Saw John Wick 3. It's amazing to me how much I enjoy this series of movies b/c I normally zone right out in 'action movies' and even during most action scenes in movies that I otherwise like. And I fully acknowledge how one might view the violence to be problematic, but nevertheless I had an absolute blast.
I was thinking of all the similarities between the low-budget, cult-favorite John Wick and the big budget, Oscar-nominated Mad Max Fury Road, and there are several: 1) slightly heightened alternate-reality settings (neo noir vs post apocalyptic); 2) surly, monosyllabic leads with little dialogue and minimal backstory; 3) super-stylish action sequences that involve practical stunts rather than cgi; 4) bare minimum plot set-up followed by nearly non-stop action scenes.
So why do I love the John Wick movies and get a massive adrenaline rush from them, but find MMFR almost unwatchably boring (Hardy and Theron's performances excepted) and get zero adrenaline rush?
I figure it must come down to 5 elements: 1) I love noir in all forms; 2) the John Wick series is much funnier; 3) the action is mostly pretty realistic hand-to-hand or close-quarters fighting (with e.g., non flashy grappling martial arts/correct number of shots before reloads, etc.), rather than stuff involving vehicles and machines (I tend to hate most action scenes involving cars or giant robots/robot suits); 4) Keanu Reeve's particular skills...he's not a good actor, but he is a physically gifted, well-trained guy doing his own stunts and gunplay/handling; and 5) John Wick's world-building just seems more interesting and fun in terms of lots of potential side stories, even in the limited way it was handled in the first movie.
Incidentally, I also enjoyed the recent Atomic Blonde, and I suspect it's because it was directed by one of the same directors that co-directed the JW series.
Side note: My husband's research lab has a tradition of awarding weapons (chosen by the fellow students) to grad students when they successfully defend their theses/dissertations. Last week, they awarded one graduating PhD with a Japanese short sword to go with her katana from her Master's degree, and the first thing I thought of is how we could have a John Wick scene where he ends up in the research lab, and has every possible kind of weapon at his disposal LOL (including those deadly fan-things, and a bullwhip). I don't write fanfic, but I'm a little bit tempted...