‘Ballerina’: An Imperfect but Satisfying ‘John Wick’ Spin-off

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina has faced considerable confusion in recent weeks, primarily due to a puzzling embargo that instructed influencers to share only positive reactions. The embargo leak went viral, sparking concern regarding the film’s quality. The resulting controversy and fears were difficult to ignore, especially since the spin-off television show The Continental also received a lukewarm reception. Why implement an embargo that limits negativity? And why set the review embargo for a Wednesday night before release? Is it truly that bad?

Here’s the extra confusing twist: It’s a good movie. And not solely because of adjusted expectations. Ballerina is genuinely a solid action film with surprising creativity in its spectacle. It’s not the best John Wick movie in the franchise, but there’s enough here for Ana de Armas to earn street credibility.

What is From the World of John Wick: Ballerina about?

The film centers on Eve, a young girl who grows up within the Ruska Roma assassin organization after witnessing the murder of her father by a member of one of The High Table families known as The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). The film emphasizes the ballerina aspects overtly.

During our first introduction to Eve, she plays with a ballerina figure inside a glass music box that performs a haunting jingle when wound up. After her father’s death, Eve meets familiar faces of The Continental, such as Winston (Ian McShane), who honors Eve with a gold coin as a gesture to say, “Use it whenever you need me.”

Eve then grows up to be a relentless ballerina under the care of The Director (Anjelica Huston), and she ruthlessly strives to hold the En Pointe position to a painful extreme. Her determination shines through in the training program, where the Director has Eve learn combat under the guidance of Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster). The writing shines during these moments of Eve learning how to kill her opponents. Nogi uses the phrase, “Fight like a girl,” and the payoff is hilariously satisfying when Eve applies the advice in combat.

Once Eve becomes a finely tuned killing machine, the Director unleashes her to take down assigned targets. Eve remains obedient until a man, sporting a similar branding to her father’s killer, almost murders her during a job. She soon discovers the markings on her attacker belong to a reclusive and mysterious group, and the Director orders Eve to leave this family alone. Despite everyone’s wishes, she decides to track down the man who took her father away.

Ana de Armas gives a Keanu Reeves commitment in Ballerina

Once the vengeance plot begins, the film flows from one wild set piece to the next. And similar to all the other films, a lot of the mayhem feels like Ana de Armas did the work like Keanu Reeves. There is a flurry of scenes demonstrating her impressive physicality, with some sequences possessing long, uncut, brutal throw downs.

Similar to Reeves, the blood, sweat, and tears are on her face in every sequence, conveying to the viewers she is giving a full commitment to the stunt work. One sequence, in a kitchen fight, highlights the intricate amount of choreography detail as weapons keep changing, as well as the enemies attempting to stop her.

The exciting aspect of Ballerina is the inspired use of weaponry. Two types of action scenes feel surprisingly fresh. The first involves a series of comical hand-to-hand fight scenes involving hand grenades. The violence within this sequence has the slapstick death-style humor commonly seen in the Final Destination movies. The second involves flamethrowers, and it is glorious. However, one of the weaknesses of Ballerina is that the action often takes priority over character.

The Len Wiseman spin-off utilizes relentless action to hide flaws

The action in the movie undeniably delivers on the John Wick promise of gun-popping, hand-to-hand, thrilling mayhem. However, some sequences feel overly long, hindering the viewer’s ability to connect deeper with Eve. For instance, the original John Wick gave the title character 20 or so minutes for the audience to understand his heart before the intruders decided to kill his puppy. The inciting incident of the puppy’s death serves as a relatable motivator for the audience to feel Wick’s rage.

The death of a father is a reasonable plot for an action movie based on revenge. However, it’s mostly derivative and lacks the cleverness of a man out for justice because of a murdered pet. When a movie hinges on familiar ideas, a film can find its voice through the character work instead. While there are fleeting moments of character exploration, the extensive action denies the main protagonist, Eve, enough room to peel back additional layers for connection.

Even so, with the minimal time that we do receive, Ana de Armas makes the most of it. The movie also features a few segments involving the character John Wick (as seen in the trailer), and the contrast between the characters is noticeable. Wick can provide minimal dialogue, and we know everything he’s thinking with one single word.

Ballerina is an imperfect but satisfying spin-off

Regardless of the events before this week, Lionsgate can confidently embrace Ballerina. While it experiences a few missteps and doesn’t surpass John Wick: Chapter 4 (what movie could?), it still delivers the explosive and stylish action fans expect from this franchise. The intricate fight choreography, combined with vibrant LED lighting and an energetic soundtrack, ensures that the signature John Wick flavor thrives in Ballerina.

Furthermore, Ana de Armas visibly pours her heart into this role, and fans will be pleasantly surprised by the lengths she goes to match the endurance of the franchise’s leading star.