Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4.After four successful films that exceeded box office expectations, John Wick has established itself as one of the best action franchises of all time. We can’t get enough Keanu Reeves destroying armies of thugs, so Lionsgate is actively expanding the franchise with Ana de Armas-vel Ballerina film and spin-off prequel series Continentalwhich, as we recently reported, is coming out this September. John Wick also inspired many other neon action movies that are trying to get a piece of the franchise’s lucrative pie, such as Nobody, Powder milkshake, High-speed trainand even cruel night. But what does John Wick films so successful? What is the franchise formula? WITH John Wick: Chapter 4 now available, we can safely say video game logic is to blame, as Reeves’ latest assassin adventure embraces the structure of AAA games with renewed determination. And that’s why Chapter 4 this is the best movie in the entire franchise.
How do the John Wick movies use video game logic?
Most often, video games are used as a means of storytelling, as are films. And especially in the AAA industry, story is often the most important selling point for a game. However, unlike a movie, a video game is an interactive environment through which the player relives the story by constantly making choices. Every input the player makes in any game changes what happens on the screen. Thus, even in games where players cannot directly influence the course of history, they can still determine what actions they will take to achieve their goal.
As an interactive medium, video games must prioritize player action over realism, leading to many elements that we refer to as “video game logic”. For example, the player character’s stamina is not affected by the actual damage they take. Instead, a health bar or other similar devices measures the player character’s survivability. This means that during the game part of our brain turns off, ignoring the many bullet wounds, cuts and bruises that the player character receives while exploring the interactive world. All that matters to us as players is that the health bar doesn’t deplete completely, which could lead to a game over. Something similar happens with Reeve. John Wickwhich takes immeasurable damage in every new film in the franchise.
John Wick: Chapter 4 features more sets than any other film in the franchise. The action of each set has also been buffed, meaning Reeves is constantly fighting dozens of thugs wherever he goes. As a result, John is shot, stabbed, kicked, kicked from a height, blown up … There is no limit to how John Wick: Chapter 4 wants to harm the main character. However, John continues to breathe after each new fight because his health bar does not deplete until the end of the movie.
“John Wick: Chapter 4” realizes the logic of his video game
Path John Wick: Chapter 4 measures Reeves’ health isn’t the only thing the movie took from video games. The franchise often uses the usual structure of AAA games, which alternate between cutscenes and playable levels. In a similar way, John Wick Movies often have one breathtaking set, followed by a moment of respite as the plot moves forward, which in turn gives way to another breathtaking set. Everyone holds their shots when the villain has to make an important speech or the hero needs to prove his willpower, similar to how players can only watch the cutscene instead of continuing to attack. This is more obvious for John Wick: Chapter 4 than previous films. It’s easy to tell when a movie is in its “intro” moment or its “playable” moment. And since each set John Wick: Chapter 4 takes place in a new environment, you can even say that the film has levels, like in a video game.
Speaking of levels, each element of the set John Wick: Chapter 4 also follows video game logic by introducing an army of thugs that the player character must defeat until they encounter a boss. At the end of each John Wick: Chapter 4 a set of parts that works like a video game boss fight. Boss battles are often the highlight of the video game, challenging obstacles that test the skill of the player. And that’s exactly what all the named killers in John Wick: Chapter 4 are major challenges for Reeves to be overcome slowly as they also have a huge health bar compared to normal enemies.
similarities between John Wick the franchise and video games don’t end there.
The franchise also uses video game logic to coordinate add-ons. Because animation is a lengthy and costly process, video game levels often feature NPCs that the player cannot interact with. They stand there, repeating the animation cycle, not reacting to all the action going on around them. And this is how the crowd works in an almost given snippet John Wick franchise. People just live their lives like they’re stuck in an animated loop, even though killers are beating each other to a pulp around them. For example, in John Wick: Chapter 4, the crowd in the club stops dancing and starts running only when the player character, Keanu Reeves, manages to reach a certain point in the boss fight. This is the logic of video games at its core and something that greatly enhances the franchise. Because when the filmmakers aren’t worried about realism, they can fully focus on making every fight spectacular.
As if all this wasn’t enough to emphasize John Wick: Chapter 4 video game logic, the sequel includes a top-down sequence, a classic action game perspective. Can anyone watch this scene in an abandoned building and not think about Hotline Miami? The whole set is a love letter to the logic of video games with its over the top violence, unique perspective and enemies that constantly appear right off the screen. While the franchise is no stranger to video game logic, John Wick: Chapter 4 takes things to the next level by pushing the boundaries of how cinema can actively incorporate elements from other mediums. And by this, John Wick: Chapter 4 presents some of the best moments in action movie history.
John Wick: Chapter 4 currently available in theaters.
Source: Collider
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