Where I Watched it: ITunes/VOD

English Audio Description Provided By Deluxe

Narrated By Jedidiah Barton

this might be the most audio description for a film ever. Granted, there are other movies where the audio description is non-stop, but this is also a long movie, tipping the scales at 2 hrs 45 minutes. And, they make sure to pack this film with action set piece after action set piece. After all, this is very likely the conclusion to this particular series, as they seem far more interested in spinoffs, like Peacock’s upcoming The Continental, or next summer’s ballerina. So, how does this franchise finish, and is it worth watching?

I’m actually of the belief that there are two john Wicks. the first film works as a stand alone. I assume they weren’t ready for it to be such a breakout hit, but it feels like a complete story is told. Then, 2,3, and 4 all follow the same plot, with Wick being thrown back into the life on a grander scale, and the ramifications of all these decisions from the table, and the rules that get passed down.I don’t think this is so much a four film series, as it is a film that then launched a trilogy with a unifying theme.

In the fourth film, Wick is running out of time and safe havens. The film opens big by destroying his previous home, and leaving Ian McShane’s character mourning the loss of franchise regular Lance Reddick, whose character gets a send off in this franchise to match the actors real life passing, and use that as the emotional core to drive most of the plot. The rest is your typical group of random assassins.

There is a character introduced here called The Tracker, who I felt was oddly being set up for something, like a spinoff, even if I’m not familiar with the actor. The big win here is Donnie Yen, and I know my blind community is tired of seeing him play these blind characters with uncanny superhuman abilities, but that’s exactly what this is. Except, instead of trusting in the force, he uses devices to assist him. There’s a really interesting scene where he uses sensors that tell him where people are coming from, and i felt like at least they were making some kind of attempt at addressing that blind people are not inherently gifted with some super hearing echo system that lets us know where everything is. We don’t actually tap our canes to the ground and then see the whole room through sound.

Yen’s hitman also is given a sympathetic background, so you become conflicted with wanting to see his character die so that Wick can live. They’re in very similar situations, and the movie throws them on a collision course. Aside from the usual faces, like Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgard pops up as an annoying asshole born to die. He’s the one character you can’t wait to see get what is coming to him. Entitled beyond belief.

That’s really all I can say about the plot, as I think part of this journey is not knowing who lives or dies, or how the film ends. I was pretty satisfied with the ending, and i would love to see the characters that remain carry on in either their own films, the TV show, or the ballerina spinoff. I won’t tell you how, but this feels like Keanu saying goodbye to this series, and it’s unlikely he would ever come back.

The action sequences are so well described by the team I felt really immersed in this film. Normally action films are one of the genres that can fall apart for a blind audience if the audio description isn’t done well enough but Barton’s barrage of description in fast paced, “Gun-Fu” sequences is very vibrant. This movie is constantly switching gears in terms of combat style, and the body count is high. you feel all of it. There’s a stylistic ambience to these characters and their locations, and that’s not lost either. plus, there’s a dog here, so a non-verbal character that requires some level of attention.

I’ve given Chapters 2 and 3 the same grade, because they feel like they accomplish the same goal. I still prefer the first film, when it dared to make risks without knowing a sequel would be coming, and the trilogy makes a very different set of choices. The action is there, but it often overshadows character development. There is very little dialogue in this film, and Keanu rarely speaks. The film is so lopsided on action that the few scenes of quiet dialogue are almost annoying as they break up the momentum. When you balance so heavily in one direction, i suppose the theory is that the audience needs to catch a breath, but those moments can wait until the action set piece is complete, and not used as cut away moments.

Overall, there’s nothing to suggest here that you won’t like this if this franchise is your thing. It’s almost exactly like the previous films, just with the balance shifted into even more action with a longer runtime. But, it is the finale, and they want to make sure this thing goes out with a quite literal bang.

A big thank you to Deluxe, and Jedidiah Barton. I noted that the audio description was funded by Lionsgate, which makes it such a shame that they invest in audio description that never transports to Starz. Think about how many titles they could probably add immediately if they just chose accessibility.

Final Grade: B+