JOHN WICK CHAPTERS 1-3 STASH BOOK COLLECTION: Sometimes Appearance is Everything

JOHN WICK CHAPTERS 1-3 Stash Book Collection (4K UHD SteelBook)

2014-2019 / 355 min (3 movies)

FROM LIONSGATE

Review by Tiger the Terrible😸

While you can’t always judge a book by its cover, sometimes you gotta grab it because of its cover, even if you have already read it before.

For example, it’s hard to imagine any hardcore action fan who doesn’t already own all three John Wick movies (and a fourth on the way, of course). If not one of the greatest action franchises of all time, it’s easily one of the most consistent. And because these aren’t so-much individual films as installments in an ongoing saga, sitting down to take in one essentially means doing them all. And who hasn’t done that…multiple times? This series is nothing if not supremely rewatchable.

Not only that, all three films have been released - individually or bundled together - on Blu-ray and 4K UHD before…more than once, actually. Both formats featured excellent video and audio quality, as well as a generous amount of bonus features for each film. The packaging on most of them has generally been pretty cool, too. From a technical and content aspect, this “Stash Book” Collection offers nothing new.

But sometimes appearance is everything, especially for dedicated physical media collectors. If you’re like me, you tend to collect movies much like voracious readers hoard books. For most novels, the paperback will do, but it’s nice to have hardcover editions of those ‘special’ books - classics, favorite authors, etc. - proudly displayed on a bookshelf, not just as part of their living room feng shui, but because, in a way, they sort-of define you. And speaking of books…

Dressed for Excess.

Obviously released to coincide with the long-delayed, highly-anticipated John Wick Chapter 4 (and I can’t wait), the Stash Book Collection is one of the more creatively packaged boxed sets I’ve seen in a long time. Like the titular character's own “Russian folk tales” stash book from Chapter 3, the box itself is designed like a rare hardcover. It opens up to several pages of Russian text (which one must assume is the story of Baba Yaga). 

Beneath those pages are three individually numbered & colored SteelBooks containing 4K & Blu-ray versions, each featuring new artwork contextually related to the film inside. Capping it off are a couple of photo cards, one of Wick and his late wife, the other of Wick and his murdered puppy, Daisy (whose death we still haven’t gotten over).

Available as a Best Buy exclusive, the John Wick Chapters 1-3 StashBook Collection is a beautifully packaged (and sturdy) boxed set. There’s nothing new in terms of content, but the design and artwork certainly reflect the mythic world of its titular character, making it a must own for those who sometimes do appreciate a book for its cover.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

2 PHOTO CARDS

John Wick

FEATURETTES - “Don’t F*#% with John Wick”; “Calling in the Cavalry”; “Destiny of a Collective”; “Assassin’s Code”; “Red Circle”; “NYC Noir”

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Chad Stahelski and producer David Leitch.

TRAILER

John Wick Chapter 2

FEATURETTES - “RetroWick: Exploring the Unexpected Succuss of John Wick”; “Training John Wick”; “WICK-vizzed”; “Friends,Confidantes: The Keanu/Chad Partnership”; “As Above, So Below: The Underworld of John Wick”; “Car Fu Ride-Along”; “Chamber Check: Evolution of a FightScene”; “Wick’s Toobox”

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves..

KILL COUNT - Montage of every death scene.

“DOG WICK” - Trailer parody.

DELETED SCENES

TRAILER

John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum

FEATURETTES - “Parabellum: Legacy of the High Table”; “Excommunicado”; “Check Your Sights”; “Saddle Up Wick”; “Bikes, Blades,Bridges and Bits”; “Continental in the Desert”; “Dog Fu”; “House of Transparency”; “Shot by Shot”

2 TRAILERS

JOHN WICK HEX GAME TRAILER

BEHIND THE SCENES OF JOHN WICK HEX - All about the video game.