John Wick: Chapter 4 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though it usually looked solid – and often excellent - some inconsistencies impacted the overall image.
In particular, some shots became oddly soft. Although the vast majority of the film displayed fine definition, more than a few strangely loose elements appeared as well.
Perhaps these resulted from the original cinematography, or perhaps the fact the disc packs in more than four hours of footage impacted some moments more than others. All I know is that the movie lacked consistent precision – and I don’t remember these distractions from my theatrical screening of Chapter 4.
No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws also didn’t become an issue.
Like the prior films, Chapter 4 opted for a highly stylized palette, on that favored a mix of strong golds/oranges/ambers as well as reds, blues, greens and pinks. These lit up the screen in the desired manner.
Blacks were usually fine, although they could seem a bit crushed, and shadows remained fairly clear and smooth. While this always remained a more than watchable image – and one that improved as it went – it nonetheless seemed erratic.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the movie’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack fared better. The audio fleshed out the material in a positive manner.
Unsurprisingly, the film’s many action scenes became the most impressive parts of the mix. These used the entire spectrum to place the viewer inside the violence and add solid involvement and punch.
Music displayed appealing breadth, and quieter scenes offered useful information as well. The soundfield worked well for the movie’s ambitions.
Audio quality satisfied as well, with speech that appeared natural and concise. Music showed good range and impact.
Effects became the most impressive aspect of the mix, as these elements appeared accurate and vivid. The audio worked well for the tale.
11 featurettes appear, and Through Wick and Thin goes for five minutes, 45 seconds. It involves producers Erica Lee and Basil Iwanyk, director Chad Stahelski, screenwriter Michael Finch, and actors Keanu Reeves, Shamier Anderson, Ian McShane, and Laurence Fishburne.
“Thin” examines the Reeves/Stahelski relationship and the evolution of the franchise. The program mixes fluff and facts.
Train Like a Killer runs five minutes, 55 seconds and brings info from Stahelski, Reeves, Fishburne, stunt coordinator Stephen Dunleavy, fight choreographer Jeremy Marinas, weapons master Robert Galotti, and stunt coordinator/2nd unit director Scott Rogers.
As implied by the title, the featurette looks at Reeves’ prep work for the role’s physical demands. It offers another combination of insights and happy talk.
Next comes Making a Killing, a six-minute, 25-second reel that features Stahelski, McShane, Reeves, Anderson, Lee, production designer Kevin Kavanaugh, executive producer Louise Rosner, special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer and actors Scott Adkins, Bill Skarsgård and Hiroyuki Sanada.
“Killing” covers sets, locations and production design. We get a generally positive view of the subject matter.
The Psychology of a Killer spans four minutes, 32 seconds. It produces info from Stahelski, Reeves, Sanada, Rosner, and Iwanyk.
Here we find some character notes. These tend to feel more like promotion than anything else.
With The Blind Leading the Fight, we get a nine-minute, 18-second piece. We locate remarks from Reeves, Iwanyk, Stahelski, Marinas, Sanada and actor Donnie Yen.
“Blind” covers the Caine character and Yen’s performance. We find some of the usual puffy material but also locate a nice array of insights.
Suit Up/Shoot Up occupies five minutes, 41 seconds and delivers statements from Iwanyk, Anderson, Rosner, Stahelski, Skarsgård, costume designer Paco Delgado, fight choreographer Koji Kawamoto and actors Rina Sawayama and Natalia Tena.
“Suit” looks at costumes. It delivers an appealing view of these choices.
After this, Packing a Punch lasts four minutes, 41 seconds. Here we get material from Dunlevy, Nefzer, Stahelski, Marinas, Reeves, Anderson, visual effects supervisor Jonathan Rothbart, and animal coordinator Andrew Simpson.
This piece discusses stunts and unusual elements used in the film. Expect a semi-superficial but still moderately informative reel.
One Killer Shot runs three minutes, nine seconds. It includes comments from Marinas, Reeves, Rogers, Dunlevy, Galotti, and France stunt coordinator/fight choreographer Laurent Demianoff.
“Shot” views the creation of an action scene in which we view the material from overhead. It becomes another fluffy but moderately useful piece.
We follow with Killing at the Speed of Traffic. This 10-minute, 10-second piece features Stahelski, Dunlevy, Rogers, Reeves, Lee, Rothbart, Marinas, and stunt driving double Tanner Foust.
In this one, we learn about driving sequences and more stunts/locations. We find the usual happy talk and fact combo.
A Shot in the Dark fills five minutes, 43 seconds with remarks from Stahelski, Rogers, Lee, Demianoff, Rosner, Yen, Marinas, Dunlevy, and actor Marko Zaror.
With “Dark”, we look at the movie’s climax. Yes, it also combines puffery and insights.
Finally, In Honor of the Dead runs five minutes, 23 seconds. It includes material from Reeves, Stahelski, Yen, Fishburne, Finch, Lee, Sanada, Adkins, and Marinas.
“Honor” tells us about cinematic inspirations and influences. A few good notes emerge.
In addition to two trailers for Chapter Four, we find a Sneak Peek at the upcoming spinoff series called The Continental. In this three-minute, 10-second clip, we see a sample of what we will find. It shows nothing but the usual Wick-style action, so don’t anticipate any hints at story and character domains.
Should one expect new twists from John Wick: Chapter 4? No – for better or for worse, it follows the same MO as its predecessors. The Blu-ray comes with generally positive picture, solid audio and a decent array of bonus materials. While I feel semi-curious to see where the franchise goes from here, Chapter 4 does little for me on its own.