John Wick 1 - 4 Box Set [UK]

Details: By Christopher Symonds; 13 March 2024

Keanu Reeves is hands down one of the most likeable human beings in the public eye. His gentle ways and easy-going nature have cemented him into the zeitgeist of Hollywood legend. But in the 2010s, we must remember his leading man career was in a bit of a slump, having headlined a series of high-budget duds. He took a chance on a little low-budget actioner to be helmed by his friend and Matrix stuntman Chad Stahelski. A simple tale of revenge. A broken-hearted retired assassin who gets messed with one too many times. His name: John Wick.

Well, now four features and multiple spin-offs in the works later, we know how it turned out. This ‘simple tale of revenge’ became a juggernaut of entertainment, coined the sub-genre ‘Gun-Fu’, and cemented itself as a welcome mainstay at the cinema.

I’ll briefly cover all four films and get to the nuts and bolts of this box set I’ve been sent: the UHD transfers.

John Wick 1 - 4 Box Set

John Wick (2014)

We meet John Wick at a low point in his life. He’s recently lost his wife to cancer. He spends his days aimlessly missing her, a last gift from her—an adorable beagle puppy—his only companion. His pup and his 1969 Boss 429 Mustang are all he prizes. He has the misfortune (or rather they have the misfortune) of coming across a Russian mobster’s son (Alfie Allen) and his posse. Seems the arrogant little whelp takes a shine to Wick’s car, and when John refuses to sell it, they decide to follow him, break into his house, kill his pup and steal said car. BIG. FUCKING. MISTAKE. Take away everything a man has, and you create an enemy with nothing to lose. And the man these twits took from just happens to be (in Slavic) the ‘Baba Yaga,’—the boogeyman—the most lethal assassin in the world. You better believe these fools earn some inventive and graphic ends, drawing John Wick out of retirement.

The first Wick, while replete with ludicrous action sequences and improbabilities, is the most grounded of the series. At least character-wise. In this one there is an instantly relatable motivation, even if his capabilities outclass the bulk of mortal men. If you know anything about Keanu Reeves, the man is no stranger to loss. He had Wick tailored to his sensibilities and hits a home run with this performance. Much like the legend, Clint Eastwood, ‘he doesn’t do words,’ and this minimalist approach serves his performances in spades. You feel his heartbreak, his fury, his resolve with simple looks. It’s one of his greatest roles.

Comes as no surprise, the first John Wick is, for me, the best.

5/5 stars

4k details divider

VIDEO

This was an early UHD release and is still the same 2160p native scan (from a digital intermediate, as it was shot on digital cameras) from years ago. And it’s a beauty! On the modern side’s spectrum for crisp clean images and emboldened beyond HD with HDR10 embellishments. This isn’t the image I remember seeing in theatres. It’s leaning toward a greenish hue and there are some brief inconsistencies, but you really must be looking. Caught a couple of shots showing artefacts, but again these are blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments. Solid product, almost flawless.

AUDIO

Balls to wall awesome Dolby ATMOS 7.1 mix. Handles everything from dialogue to atmospherics to thumping base with ease. Everything from the rears to the overheads and especially the sub gets a stellar workout. This is a reference quality sound mix for showing off your sound capabilities. Absolutely perfect.

Supplements:

Unusually this UHD disc does include special features. They’re marginal legacy entries from previous blu-ray releases, but at least they’re included. You’re only looking at about half an hour in total of viewable EPK style snit-bits. A bit meh but welcome.

Commentary:

Filmmakers Chad Stahelski and David Leitch

Special Features:

Don't F*#% With John Wick
Calling in the Cavalry
Destiny of a Collective
The Assassin's Code
The Red Circle
N.Y.C. Noir
Theatrical Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

John Wick 1 - 4 Box Set

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2019)

With the massive success of the first film, pulling in over four times it’s budget, it came as no surprise a sequel would follow.

In this one, although Wick has cleaned house on the bastards who killed his dog, it comes with consequences. John has broken a cardinal rule of assassins. The man who helped John ‘retire’, Santino, comes calling for him to fulfill a blood oath. He wants his sister taken out for advancement in the organisation. Of course, John refuses and this time his house bites the dust. John goes to ‘The Continental’, a ground zero for those in the business, where he’s reminded that all must honour their blood oaths or pay the ultimate price. Reluctantly, he goes to fulfill the oath… but, of course, all is not as it seems. Santino not only wants to usurp his sister but eliminate any evidence of doing it. This spells the end for John Wick if he succeeds.

This is where the world-building really kicks off. And when I say kicks off, I mean is injected with nitrous and explodes. Frenetic action from the first movie ramps up to unstoppable, escalating lunacy. Reeves and returning director Stahelski really push the limits in what they can choke every frame of this film with.

This doesn’t endear itself to me as much as the first one, becoming a lunatic’s instruction video on the rules of the game, more than an emotional rollercoaster, but there is no denying this film’s action is legendary. I feel bad for ragging on a fellow Aussie, but Ruby Rose’s performance and believability in the violent milieu falls short. She’s out of her element and detracts from the world’s verisimilitude. Apart from her, this film is choked with awesome performances and gobsmacking action. By the end Wick is ‘incommunicado’ and every deadly assassin is out for his head. This movie does its job very well, whets the appetite and builds anticipation, but lands for me as my least favourite. There are no duds in the John Wick series (yet), so this is by no means a sledge, more of a spoiled for choice summation.

VIDEO

This one’s from the same vintage as the first movie. Falls a point for artefacts rearing their ugly head in some moments of dark or complete black. Colour timing has also seen embellishments, beautifully but noticeably shifting the palette, especially with greens, blues and yellow. Another attractive native scan with HDR10 contrast noticeably improving over earlier releases.

