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The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Ballerina' movie review: Ana de Armas is spectacular in a middling ‘John Wick' spin-off
Following her stints in action films like No Time to Die and The Gray Man, Ana de Armas gets to bring bullet-spewing, flame-throwing, grenade-exploding mayhem upon a gazillion men in Ballerina. Still, it seems her most formidable triumph comes from the fact that her character Eve Macarro refuses to be just a 'female John Wick.' Female assassins aren't really hot commodity for studios at the moment (must one blame Black Widow?), but Lionsgate persistently selling it as a John Wick film ('From the World of John Wick' prefixes the title) isn't unjustified either. The Babayaga casts a long, unmatchable shadow, which is why it's quite something to see Eve end up standing on her own feet. Could we say the same about the film? Unfortunately, Ballerina may not survive that face-off. Ballerina begins by telling us who Eve is, and the film justifiably takes the necessary time for this crucial backstory. After Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the vicious leader of the Cult, killed her father, a young Eve (Victoria Comte) trains to become a ballerina assassin with the Ruska Roma in New York, under the care of the Director (Anjelica Huston, reprising her character from John Wick: Chapter 3) and Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), a mentor at the establishment. 12 years later, Eve is a killing machine who, as one would expect, crosses paths with the Cultists who killed her father and seeks vengeance, a quest that introduces us to an unknown world where it seems like Eve might be out of her depths. From here, director Len Wiseman's film, written by John Wick 3 & 4 scribe Shay Hatten, goes full throttle as we flip through some grand action set pieces. Be it the fight sequence inside The Continental (where we are introduced to Norman Reedus' Daniel Pine, whose story further pushes Eve to seek vengeance) or the long climactic sequence in a snowy riverside village, there's seamless and innovative action choreography. However, what truly sells this action is how Armas' Eve is written. Right at the beginning, Nogi teaches Eve to embrace her slight frame and the weaknesses she naturally carries. And so, Eve relies upon speed, spatial awareness, fluid body movements and impeccable accuracy. While she struggles to best her enemies initially, she finds her peak momentum during a spectacular fight at an ammunition store, and it's quite riveting to see an assassin who grows into herself. It also helps that Armas plays Eve with a perceptible wide-eyedness. A ballerina key toy becomes a symbol of how Eve looks at her life under the Ruska Roma. She yearns for freedom and to win over her fate, as she tells John Wick in a scene, but also to seek the truth of what happened to her father (interestingly, her Latin tattoo translates to 'Light amidst darkness,' while her father's tattoo denoted self-conquest). 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' (English) Director: Len Wiseman Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Norman Reedus Runtime: 125 minutes Storyline: A young assassin takes on a secret cult to avenge her father's death The issue with Ballerina is that, in attempting to stay true to the world of John Wick while also carving an identity of its own, the film falls in line with the notion many confuse John Wick to be: a trigger-happy adrenaline junky's wet dream. John Wick is more; these were narratives propelled by the rage, grief and world-weariness behind Keanu Reeves' sulky, cold eyes. There's very little of that going for Ballerina, as Armas' character is thrust into action set pieces even before she can hold control of the frames. While it is unfair to wish Eve fit like a glove in a world John took four films to get accustomed to, Ballerina's attempts at establishing the dynamics between the protagonist and the secondary characters, like Winston, the Director, or even the Chancellor, are hardly effective; all we get are some juvenile exchanges. Surely, one cannot pit a two-hour film against a three-episode series when it comes to character development, but the thought of characters from The Continentaldoes arise, especially when you meet the present-day Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (the late Lance Reddick). Also, if that series moved away from Chad Stahelski's John Wick films, Ballerina attempts to be at the more pulpier extreme. The simplicity of the plot isn't the question here — the John Wick films didn't work for their plot — but a lack of ambition. It's absurd how contrived and convenient the world of Ballerina seems for the newbie protagonist. She fights hundreds of Cultists with guns and flamethrowers, uses ice-skating shoes as shurikens, and throws grenades in close quarters (and somehow keeps her head), and while all that riveting action impresses you in the moment, the effect hardly lingers. Instead, what you are left wondering is how John Wick's appearance fits into the larger scheme of things, since the film is set between the events of the third and fourth John Wick films. Seems like John somehow found time for this side quest even when he was declared excommunicado. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is currently running in theatres
