John Wick is the grown-up Harry Potter and here’s why…
One’s a violent, ass-kicking trilogy about assassins, the other’s a sweet, magical sept/octology about wizards — surely they have nothing in common. Yeah, well, think again.
The majority of the filmgoing public assume that the similarity between John Wick and Harry Potter ends with the fact that they are exciting franchises fronted by protagonists with unexciting names. The truth, however, is darker than Voldermort’s heart and deeper and deadlier than a gutshot from one of John’s Benelli M2 Super 90s. The truth is…they’re the same films.
Separated at birth?
Let’s begin with the main character. John and Harry are both orphans with dull names, harsh upbringings, a magical/deadly set of skills and an affinity for animals.
Yet they have overcome these tragic beginnings to become legend — to the point where absolutely everyone else in the series knows who they are before they even introduce themselves. And they are often referred to by their full names unless they are with their friends.
In both cases, it’s a loyal animal that sets our heroes on their road to adventure, pain and enlightenment — in the magician’s case, an owl; for the assassin, it’s a dog.
Both are either unaware or unwilling to use their special powers until forced into action by a sinister force that is only revealed to us gradually (Voldemort/The High Table — more of them later).
As both series progress, the protagonists’ power grows as does the power of their nemeses. And by the third installment (acknowledged as the best in both franchises), they are absolutely set on one path — to destroy that which is trying to destroy them.
Muggles, murder and myopia
Both Harry and John live in magical worlds where they can fight, run into walls, catch magic trains and battle motorbike ninjas while riding horseback without any ‘normal’ ever batting an eyelid.
Occasionally, someone may get out of the way if Harry is driving a magic voodoo bus through Central London or John is having an elaborate knife fight with a handsome henchman on a train but otherwise the outside world is almost totally oblivious.
However, it’s not just the overall atmospheres that are the same — the details of their respective worlds are almost identical.
When the two are called back into action, they go to a magical building which houses only one type of person (assassins/magicians) — Hogwarts and the Continental respectively. There, they are taken under the wing of the head of said institution who is played by a British character actor with a fantastic voice (Richard Harris and Michael Gambon/ Ian MacShane).
They receive the tools of their trade (guns/ wands) from the hallowed establishment and pay their way with golden coins minted especially for their purposes by a secret bank (Gringots/ The treasurer).
Meanwhile, no matter where they go, there is always a magical location to help them along or provide them with more ‘firepower’— for Harry, it could be Gringots or Diagon Alley; for John, it’s the various Continentals around the world.
In addition, it’s worth noting the similarities between the highly-stylised staff in Gringots and in the call centre in John Wick. The call centre staff who seal John’s fate are covered in tattoos and piercings while the bankers at Gringots are all wizened dwarves — there’s not a “normal” among them.
Everyone’s the same
Both Harry and John are helped in their adventurers by a character with a six-letter name (Charon/Hagrid) who is played by a genius character actor known for a tough crime show (The Wire/Cracker). Both these characters also have an affinity for dogs. And when times get tough, our heroes are aided in their adventures by a scrappy eccentric family who is magically always there when they need them (The Weasleys and the Bowery King’s gang).
Meanwhile, John and Harry both get female partners who aren’t love interests but equals, again with a fondness for animals (Hermione/Sofia).
Enough about friends, what about enemies? John’s ultimate nemesis is the High Table, an initially shapeless, nameless entity that becomes more visible and more of a threat as we journey through his tale...does any of this sound familiar or do I have to name he who shall not be named? Like Voldemort (so, I named him), the High Table has acolytes everywhere all willing to kill John.
Meanwhile, if you’re wondering where Snape has got to, not to worry, Winston fulfils that role as we’re not quite sure whether he’s a patriarch or a antagonist working for his own ends. Guess we’ll have to wait until Chapter 4.
Just one more thing…
Not content with having the same characters, plots and action — take a look at the details. Both characters have top of the line iconic transport, John is obsessed with his Ford Mustang Mach 1 in the same way Harry is with his Nimbus 2000.
And in both series, you can find fantastic beasts doing…well, fantastic things. In the Potterverse, they fly, breath fire and deliver mail. In the Wickiverse, it’s Kung Fu, taking down assassins and wearing bulletproof vests.
And if that weren't enough, just a few sidenotes for you…
- Both films are packed with British character actors
- Both series feature strong female antagonists throughout
- Both characters lose loved ones early in the series
So, replace wands with guns, magicians with assassins and private schools with exclusive hotels and you’ve got two damn near interchangable franchises. So do you agree or are you pissed yet? Let me know.
