pokes fun at itself a bit (characters running out of ammo is one schtick, grabbing fistfuls of knives from a collection and just hurling them one by one was another).
If there’s one thing this movie wasn’t short on, it was imaginative ways to be chased and to ultimately kill each other. In one scene Wick is attacked in a public library. He manages to escape by using a book as his weapon. In another, he uses a horse and ultimately escapes a pack of motorcycle killers on its back. (ps- the horse is fine!)
Overall, I was amused and entertained. However, my biggest complaint is how long the fight scenes lasted.
Forever, y’all. FOR-EVERRRRR.
I know that’s what the John Wick fans are looking for, but I do think there’s a point where you begin to lose impact. Desensitization is real- and after the first 2 scenes, I knew I was in for a long wait for the next change in the story.
The bottom line for me: I can recommend it, but I can’t say I loved it.
No-Guilt Fangirls Podcast John Wick 3 Review
Are There End Credit Scenes In John Wick 3?
Nope. If you can’t stick around to watch the filmmaker’s names roll on screen, you won’t miss anything by dashing out.
But their moms and families would probably love it if you do stay so see who did all the hard work!
When Can You Pee During John Wick 3?
Remember how I mentioned that the fight scenes were really really REALLY long?
- Any fight scene. Go ahead and get the idea of what is happening, then feel free to leave when the fighting gets going. I’d say about 90 seconds into any of the fight scenes will buy you enough time to go to the bathroom during John Wick 3. You can pee, wash your hands- twice- and get back in– and the scene will still be going on.
Seriously, y’all. They were long.
John Wick 3 Parent Movie Review
So your kid wants to see this one. And you need to know if John Wick 3 is kid-friendly.
The short answer to my John Wick 3 parent movie review is – NO WAY. This is just off the charts on the violence scale.
There isn’t any sexual content or nudity, and there is a bit of language to be aware of. Not a ton because- well- there’s not a ton of dialogue in this one.
But the killer to this movie (pun intended) is just how much up close death and killing occurs.
This totally answers the question of how much violence is needed to get an NC-17 rating. Apparently, there is no limit. Because I cannot imagine more than what is on screen here.
Stick to that 17 and up rated R age suggestion.
Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
Cailyn
Sunday 9th of June 2019
So I know you didn't see the first two... but FYI, it was over a puppy his dead wife had delivered to him after she died in order for him to have something to live for... and then Theon (from GoT) breaks in his house and kills the pup for no reason at all. So it was a little more nuanced there too - I'm only telling you so that it gives you some background, not to correct you. It was a great review.
Patty Holliday
Sunday 9th of June 2019
Yeah I knew the dog and wife were connected- and the death of the dog sends him reeling. But def not all the details.