Sisu Learned the Wrong Lesson From the John Wick Sequels

by

While John Wick is considered one of the most influential action movies of the last ten years and launched a highly imitated franchise, Sisu attempts a similar style but set during World War II. However, it misses a key point from the later John Wick films: increasing the scale of the action isn’t enough. The action needs to remain grounded and believable, even as it becomes more thrilling.

The John Wick movies consistently found creative ways to test John Wick as he battled enemies around the world. Each film built upon the action of the previous one, and Sisu: Road to Revenge attempted a similar approach. However, it wasn’t as successful, highlighting why John Wick remains the best in the genre.

Why the John Wick Franchise Continues to Succeed

As a huge cinema fan, I’ve always loved action movies, but sometimes they can be a bit too much. What I really appreciate is when filmmakers take that over-the-top, almost cartoonish style and bring it back down to earth. Instead of endless bullets and constant running and gunning, it’s so much more engaging to see a focus on realistic tactics – things like carefully reloading and moving with purpose. It just feels more believable and exciting when action feels grounded like that.

Keanu Reeves redefined the action hero, moving away from characters like Rambo in First Blood. While incredibly lethal, his John Wick wasn’t defined by brute strength. Instead, Wick’s power came from his legendary reputation and masterful skill with both weapons and hand-to-hand combat.

The first John Wick movie focused on a straightforward story of revenge and loss, introducing the character and hinting at a much larger world. Each subsequent film has built on this foundation, constantly finding creative and over-the-top ways to showcase Wick’s fighting skills – from using everyday objects as weapons to demolishing entire structures.

What I always loved about the John Wick movies, even as the action got more and more intense, was how real it still felt. Wick always took a beating just as much as he dished it out, and even in those crazy fights – like up an endless staircase or in a library – it never felt unbelievable. That’s where, for me, Sisu lost its way. It didn’t keep that same sense of grounded reality that made John Wick so special.

Sisu Took the Wrong Lesson From John Wick

While the first film was excellent, the sequel didn’t quite capture the same genuine feeling that made the John Wick series so compelling. The original movie was dark and realistic, perfectly showcasing John Wick’s unique storytelling in a harsh world. Fans hoped the sequel, Road to Revenge, would continue that trend, but it felt noticeably different.

Many long-running movie series start to lose touch with reality as they go on, like Fast and Furious. Sisu unfortunately fell into this pattern right away. It quickly went from being a WWII action film to something more akin to a Looney Tunes cartoon with over-the-top stunts involving rockets and tanks.

As a big action movie fan, I really think Sisu missed the mark. It seemed to only learn one thing from the John Wick films – that each sequel needs to be bigger and more over-the-top. John Wick managed to escalate things without ever feeling ridiculous, but Sisu‘s sequel, Road to Revenge, just went way too far. It was clear they wanted to deliver a more intense experience, but they completely lost touch with making the action feel believable or connected to anything real. It felt like they were just trying to one-up everything, and it didn’t work.

While John Wick benefits from a unique, fantastical world with its own established rules, Sisu feels different because it’s set in a more realistic environment. This makes it challenging for the movie to continually escalate the action; the more over-the-top it becomes, the less believable it feels.

I still think Sisu is a fantastic action movie, and honestly, it reminded me a lot of the first John Wick. But the sequel didn’t quite hit the same way. It seemed like the filmmakers tried to copy John Wick by just making things bigger and more over-the-top, but they forgot what made the original so good: keeping the action grounded and believable. That’s what really drew me into those films, and the second Sisu lost that feeling.

Read More

2026-04-03 06:36