10 Reasons The Continental’s Reviews Are So Much Worse Than John Wick’s Movies

The John Wick universe has expanded with the TV show The Continental, but the series’ reviews are a franchise low, and there are several reasons why. The Continental is much different from the movies, as the show is set in the 1970s and follows Winston as he becomes the manager of the New York Continental Hotel. The series also interpolates real-life events, such as the Winter of Discontent in the UK and the Mafia rising to power in New York. As the John Wick movies are so stylish and feature dazzling cinematography, The Continental seemed likely to continue that kind of tone, too.

However, while those concepts have potential, The Continental breaks a John Wick Rotten Tomatoes streak. Every single John Wick movie is rated “fresh” on the review aggregate website, and they have extremely high scores, with each consecutive release receiving a higher rating than the last. Unfortunately, The Continental doesn’t continue that trend, and the show has a “rotten” 53%. The Continental is the first in a long line of planned John Wick spinoffs, but expanding the assassin’s universe hasn’t gotten off to the best start, and it could be a sign of things to come. There are a few reasons critics are disappointed with The Continental.

10 The Continental Doesn’t Have Keanu Reeves’ John Wick

The obvious reason The Continental isn’t as highly rated as the movie series is because Keanu Reeves doesn’t return as John Wick. Nick Allen noted (via Roger Ebert), “Check your expectations at the door: this Peacock three-part prequel event series doesn’t have Keanu Reeves or the same all-around genre ambition as the movie franchise that inspired it.” Given the show’s ’70s setting, John Wick can only appear in The Continental if there’s a major flash-forward. Still, even if it wouldn’t make any sense for the Baba Yaga to appear, his absence is felt in The Continental.

9 The Continental’s Action Is Underwhelming For John Wick’s Franchise

There’s no doubt that the John Wick movies’ action sets an unfairly high bar not just for the TV series but for all action films. Very few movies come close to the franchise’s action sequences or its influential gun-fu. John Wick: Chapter 4 alone features epic top-down dragon-breath sequences, the ridiculously funny 222 steps, and the jaw-dropping Champs-Élysées scene. Unfortunately, by comparison, The Continental doesn’t come close to achieving the same level of action. Tom Jorgensen explained (via IGN Movies), “The Continental evokes the feel of the John Wick films, but a scattershot story, forgettable characters, and inconsistent action hold it back at every turn.“

8 The Continental Lacks John Wick’s Worldbuilding

One reason why the John Wick movies got better and better with each consecutive release was because of the way the world was gradually built. The movies do a great job of giving audiences enough information about the world and the way it works while still leaving mysteries. The show’s whole purpose is to build the world, as The Continental is set before the John Wick timeline and delves into the history of the expansive universe. However, it doesn’t actually explore much at all. Andrew Murray (via The Upcoming) wrote, “The lack of style and world-building causes The Continental to fall short of the mark set by John Wick.”

7 The Continental Isn’t As Visually Striking & Stylish As John Wick

What separates the John Wick series from every other action movie — besides the incredible action sequences — is just how visually striking the films are. Director Chad Stahelski put so much effort into making each John Wick movie look unique with dazzling cinematography, stylish locations, and even rich and detailed costume designs. The Continental should have easily continued all of these achievements given its ’70s setting, but the series failed. Rohan Nahaar criticized (via The Indian Express), “It takes a positively cavalier approach to honoring the source movies via actual plot or visual style.”

6 The Continental’s Characters Are Less Compelling Than The Movies

Most critics have commented on how hollow and underdeveloped a lot of The Continental‘s characters seem. Nick Schager (via The Daily Beast) said, “A three-part prequel that gives franchise fans everything they want save for a charismatic marquee lead, interesting and exciting bloodshed, or characters and lore worth paying attention to for an extended period of time.” The Continental cast features Colin Woodell as Winston, and while the character is fascinating and enigmatic in the John Wick movies, he’s been chiseled down to his clichéd gentlemanly nature in the series. The supporting characters around Winston aren’t as interesting or as layered either.

5 The Continental Doesn’t Have The John Wick Movies’ Charm

While 53% on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t totally negative and is more of a mixed reception (more than half of critics still like The Continental), Ross McIndoe gave the show a scathing review (via Slant Magazine). The critic wrote, “The series is the equivalent of a budget hotel: cheap, charmless, and generic.” Between the characters and their interactions, the John Wick movies ooze charm, even when those characters want to murder each other. Unfortunately, the TV series prequel is totally lacking charm, and reviews like this make The Continental season 2 much less likely. They also raise questions about whether other spinoffs and sequels will fare any better.

Roxana Hadadi had negative things to say about The Continental’s social commentary (via Vulture). Hadadi noted that The Continental “erodes itself by committing to actual historical events, to questions of sexism and racism, and to thin commentary on the gap between NYC’s wealthy and poor, all of which are rigidly mundane compared with the franchise’s established eccentricity.” The John Wick movies avoided any kind of social commentary, and that might have been for the best. While sexism and racism were major problems in the ’70s and are still prevalent today, there’s no point in The Continental raising the issue if it’s only going to be quickly ignored.

3 The Continental’s Dialogue Isn’t As Sharp As The John Wick Movies

Diego Batlle took issue with the dialogue in The Continental (via Otros Cines), commenting that the writers “aren’t too interested in justifying their decisions or transcending basic and even clumsy dialogue.” The John Wick movies aren’t exactly known for their impeccable dialogue, and a huge percentage of John’s lines are made up of the word “yeah.” John Wick only said 384 words in John Wick: Chapter 4, which is an average of 2.2 words per minute. However, everything Wick (and every other character) says still has meaning and gravitas. Sadly, the same can’t be said for The Continental, which doesn’t appear to give nearly as much thought to its dialogue.

2 The Continental Relies Too Much On Cliched Prequel Tropes

It’s hard for prequels to avoid falling into the trap of clichéd tropes. Those tropes include telling origin stories about random objects, such as the dice in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and trying to make audiences believe that new characters will survive. The Continental uses every prequel trope. Fred Topel explained (via UPI), “No one was wondering how the High Table presses the coins or how Winston got promoted to manager. The Continental fails to make a case for why either of those backstories are interesting.” The coin pressing is also a perfect example of building the world in the wrong way.

1 The Continental’s 1970s Soundtrack Can’t Beat John Wick’s Modern Music

The Continental’s 1970s soundtrack is great, but it still doesn’t compare to the throbbing beats of EDM in a club as John Wick knocks heads off rails. Even John Wick: Chapter 4 uses older music more creatively than The Continental, such as when “Nowhere to Run” plays before the epic manhunt in France. Brian Truitt alluded to the fact that The Continental might be overcompensating for its flaws with the show’s soundtrack (via USA Today). Truitt commented, “If you love the hits of the ’70s, get ready for all your favorite needle drops. But as an essential addition to the Wick canon, The Continental is more of a misfire.”

Source: Roger Ebert, IGN Movies, The Upcoming, The Indian Express, The Daily Beast, Slant Magazine, Vulture, Otros Cines, UPI, USA Today