Each John Wick film has earned more money and recognition than its predecessor, defying the conventional wisdom about the box office's action movie landscape, normally dominated by superhero movies and science fiction epics.

As The Worlds of John Wick explores, the worldbuilding of John Wick offers thrills that you simply can't find anywhere else. The franchise's plot combines familiar elements of the revenge thriller and crime film with seamlessly coordinated action. One of its most distinctive appeals, however, is the detailed and multifaceted fictional world-or rather, worlds-it constructs. The contributors to this volume consider everything from fight sequences, action aesthetics, and stunts to grief, cinematic space and time, and gender performance to map these worlds and explore how their range and depth make John Wick a hit.

A deep dive into this popular neo-noir franchise, The Worlds of John Wick celebrates and complicates the cult phenomenon that is John Wick.

About the Author

Caitlin G. Watt's work, which focuses on gender and sexuality and narrative theories of character in medieval romances, has appeared in Neophilologus, Erasmus Studies, Medieval Feminist Forum, and Postmedieval. Her current project examines the development of the Arthurian storyworld in medieval manuscripts. Watt is Lecturer in the Department of English at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina.

Stephen Watt's most recent books include Bernard Shaw's Fiction, Material Psychology and Affect: Shaw, Freud, Simmel and "Something Dreadful and Grand": American Literature and the Irish-Jewish Unconscious. In addition, he coedited Ian Fleming and James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007. Most of his published writing treats one of three topics: Irish Studies; drama, film, and performance studies; or the contemporary university. Watt is Provost Professor Emeritus of English and former Associate Dean of the School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Reviews

"The Worlds of John Wick is a brilliant, wide-ranging, interdisciplinary, and theoretically savvy collection on one of the most compelling and successful phenomena of action cinema in recent years: the John Wick franchise. Using approaches ranging from the discussion of 'world-building' in the 'Wickverse,' to the films' striking use of games and play, and allusions to forms such as folklore and fairy tales, the contributors present a stellar case for (re-) engaging with these remarkable movies. The chapters offer groundbreaking readings referencing Frankfurt School 'Culture Industry,' gender performance and masculinity, and much more. Caitlin G. Watt and Stephen Watt are to be applauded for their bold, original, and exciting work."-Oliver Buckton, author of The World is Not Enough: A Biography of Ian Fleming, Florida Atlantic University

"Especially because the John Wick franchise is largely viewed by the critical establishment as well-made, but fundamentally inconsequential, this volume is important in revealing the layers of meaning and significance."-James Kendrick, author of A Companion to the Action Film

"This wide-ranging and thought-provoking collection of essays is essential reading. Its breadth and accessibility will appeal not only to fans of the John Wick franchise but also to anyone interested in film, gender studies, architecture, and popular culture as a whole."-David Schmid, Professor of English, University at Buffalo

"The Worlds of John Wick explores the (first) three John Wick films. In fifteen richly referential essays, Caitlin and Stephen Watt and their contributors discuss the balletic fight choreography, allusive storytelling, underlying philosophies, folkloric roots, and more. An illuminating academic examination of one of the very best - and most popular - contemporary action film franchises."-Chris Holmlund, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

"Through an inventive array of critical lenses, methodologies, and theoretical perspectives on gender, the body, and space and time, Watt and Watt's collection explicates the crucial importance of the John Wick franchise within contemporary action cinema, confirming its place alongside the enduring legacies of action cinema icons James Bond, Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, and John Rambo."-Ian Kinane, editor of the International Journal of James Bond Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9780253062413
Author Caitlin G. Watt
Format Paperback
Page Count 456
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press