” John Wick Chapter 4 ” officially bows at the time of its London premiere Monday evening, with the social media reactions embargo lifted during the premiere.

The fourth story is set following the conclusion of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” which saw Keanu Reeves’ famous assassin take a tumble from high above the Continental Hotel after being betrayed by his confidante Winston (Ian McShane). Of course, Wick lives. “Chapter 4” uncovers the infamous pariah traveling the globe in search of freedom from the control of the mysterious high-powered, ruthless High Table.

The critically acclaimed action series has received a lot of praise from its initial round of responses and has been praised for its impressive list of partners in the fight that comprises Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Marko Zazor, Scott Adkins and Rina Sawayama. Another topic of contention is the film’s runtime, which clocks in at a lengthy two hours and 49 minutes -38 minutes longer than the previous film’s.

Los Angeles Times critic Katie Walsh enjoyed the movie and praised its cinematic style as superior to other franchise blockbusters. However, she added about one element she didn’t like about it: “Because it’s dumb.”

Collider chief editor Steven Weintraub had nothing but praise for the film. He also indicated that Reeves is up to some mischief using a dragon’s breath shotgun.

CinemaBlend Critic Eric Eisenberg expressed some reservations about the film’s daunting runtime. But he states that it “earns it” through “smart pace” and strong elements of the set.

John Wick: Chapter 4 director and franchise creator Chad Stahelski explains why he plans to step back from the series before beginning work on the next installment. Stahelski began his career in Hollywood as a stuntman before joining forces with actor Keanu Reeves for 2014’s John Wick. Stahelski was co-directing the film alongside David Leitch, before solely in charge of the subsequent three sequels following John Wick was a surprise critical and financial success.

In an interview with /Film Stahelski speaks about the future of the action franchise in advance of John Wick: Chapter 4’s theatrical release. In the interview, he states that he believes it’s time to take a break from the franchise prior to continuing with Wick’s story. In the meantime director Stahelski has hinted that the possibility of not directing the next John Wick 5 film, telling the press, “I’m always saying, “This is the last time I’m doing this and this won’t happen again.’ And I’ll say that now this is my final one.” In terms of why he believes it’s necessary to take a break, Stahelski says:

While Stahelski is hoping to get away from John Wick’s tense journey through the criminal underground, the franchise is set to expand with the Ana de Armas-led spin-off, Ballerina. The story is set in the time between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum as well as John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina explores the story of de Armas’ Rooney, who embarks on her own quest for revenge against the murderers of her family. In the meantime, de Armas is taking over the role of Unity Phelan, Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and Anjelica Huston will all play the roles of earlier installments of the series.

After his work on John Wick: Chapter 4 and the other chapters of the franchise, Stahelski is set to apply his directing talents to new worlds that go beyond the gunplay high stakes Reeves the master assassin. The year 2021 is when Stahelski has been tapped to make a film adaptation for Ghosts of Tsushima which is the cult 2020 PlayStation video game where a samurai defends the isle of Tsushima during the first Mongol attack on Japan. The director is also expected to create a new version of the Highlander franchise in 2021, with Stahelski stated that he had a vision of his version of the battle between immortals being an entire trilogy of films.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is among 2023’s most highly anticipated releases. So, even though there is a possibility of disappointment with the possibility of a break between installments, it is obvious that the reasons given by Stahelski can be helpful for future films. In addition, with director’s future projects swapping weapons for swordplay The lessons Stahelski teaches with Ghosts of Tsushima and Highlander will allow for thrilling fight scenes in future films.