Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gritty action prequel has sex, drugs, and lots of violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Continental: From the World of John Wick
What's the Story?
THE CONTINENTAL: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK is a prequel to the John Wick movie series. Set in the 1970s, it stars Colin Woodell as a young Winston Scott working as a businessman in London. When his estranged brother, Frankie (Ben Robson) steals the coin press that makes the gold currency used by the High Table, The Continental hotel manager and brutal crime boss Cormac O'Connor (Mel Gibson) orders Winston to find his brother and bring the press back in order to placate his bosses. Looking for Frankie requires searching the criminal underground and asking for help from people like weapon smuggling martial artists Miles (Hubert Point-Du Jour) and Lou (Jessica Allain) to help find him. As things get more complicated, Winston looks to stage a hostile takeover of the hotel.
Is It Any Good?
Despite being a John Wick prequel, this gritty three-part series ventures outside of the films' storyworld. The Continental offers a well-styled 70s version of the Soho luxury high-rise, which, like all the hotels in the chain, serve as neutral zones for the criminal underworld. The younger versions of the original John Wick cast, such as Charon (Ayomide Aden), are interesting to watch. Meanwhile, the violent fight sequences are just as frequent and brutal. All of this activity is set in a changing post-Vietnam War world.
But this series doesn't share enough of the enjoyable pecularities of the original movies, and some of the plot lines don't connect back to them, either. As a result, it feels less like a prequel and more like a completely separate action series. Viewers unfamiliar with the films may enjoy it, but The Continental: From the World of John Wick will probably frustrate die-hard fans.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether a TV or movie prequel should only focus on stories or themes that are present in later installments. Or is it ok to be creative with some of the storytelling?
In The Continental: From the World of John Wick, what do Winston Scott's allies have in common? Are any of them his allies 40 years later?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 22, 2023
- Cast : Colin Woodell , Mel Gibson , Mishel Prada
- Network : Peacock
- Genre : Action
- TV rating :
- Last updated : March 15, 2024
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