I Can’t Believe The Best John Wick Movie Has The Franchise’s Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Score

All the John Wick movies have very high scores on Rotten Tomatoes, but I'm shocked by which film in the series is the lowest-rated. When the first John Wick movie was released in 2014, I don't think anybody would have been able to predict how big of a franchise it would become. The first John Wick film is a relatively straightforward action movie about a retired assassin seeking revenge for the death of his dog, but the sequels significantly expand the world and introduce several interesting characters.

Following the titular assassin throughout four John Wick movies was an action-packed ride, leading to the supposed death of Keanu Reeves' character at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4. Even though he seemingly died, Reeves will reprise his role this year in the upcoming Ballerina, which is a spinoff film set between the third and fourth movies in the series. Therefore, ahead of its release, now is the perfect time to reflect on the franchise. When looking at the Rotten Tomatoes scores for the movies, I was so surprised by what John Wick film is the lowest-rated.

John Wick (2014) Is The Franchise’s Lowest-Rated Movie On Rotten Tomatoes

The First John Wick Movie Still Has Great Reviews

Even though the first John Wick movie has a great score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is the lowest-rated entry on the review aggregator website (via Rotten Tomatoes). In comparison, the second and third movies both have 89%, and John Wick: Chapter 4 has an impressive 94%. This is very surprising, especially when looking at other popular movie series. Usually, the first movie is one of the highest-rated entries in a series, since it tends to be much harder to appease fans with sequels.

John Wick Movies	Worldwide Box Office	RT Critics Score	RT Audience Score
John Wick (2014)	$86,013,056	86%	81%
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)	$174,348,632	89%	85%
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)	$328,349,908	89%	86%
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)	$440,180,275	94%	93%

Even though the first John Wick movie is the lowest-rated entry in the series, it is generally loved by fans of the franchise. Therefore, its lower rating should not be viewed in a negative light, but rather as a testament to how well the John Wick sequels appeased fans of the first film. By expanding the world, the John Wick sequels successfully made the franchise more immersive. However, just because it tells a more straightforward, simpler story doesn't mean that the first John Wick movie is bad by any means.

Why The Original John Wick Might Actually Be The Franchise’s Best Movie

The First John Wick Is An Amazing Revenge Movie

The first John Wick movie may actually be the best film of the entire franchise, despite its lower rating on Rotten Tomatoes. John Wick: Chapter 4 is undeniably a more epic, ambitious film than the first entry in the series, which is why it easily overshadows it. However, the first John Wick movie successfully tells a simple revenge story with just enough lore to make audiences feel invested in the world. The lore included in the first film also doesn't come across as too cartoonish, which the sequels often do.

Keanu Reeves in a poster for John Wick: Chapter 2

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Furthermore, even though the action scenes in the first John Wick movie are not as elaborate and ambitious as the ones included in later entries, they are just as effective. I will admit, none of the action scenes in the first movie are as memorable as the Paris staircase fight or the Hotline Miami-inspired action sequence in John Wick: Chapter 4, but it still contains fantastic action. In particular, the sequence during which John Wick fights multiple goons at Red Circle nightclub is incredible, and was an early glimpse at the exceptional creative minds behind the franchise.

I Understand Why The John Wick Sequels Have Higher Scores Than The First Movie

The John Wick Sequels Raised The Bar For Action Movies

Even though I think the first John Wick movie may be the best film in the franchise, it is easy to understand why all the sequels have higher ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski and his team successfully created three John Wick sequels that were bigger and bolder than the original movie without ever dropping in quality. It is way too common for sequels to be far worse than the original, but Stahelski made three movies that expanded the franchise in fun and refreshing ways.

It is not surprising that more excitement going into the movies led to higher ratings for the second, third, and fourth John Wick movies.

Additionally, since John Wick was a brand-new franchise in 2014, there was not as much hype for the film. In contrast, fans of the first film eagerly awaited the three sequels. It is not surprising that more excitement going into the films led to higher ratings for the second, third, and fourth John Wick movies, even though they may not actually be better than the first film. Therefore, even though it is the lowest-rated entry, I think all fans of the franchise should give the first John Wick movie another watch just to see how good it actually is.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes