The release of Peacock’s highly-anticipated series, The Continental: From The World of John Wick, is right around the corner!
This series, set in 1970s New York City, delves into the origins of Winston Scott, who eventually becomes the owner of the iconic Continental Hotel, a pivotal location in all four John Wick films released thus far.
However, initial reviews of the series have surfaced, and it appears that critics are less than pleased with this prequel miniseries.
Tom Jorgensen of IGN expressed disappointment in The Continental for not living up to its potential within the John Wick universe.
He criticized the series for making mistakes in storytelling and execution: “To be very clear, a Continental-focused series never needed John Wick, but it did need to fill the vacuum the character’s absence leaves. The Continental has all the right pieces to the puzzle of telling a story set under the High Table, but compounding miscalculations about how best to put them together leaves the three-episode series feeling inconsequential.”
Critic Sam Basanti of AV Club also wasn’t impressed by the miniseries. He shared thatThe Continental, while not terrible, doesn’t add significant value to the John Wick franchise. It’s seen as a side project that won’t significantly impact the franchise’s core storyline or reputation and is somewhat comparable to other similar projects in the streaming industry.
“One of the miracles of this franchise,” Basanti writes “is that nobody has come along to disrupt that careful balance with endless tie-ins and spinoffs and ‘expanded universe’ stories. Until now!”
Similarly, Nick Allen of Roger Elberts gave the series a 2-star review. He revealed that The Continental doesn’t live up to the standards set by the John Wick films. As per him, the series lacks the key elements that made the movies popular, including the coolness of the main character, innovative action sequences, and a compelling narrative.
He noted: “The John Wick movies were all about fighting to the top; The Continental is just trying, without the sharp aim of its predecessor, to survive the night.”
The debut episode of The Continental: From the World of John Wick releases on Friday, September 22.
