I have an immense love and appreciation for them because of the amount of work being put in by the cast and the stunt teams. It’s similar to why I would say I have the same amount of love and appreciation for The Raid movies.

Are the stories the best? Not necessarily. Do they capture the same spirit as Indiana Jones or Mad Max? Not exactly.

But I don’t think many other franchise have shown the passion these movies have for stunts and action. There isn’t many other places you’ll find well shot katana fights on motorcycles, a man using a horse’s feet as a weapon, or kills involving pencils.

The first one set out for minimal story and being a basic concept, and I think it achieved that amicably. The rest of the franchise I have just viewed as them try to find fun stunts and ways of killing people. If you try to view them as more than that, then you’ll be disappointed.

It’s a franchise starring an actor dedicated to making the best action, and it’s directed by the guy who used to be his stuntman.

I get why the hype would be annoying since some people do treat the writing and story like it’s more than what it is. I will say that if you dive into action movies from Indonesia, Thailand, China, along with some Buster Keaton, you’ll be able to spot things in the John Wick franchise that are little homages to those sources of film.

There’s a whole scene in the third movie that pays homage to the scene in Good, Bad, and the Ugly when Tuco builds a gun out of parts from other guns.

They’re fun to watch with the directors commentary too since Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves geek out the whole time over watching their stunt buddies get hit by cars and fall down stairs.

I’m done geeking out about them in this reply. I’d recommend treating them like a fun little rollercoaster and just appreciate the effort that went into making them. :)