The Baba Yaga may be unstoppable, but it seems not all assassins in the world of the Hight Table are created equal. The Continental just broke John Wick’s impressive streak on the rating site Rotten Tomatoes by becoming the franchise’s lowest rated entry ahead of its debut.
Rotten Tomatoes recently revealed the critics’ score for The Continental and it doesn’t look good for the upcoming TV show. The three-part John Wick prequel on Peacock debuted with a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 44 reviews. It is the lowest-ever score from the Keanu Reeves-led franchise – who notably isn’t part of the spin-off.
In comparison, the first John Wick movie received a score of 86% while the second and third sequels had a rating of 89%. The fourth, and most recent film in the series, earned an impressive 94% which is the current franchise record.
Critics had issues with the show’s story, lack of visual style, pacing, and action sequences. According to one review, the upcoming series is tied to the John Wick universe only by name. It is safe to say that most reviewers took into account the high standards set by the four movies and The Continental doesn’t live up to the expectations.
Variety’s Alison Herman said that The Continental, despite its name, “offers little new information as to the hotel’s origins or operations.” Herman adds, “The ‘John Wick’ prequel frustrates, underwhelms and disappoints” and it “isn’t worth a stay.”
ComicBook.com’s Charlie Ridgely did give props to the performance of the cast. Ridgely wrote, “The majority of the cast does great work with what they’re given. Both Woodell and Adegun do a great job of breathing new life into the characters that McShane and the late, great Lance Reddick built from scratch back in 2014. Allain and Point-Du Jour are the clear-cut standouts of the series.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han said that the three-part prequel was a decent start to the John Wick cinematic universe, apart from the casting of Mel Gibson as its top-billed star. According to Han, “His presence lends a sour note that many viewers will find outright intolerable — which defeats the purpose of casting such a recognizable face to begin with.”
The low review scores for The Continental aren’t surprising given how high Reeves and director Chad Stahelski set the bar. Many of the reviews note that the action sequences don’t quite live up to John Wick’s standards. The pacing is reportedly not as frenetic as the movies with its seemingly endless parade of bad guys chasing Mr. Wick.
It remains to be seen how the general audiences will receive The Continental. The critics’ score does cast a dark cloud over the series and the franchise’s future. Hopefully, Ballerina will perform better once it comes out next year.
The Continental will be available for streaming on Peacock on September 22, 2023.
