Ballerina

I’m not saying the John Wick franchise necessarily needs a bunch of spinoffs, but if they’re anything like this one, I wouldn’t be mad about it.

Taking place between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), an assassin hailing from the Ruska Roma crime syndicate, as she hunts down the mysterious group responsible for the murder of her father. Charting Eve’s journey from fresh recruit to seasoned bodyguard and killer, Eve eventually comes into contact with a member of the Cult, kick-starting a journey that could unravel the bedrock of a long-standing truce between the Cult and the Ruska Roma. Featuring cameos from previous John Wick alums, like Winston Scott (Ian McShane) and Charon (the late and great Lance Reddick), along with some new faces in assassin Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) and the leader of the Cult, The Chancellor (Rose Byrne), Ballerina doesn’t pull its punches — especially when Eve is throwing them — giving fans a worthy entry in the ever-expanding world of John Wick.

Most come to these movies to see one thing and one thing only: people shooting and punching each other in wild ways that utilize real stunt work and inventive scene design to make us cringe, cheer, and laugh at the sheer lunacy of what’s happening onscreen. Luckily for fans, I’m happy to report that Ballerina successfully continues John Wick’s action-packed legacy, with this one doing just enough otherwise to stand on its own.

Solidifying Ana de Armas as an action star that can stand toe-to-toe with Keanu Reeves’ specific brand of John Wick violence, Ballerina doesn’t skimp on the franchise’s brutal choreography and explosive set pieces, and manages to bring some unique flavor to the Wickverse all its own. From a particularly cool fight inside an ice palace to a fiery bout involving a flamethrower and a fire hose and more than a few exciting moments in between, Ballerina proves that this franchise still has a lot to offer, even if some of the film’s beats may feel familiar to fans of the series.

Although I enjoyed most of this movie as is — who doesn’t want more John Wick goodness in their life? — Ballerina’s story, as well as the general flow of the film, is kind of a mess. Undergoing multiple reshoots and creative shifts from its initial production start in 2022, Ballerina suffers from too many cooks in the kitchen while also giving off the distinct feeling that this movie is still incomplete. From some jarring edits to a couple of underutilized characters (why even cast Norman Reedus if he’ll only be onscreen for like two scenes??) to a progression of the plot that doesn’t always make sense, Ballerina may excel when it comes to its action scenes, but that’s unfortunately not always the case with its overarching narrative.

And now for some spoilers because I can’t complain about what comes next without them!!!

Ok, so did John Wick need to be anywhere near this movie? Not really. Did it bother me in the slightest to see Keanu back in action, kicking some ass? Nope. But if these kinds of extensions of the Wickverse can’t survive on their own without Keanu making his presence known, what’s the point? Still, I can’t deny the fun I had while watching Ballerina, and while I won’t defend the patchwork of a movie it sometimes feels like, we could do a lot worse than this one, looking at you, The Continental.

For as odd as some story and character decisions were at times, I can’t really hate Ballerina for being anything more than what it is: a fun tangential tale in the John Wick universe that gives Ana De Armas a chance to shine as the badass action hero she’s entirely capable of being. Sure, the main entries in the franchise may be better, and no one can hold a candle to the one and only John Wick, but that shouldn’t stop Ballerina from getting some sort of follow-up in the future. Unfortunately, I don’t think it performed well enough at the box office to warrant another entry, so for now, Ballerina is a one-off that, despite its flaws, I would highly recommend.