Film Review: Ballerina (From The World Of John Wick)
Vengeance Has A New Face
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film From The World Of Jon Wick: Ballerina. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
REVIEW
In a completely transparent strategy to offset their recent box office woes, Lionsgate has decided to go all-in on building out a John Wick cinematic universe. First out of the gate in the spinoff department is From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. Way-too-lengthy title aside, this is a film that focuses in on the ballerinas we briefly glimpsed in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, with Ana de Armas taking center stage. She's coming off a wave of praise (mine included) for her standout action work in the previous James Bond film, No Time to Die, and here she gets a full vehicle to showcase those skills.
Let’s talk about de Armas right up front. This isn’t her strongest work from a pure acting standpoint, there’s certainly stiffness to some emotional beats, but she once again proves she can absolutely handle the physicality of an action role. What works especially well is how the film doesn't pretend she’s physically overpowering her foes; it acknowledges the differences in stature and strength and instead lets Eve, her character, win with agility, speed, and precision. “Fight like a girl” isn’t treated as a girl boss meme here; it’s a tactic, and it works.
As far as the action goes, it's mostly what you'd expect from something branded with John Wick. There are a few moments that had me cringing in that “wow, that’s brutal” way, and I mean that as a compliment. Still, there’s no denying that Ballerina feels more restrained compared to the visceral poetry of the main Wick entries. The fight scenes are good, occasionally great, but lack the full weight and inventive choreography that made those earlier films instant classics. That said, a final-act flamethrower sequence delivers on the hype I’d heard coming out of early screenings.
Where the movie starts to wobble is in its plot, which is about as boilerplate as these things get. It’s yet another revenge tale, includes the child that has to be saved trope, and you can see the beats coming from a mile away. To its credit, the film at least tries to expand the universe with the introduction of a cult-like faction orbiting the assassin underworld, and those bits are intriguing enough to spark curiosity about where this world can go next. But then it turns around and tosses in some lazy franchise bait; namely, forcing John Wick himself into a couple of scenes that feel wedged in just to goose fan service. I love Keanu Reeves’ now- iconic character as much as anyone, but his brief presence here doesn’t add much and mostly feels like an awkward cameo for marketing purposes.
I missed my press screening for this one, and because I spent my weekend seeing Metallica live (worth it), I didn’t catch it until after opening weekend. Judging by the soft box office numbers, I’m not sure we’ll be seeing more of Eve anytime soon, but who knows? In spite of the obvious flaws and some pandering choices, I still found Ballerina to be a solid watch. It’s a step below the mainline Wick entries, but it carries enough of that world’s DNA to entertain its biggest fans.
I’m currently wavering between a B- and a B+, and maybe that says more about how conflicted I am than anything else. But for now, I’m settling on a just-barely B+. If you’re a die-hard John Wick fan, this should make for a perfectly fine night at the movies with your popcorn and soda in hand.
GRADING
