The Continental

The weekend, the final episode of The Continental: From the World of John Wick, was released on Peacock. The Continental follows a young Winston Scott as he goes to war against Cormac, the current manager of the Continental Hotel. I was a bit skeptical of this show as I really didn't want to see the John Wick franchise turn into an expanded universe with prequels and spin-offs. However, I was still open to the show hoping it would recapture the charm of the John Wick films.

Overall, this film is about as good as a direct-to-streaming John Wick prequel without John Wick could get. It captures some of the unique action styles that we see in the films as well as continues to build out the world established in the films. I also enjoyed the 1970s aesthetic of the film. I think it brings a refreshing new setting to the franchise. The side characters in this film are a lot of fun with each having their own unique skill or ability. I also think the person playing a young Charon was perfectly cast as you can totally buy into him being a younger version of the character. One of the other unique things about this show was that it includes some characters that are not a part of this criminal underworld. Adding them into the story creates a unique viewpoint as we get to see how this world works from the eyes of an outsider. Finally, I liked the overall direction of the story with Winston planning an all-out assault on The Continental. I thought it made for a very compelling story with no dull moments.

While this show does have some charm, a few things are holding it back. The first issue I had was that the episodes were just way too long. Each episode clocks in at about 90 minutes. Add about 20 more minutes and you've got the length of the first John Wick movies. I think anything over an hour was just too long for a TV show. I think they either needed to split it up into 5-6 hour-long episodes instead of 3 longer ones. I also thought that there were a few subplots that were a bit unnecessary. Both the detective subplot and the rival gang subplot felt a bit disconnected and didn't really add anything. I think they could have been removed and had more time spent with Charon or Winston. Finally, I felt that the person playing Winston was not a good casting choice. I couldn't buy him as a younger Winston and he reminded me more of a younger John Wick.

Overall, while this show does have some charm, a few issues keep it from capturing the magic of the films. While it did keep me entertained, the show itself felt completely unnecessary.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

Recommendation: Check it out if you have Peacock but no need to buy it just for this show.