Lionsgate presents Ballerina: From the World of John Wick in UK cinemas now.
Synopsis
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Ballerina follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Review
Ballerina: From the World of John Wick arrives on the scene with the undeniable weight of its cinematic lineage, and for the most part, it dances gracefully. It’s an overall great action flick, showcasing the sleek, brutal, and gorgeously choreographed combat that fans have come to adore from this universe. Yet, as the credits roll, a lingering feeling remains: it lacks that certain something that made the John Wick films so phenomenal for me in the first place.
From the opening sequences, Ballerina immerses us back into the clandestine, high-stakes world of the High Table and its various shadowy syndicates. The vibe is familiar, the rules are there, and the returning faces from the hotel – including a ‘younger’ Winston (Ian McShane with hair dye) and the enigmatic Charon (played once more by the late, great Lance Reddick) providing a comforting continuity that ties this spin-off firmly to its roots.
Ana de Armas’s character, Eve, a young girl-turned-assassin by the Ruska Roma, is a compelling lead. Her motivations are clear, her training is shown through an impressive integrated dance and combat sequence, and her determination is laser-focused. She commands the screen with a captivating blend of grace and lethal precision, proving she’s more than capable of headlining action films as a strong lead. It’s also clear the actress has put in the hours upon hours of training to be convincing as a deadly assassin. I particularly enjoyed that she had to fight differently than John Wick due to her smaller size and lighter weight, rather than simply going down the route of a 5’5″ woman easily taking down a 6’3″ man. She instead utilized the environment, the weaknesses of the male physique, and her graceful training to overpower the various enemies she encounters throughout the movie.
The action set pieces are inventive and varied, utilizing the environment in clever ways and maintaining the franchise’s signature blend of gun-fu and hand-to-hand combat. You’ll find yourself wincing at impacts and marvelling at the fluidity of the fights, a testament to the dedicated stunt work and choreography.
Where Ballerina truly shines is in its expansion of the established lore. We get a deeper dive into the Ruska Roma’s unique blend of ballet and assassination training, offering fascinating insights into how assassins are forged in this world. The world-building elements are engaging, making the universe feel richer and more lived-in. The appearance of familiar faces is seamlessly integrated, serving the story rather than feeling like mere fan service, and their interactions with Eve add layers of complexity and intrigue. It truly feels like a genuine extension of the John Wick narrative, rather than a mere cash-in.
However, despite these strengths, Ballerina never quite reaches the dizzying heights of its predecessor films. The core difference lies in the protagonist’s journey and the narrative’s overall scope. John Wick as a person is an unstoppable storm that consumes all that stand against him – a relentless force of nature driven by an almost mythological grief, systematically dismantling an entire criminal underworld that dared to cross him. His vengeance is a tidal wave, escalating with each chapter, pulling the audience deeper into an increasingly sprawling and intricate web of consequences.
Eve Macarro, on the other hand, presents a more contained and simple revenge story. Eve’s mission, while personal and well-executed, feels much smaller in scale. Her targets are specific, her journey linear. There isn’t the same sense of overwhelming odds or the feeling that an entire system is crumbling in her wake. While this focused approach allows for a more intimate character study, it also means the film doesn’t quite achieve the same epic, operatic grandeur that defines the main John Wick series. There’s less of that satisfying, escalating chaos, fewer new layers of the assassin underworld to uncover, and perhaps a slightly less iconic “boogeyman” presence.
Verdict
Ultimately, Ballerina: From the World of John Wick is still a great addition to the franchise. It’s a stylish, well-acted, and expertly choreographed action film that delivers on the genre’s promise. It expands the universe in interesting ways and offers a compelling new protagonist. But it also serves as a reminder of just how singular and groundbreaking the John Wick films truly are. It’s an excellent spin-off, absolutely worth your time for the adrenaline and the immersion back into this incredible world, just not as good as the John Wick films from before. It’s a strong effort that solidifies the franchise’s staying power, even if it doesn’t quite redefine the genre in the same way its namesake did.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