AUDIO

And with the opening bike chase we receive another ball-tearing perfect Dolby ATMOS 7.1 mix. The environmental channels start pumping right away and never let up. This is a sumptuously rich sound mix; you will be left wanting for nothing. Another reference level mix to show off your set-up.

Supplements:

Same story. They’ve ported over the previous release’s features, and they are middling and all too brief, with some not even exceeding a minute. Welcome additions but hardly stellar efforts made here.

Commentary:

With Keanu Reeves and Director Chad Stahelski

Special Features:

Deleted Scenes
Retro Wick: Exploring the Unexpected Success of John Wick
Training John Wick
Wick-vizzed
Friends, Confidantes: The Keanu/Chad Partnership
As Above, So Below: The Underworld of John Wick
Car Fu Ride-Along
Chamber Check: Evolution of a Fight Scene
Wick's Toolbox
Kill Count
Dog Wick Short
Theatrical Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

The only John Wick entry with a subtitle and it’s by a country mile my favourite of the follow ups.

John Wick 3 picks up right where two left off. A city full of killers have converged on our hero to take him out. He has broken the cardinal rule, do not kill unsanctioned and never kill on Continental grounds, and they waste no time inflicting bullet holes and injuries galore. The High Table, the all-seeing, all-ruling governing body of assassins sends a torpedo called ‘Zero’ (Mark Decascos) to tell Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne) to resign their positions… or else. Wick is injured and in hiding, choosing, after a spectacularly bloody all-purpose slaughter, to take his medicine and front the High Table. They agree to forgive him only after he kills Winston and gives them one of his fingers. Of course, Wick reneges on that, kills Zero and then Winston shoots him, pledging fealty to the High Table. Badly injured and in hiding, Wick and the Bowery King hatch a plot to eliminate upper management for good. (Great hook for another one!)

Can’t gush about this film enough. It opens at a hundred miles an hour and never lets up, all while expanding on the world-building continuously. It’s joyfully joked with unendingly imaginative set-pieces (Wick on horseback, having a sword fight with bad guys on motorbikes! GOLD!). It has great character development and twists. Even in a sea of lethal, double-crossing people, Wick shows aspirational loyalty to his own set of ethics towards those he cares about.

This is where it peaks for me. One of the best action films made this century.

VIDEO

We change tact here on the third disc, with Lionsgate offering an UPSCALE from the previous print. It certainly doesn’t look too bad, and certainly has HDR10 enhancements to enrich colours and improve contrast. But, as with upscales in general, there is a flawed artificiality in the transfer that shows its undergarments. There are some inconsistent rainy scenes and some soft points in mid tones that stick out amongst the otherwise super crisp presentation. Good, but not great.

AUDIO

FLAWLESS! Dolby ATMOS again in all its 7.1 glory. This is an extremely busy film, with multitudes of organic and inorganic pieces constantly in motion. It handles everything with perfect fidelity and efficacy. Every works. This is completer and utter orgasmic immersion.

Supplements:

Once again, we get a re-port of all the short and shrug-worthy tid-bit special features from the blu-ray of yore. Snore.

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

Parabellum: Legacy of The High Table
Excommunicado
Check Your Sights
Saddle Up Wick .
Bikes, Blades, Bridges, and Bits
Continental in the Desert
House of Transparency
Shot by Shot
Theatrical Trailer 1
Theatrical Trailer 2
John Wick Hex Game Trailer
Behind the Scenes of John Wick Hex

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Here we are at the (current) end. Chapter 4 has gotten almost universal praise upon landing last year, and while I certainly liked it, I found the film bloated. For the first time, I found my mind wandering during the unending punch up/action sequences. There is a successful escalation to a satisfying conclusion, no doubt, but I found the length and repetition of Wick punching, kicking and shooting his way through a literal army of bad guys defeated by its own ambitions. I am in the minority, as most think this was the pinnacle of the series.

So, the head of High Table, the Marquis (Bill Skasgard), is enforcing zero tolerance on those who bend the rules and is cleaning house, sanctioning all-out war to kill John Wick. He even forces another ex-assassin, Wick’s old friend Caine (Donnie Yen), to take him out by threatening to kill his daughter. What unfolds is a nearly three-hour run-time of John taking out those sent to end him. What works are the character’s connections to other characters. For me, there is not enough of that dedicated to the whole film. The lion’s share of this movie is action and killing and mayhem. With three films already having run the spectrum of inventive set-pieces and jaw dropping action, it was impossible, with the length of some of these scenes, not to feel it’s a bit samey. This is a very good movie, with everyone at the height of their respective skills. The world building is paid off wonderfully and I liked the end (if it is the end). I just felt this one is a good full stop.

Of course it’s not going to be. Reeves is confirmed to be returning in 2024’s spin-off prequel: The Ballerina.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

VIDEO

We return to native scans from the digital intermediate (Makes Chapter 3 a sad anomaly)! This was predominantly a night set film: boy does this transfer show off some fine detail and handle it perfectly. HDR makes highlights and colours in the sea of black blaze off your display. Faces, clothes, the gleaming of weapons—they’re all off the chart impressive. This transfer is the clear winner out of the four films. Immaculate work here.

AUDIO

It’s a perfect score for all the John Wick entries. You get another flawless Dolby ATMOS 7.1 magical mix that steeps you in the action right away. Atmospheric and environmental nuances are reference quality and sheer power of this mix starts from second 1 and never lets up. These are the discs you’re looking for to test or show o systems.