Do You Need to Watch John Wick 1-3 Before Watching John Wick 4?

Are you wondering if you need to watch John Wick 1-3 before watching John Wick 4? Keanu Reeves began his journey as John Wick almost a decade ago and has become everyone’s favorite boogeyman over three total installments. However, this means you have much content, world-building, and characters to experience if you haven’t seen any of the films yet. So, does that mean you must watch all three previous movies before watching John Wick 4?

What Should You Watch Before Seeing John Wick 4?

The John Wick film franchise is a continuous story carried over from each installment and is meant to be watched in order. John Wick 1 established John’s reputation, motivations, and skills. John Wick 2 builds upon the world into which John was pulled back (mainly the high-stakes world of assassination with the High Table and its key players). Finally, John Wick 3 delves into John being excommunicated after the events of John Wick 2 and sets up the events you will see in Chapter 4.

Related: John Wick 4 Age Rating & Parents Guide

This means you should watch John Wick 1-3 before seeing John Wick 4 to understand everything he has gone through entirely. This is because you wouldn’t understand why John Wick is taking the actions he is, the characters, and the fantastic world of the Continental and High Table built in the previous three films.

With that said, though. Understandably, watching three movies may not be reasonable for some folks, so at the very least, you should watch John Wick 3 to be familiar with the part of the story where John Wick 4 picks up from. John Wick 3 will delve deeper into John’s excommunication, the High Table, and several key characters appearing in Chapter 4. So while you may be a bit lost with starting on Chapter 3, you can still enjoy it and make sure you are ready to go.