After 10 years and three additional movies, one moment from the originalJohn Wickstill hasn’t been beaten. Since the first movie released, theJohn Wickfranchise has become an absolute juggernaut action series.All theJohn Wickfilmsgrossed over a billion dollars combined, and Keanu Reeves is arguably the biggest star in the entire action genre today. Even thoughJohn Wickgrew well beyond the bounds of what the original movie set up, the franchise still hasn’t managed to produce anything better than one perfect moment from its first outing.
TheJohn Wickfranchise has improved in almost every way possible since the original film came out in 2014. By theending ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4, the action scenes got bigger and more intense,John Wick’s kill countnearly doubled, and theworld ofJohn Wickexpanded into a massive network of underground assassins and secret societies. There are even severalupcomingJohn Wickspinoffsin the works that should continue to bring the franchise to new heights. For all the improvements it has made, however, it still can’t beat this one moment.
John Wick’s “Baba Yaga” Scene Is Still The Franchise’s Best Moment 10 Years Later
The Original John Wick’s Baba Yaga Scene Was The Start Of John’s Legend
Even after10 years ofJohn Wick, the original movie’s Baba Yaga scene is still the franchise’s best moment.Viggo Tarasov’s (Michael Nyqvist) attempt to impress upon his son the gravity of the situation he’s just stepped into is where the legend of John Wick truly began. As Viggo fearfully explains why John is called the Baba Yaga and John takes a sledgehammer to his basement floor, it’s clear thatJohn Wickis something special. None of the action scenes that followed could possibly convey just how scary John was to his enemies as effectively as the Baba Yaga scene did.
None of the action scenes that followed could possibly convey just how scary John was to his enemies as effectively as the Baba Yaga scene did.
John Wick’s Baba Yaga scene is so perfect that it has become the foundation of the entire franchise. That moment established John’s most notorious nickname throughout the rest of the films, it created his backstory with the Ruska Roma, and there’s even anupcomingJohn Wickanimededicated to depicting the “impossible task” Viggo sent John on.John Wick: Chapter 2even focused an entire fight scene on Viggo’s offhanded comment that he had seen John kill three men with a pencil.Every otherJohn Wickmovie has essentially been dedicated to showing that Viggo was right to consider John an unstoppable force of nature.
John Wick (2014) Has Aged Incredibly Well Even After Three Great Sequels
The Original John Wick Still Holds Up Even As The Franchise’s Action & Budget Increased
The Baba Yaga scene isn’t the only part of the originalJohn Wickthat has aged gracefully. Really, the entire film is still as good today as it was in 2014. Some fans even consider it the bestJohn Wickmovie in the franchise, and it’s plain to see why.The originalJohn Wickis punchy, gritty, and grounded in a way the soaring action scenes and sprawling assassin’s underworld prevented the later movies from achieving. As a standalone film, the originalJohn Wickis still great, and it’s clearly reminiscent of classics likeThe Bourne Identity.
Where To Watch John Wick
Where can you watch the first John Wick (and all the sequels) right now? Check out where to stream all four movies, including the 2023 film.
The firstJohn Wickmastered its action and fight scenes, but it also presented such a thematically rich and emotionally moving story to go along with it.In just over 100 minutes,John Wickintroduced audiences to John and his grief over his wife’s death, gave them a reason to root for him, and resolved his trauma. While the following movies definitely expanded the world outside of John himself, andJohn Wick 4had a perfect ending to his character arc, none of them could develop John as perfectly as the originalJohn Wickdid.
John Wick
Cast
John Wick is a 2014 action thriller featuring Keanu Reeves as a retired hitman. The film follows John Wick as he emerges from retirement to avenge the loss inflicted by a group of gangsters, setting the stage for a relentless pursuit and exploration of a shadowy underworld.