Tom's Guide
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
'Ballerina' review: High-octane 'John Wick' spinoff is a killer action thriller worthy of the franchise name
"Ballerina," as the full movie title informs us, is the latest movie "From the World of John Wick," and that's a name with serious prestige these days. Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves have proven to be a dream pairing for action cinema, delivering a quadrilogy of kinetic, explosive thrillers over the last decade and catapulting any future "John Wick" movies into must-see territory. "Ballerina," then, arrives to hefty expectations and a big question: With a new protagonist in the frame and a new director at the helm (though Stahelski and his "JW: 4" team did come in for reshoots), will this spinoff deliver? Well, I got the chance to see "Ballerina" ahead of release and I'm pleased to report "John Wick" fans will not be disappointed. We've switched protagonists, but the format's largely the same, as our protagonist is once again out for revenge. Set between the events of "Parabellum" and "John Wick 4", "Ballerina" introduces us to Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a ballerina-assassin trained in the ways of the Ruska Roma, studying underneath The Director (Anjelica Huston) after Winston (Ian McShane) introduced her to the group. Her father died during a run-in with The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) and his group of highly-skilled attackers, who have distinct x-shaped scars on the arms, and when a grown-up Eve starts encountering thugs bearing the same mark in the world, she demands answers about how to track these men down. The Director warns her off, but Eve refuses to relent and sets off to track down this mystery cult and get vengeance against the people who took her family from her. If you were worried about the protagonist swap, fear not: Ana de Armas makes for an excellent action lead. She already proved a more than capable brawler in her brief appearance in 'No Time To Die,' and the "Knives Out" star throws herself into "Ballerina's brawls with abandon. Eve might be less of a veteran than her franchise forebear, but she nevertheless proves to be a capable (if more reckless) trainer killer to root for. Early on, her Ruska Roma trainer informs her that her opponents are always going to have the upper hand and prompts her to change the rules of engagement to suit her skills. Eve does this by dodging and weaving, throwing herself full-tilt into the fray (taking plenty of blows in the process), and by turning her hand to all sorts of weapons, to lethal effect. By the time the credits roll, she's wielded everything from flamethrowers and firearms of all sizes to kitchen utensils, a katana and ice skates. Special mention should go to her creative, messy and liberal use of hand grenades during a tooling-up sequence gone wrong. Eve's fights are bloody, gloriously fun to watch, and regularly funny, to boot. So if the thrills are still awesome, what's not to like? Well, 'Ballerina' lets itself down in the story department. That might sound ridiculous, to some — 'John Wick' is, after all, a franchise built from a story conceit as simple/pure as 'furious assassin comes out of retirement to kill the twerp who stole his car and killed his dog' — but 'Ballerina' has a sort of clunkiness to it which I don't think is present elsewhere in the franchise. As you've seen above, the story isn't exactly anything new, and the 'twists' it throws in en route to the final act are about as obvious as they could be. Tonally, it's still in keeping with what's come before. The intensity and lighter moments of humor are still here, but the story that hangs the setpieces together just isn't sketched as well as what's come before. There's a heavier reliance on exposition here that I don't think permeated the main 'John Wick' saga. I know we're being brought up to speed on a new protagonist in one movie versus getting to know them over four, but I felt like 'Ballerina' just didn't quite expand the universe as elegantly as it could. Elsewhere, new characters barely get a look in — Norman Reedus' killer Daniel Pine plays a far smaller role in the movie than I initially expected — and a key player in Eve's life is on hand for a story revelation, but then gets bumped off in a housefire moments later after a uttering a handful of lines in a trite emotional beat. It's tempting to ignore these quibbles, though; 'Ballerina' might be a more uneven watch than the ultra-lean 'John Wick' or its increasingly maximalist sequels, but it's one that — and I cannot stress this enough — still delivers where it counts. Ultimately, I think "Ballerina" might be the lesser of the five "John Wick" films — but in a franchise that's as consistently entertaining as this one, that's nothing to be ashamed of. The story might not be as inspiring and feel a tad underbaked, but when the bullets are flying or the swords (or skates) are being swung, the carnage is still a joy to behold. In short? Franchise devotees and moviegoers on the hunt for some adrenaline-pumping entertainment will want to make time to see "Ballerina" ASAP.
