After avenging his beloved dog, ex-hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is pulled back out of retirement to fulfill an oath he made to an old colleague years before. However, what starts out as a simple hit turns into something much more…complicated.

Obviously a great action movie can go the Taken route and have a horrible sequel, but everything I’ve seen from John Wick: Chapter Two led me to believe it wouldn’t fall victim to that curse. I’m very pleased to say it didn’t. While the film might not have the novelty factor of the original, it’s still a terrific action movie that lives up to what came before.

When I heard Chad Stahelski say the sequel would have twice as much action, I was sure he was just trying to sell the movie. Turns out he was more right than I thought.

Stahelski and co. spared no expense at making this an action junkie’s wet dream, with a bigger scale and more creative combat. It’s also nice to see people who can actually go toe-to-toe with John Wick like Common’s Cassian in the mix.

Keanu Reeves may not be the most brilliant thespian, but he works well in certain roles. John Wick as a character, plays perfectly to Reeves’ strengths, letting him show off his natural talent for action and his quiet charisma.

While there isn’t much room to breathe here, the film’s more low-key scenes also do a nice job showing how damaged Wick is, a man who got out of crime only to have his world crumble to dust.

One of the highlights of the first John Wick was the Continental, a hotel where assassins can cash in their chips, have a drink and relax.

Chapter Two takes that concept further, expanding it into a whole criminal underworld, acting almost independently of the civilian world, with its own money, businesses and a surprisingly large population. It makes the film much more rich and is great material for more sequels or even an expanded universe.

Most of the cast (Reeves, Ian McShane, Common, Lance Reddick, etc.) do a quality job, with one exception; Ruby Rose.

Rose tries so hard to play that hardcore badass who never says a word, but could kill you in an instant that it makes the character completely unbelievable (yes, I know the movie’s not “realistic,” but she feels out of place even here).

Similar to The Lego Batman Movie, the movie is so fast-paced and has so little breathing room that I can definitely understand non-action fans getting overwhelmed.

John Wick: Chapter Two takes all of its predecessor’s strengths and puts them into overdrive, making for another great action-packed experience. It’s not for everyone, but fans of the genre are sure to love it and be left begging for more.

Score: A-