‘Ballerina’ Review: Ana de Armas Kills Her Way Through a Solid Continuation of the John Wick Franchise

A serviceable summation to that astir storied of sub-genres (action films astir ballerina-assassins), Len Wiseman’s “Ballerina” is simply a movie that was ostensibly made to reside a circumstantial mobility that’s been haunting nan bully group astatine Lionsgate since astatine slightest March of 2023: Can nan “John Wick” franchise past without Keanu Reeves? 

In that light, possibly nan astir encouraging point I tin opportunity astir nan series’ first proper spin-off is that it manages to reply that mobility — with an emphatic “probably?” — despite searching for each excuse not to inquire it successful nan first place. On nan 1 hand, Keanu Reeves is very overmuch in this movie, which is group successful betwixt nan events of “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum” and “John Wick: Chapter 4.” On nan different hand, nan actor’s ornamental beingness present emphasizes nan grade to which his characteristic had been subsumed into nan ridiculously elaborate — and elaborately ridiculous — criminal underworld that he changeable his measurement through; each of Wick’s mass-murdering efforts to bring it down made it each nan much evident that nan “The High Table” is what yet keeps this franchise propped up.

With that successful mind, possibly nan much pressing mobility that “Ballerina” exists to put guardant is this: Can nan world of John Wick past without bid head Chad Stahelski? And… well, nan movie doesn’t really reply that either. In part, that’s because Stahelski played a pivotal domiciled successful shaping nan film’s action sequences connected set, moreover if rumors astir nan grade of his reshoots — and nan deficiencies that supposedly demanded them — have been exaggerated. In nan arena those rumors have been exaggerated, past “Ballerina” would beryllium that Stahelski’s imprint connected nan franchise is beardown capable that moreover a little skilled filmmaker for illustration “Live Free aliases Die Hard” head Wiseman is capable to replicate it good capable to support nan franchise’s tone alive. 

And if thing else, Wiseman surely does that. “Ballerina” mightiness struggle to enactment balanced connected its toes arsenic it strains to grow its pre-established beingness astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic it introduces a caller heroine to guideline america done it, but each of nan things that audiences person travel to expect from nan franchise are connected afloat show successful this spinoff. A cardinal headshots astatine point-blank range? Check. Keanu Reeves putting some of his lungs into each 1 of his lines? Of course. Wacky subtitles that make nan specified enactment of reference consciousness for illustration it’s freighted pinch animation violence? You cognize it. 

While location are respective aspects of “Ballerina” that consciousness a batch shakier than thing did successful nan series’ erstwhile films (most of them having to do pinch nan preamble and information of Ana de Armas’ en pointe assassin), “Ballerina” stands gangly wherever it counts. That’s not only because Shay Hatten’s Black List book has been successfully retrofitted to consciousness for illustration it belongs to nan world of John Wick, aliases because nan watered down conflict scenes of nan movie’s first half yet springiness measurement to immoderate of nan franchise’s astir inspired carnage truthful far, but besides because nan champion of that carnage — all of it rooted successful 87 Eleven Entertainment’s signature blend of close-up gun-fu — bends complete backwards to accommodate a 5’6” character who weighs little than Keanu Reeves’ paycheck. 

The only subsister of a dull prologue that sees her adoptive begetter massacred by a shadowy fig named nan Chancellor (an imperious Gabriel Byrne), young Eve Macarro is rescued from nan ashes by New York hotelier Winston Scott (McShane), and delivered into nan attraction of Anjelica Huston’s cigar-chomping Director, who runs a ballet workplace truthful hardcore that it makes “Black Swan” look for illustration “Bunheads.” In summation to pliés and pirouettes, Eve is trained successful nan creation of shooting group successful nan face, and by nan clip nan action picks up 11 years into her studies, she’s itching to postgraduate from nan Ruska Roma conservatory and get retired into nan field. After all, she’s ne'er going to find nan men who killed her dada if she conscionable stays wrong doing montages each day. 

‘Ballerina’©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

What’s absorbing astir Eve, astatine slightest successful theory, is that she’s wished to beryllium accepted into nan aforesaid criminal underworld that John Wick is hellbent to escape, and “Ballerina” does its champion to make nan astir of that clash successful nan uncommon instances erstwhile those 2 characters hap to transverse paths. Alas, that only accounts for a fewer minutes of nan movie’s runtime, and de Armas — deprived nan immediacy of nan condolences that fueled Reeves’ capacity successful nan franchise’s humble first installment — isn’t fixed a beardown capable instauration to meaningfully support her request for revenge. She’s anxious and unsure wherever John Wick is Zen-like and resigned, but her lines person nary heft, her characteristic has nary humor, and her bloodlust has nary believable emotionality down it. That proves to beryllium a problem for nan worldbuilding astir her; wherever John Wick’s ngo made him a earthy circuit guideline done nan underworld, Eve Maccaro can’t thief but consciousness for illustration much of a tourer by comparison, and truthful we glimpse astatine nan soul workings of nan Rusko Roma without really getting a meaningful consciousness of place. 

The bully news is that “Ballerina” has different spot it wants to show us, and that spot turns retired to beryllium a awesome summation to this franchise’s ever-swelling cinematic universe. Informed that nan Chancellor is location adjacent Prague, Eve goes rogue by violating nan Ruska Roma’s orders, flying crossed nan Atlantic, and sidesplitting her measurement person to her target. A little brushwood pinch a bedraggled Norman Reedus fails to registry (the “Death Stranding” character shows up for conscionable agelong capable to overcomplicate nan plot), but things prime up successful a hurry erstwhile Eve is pointed successful nan guidance of an idyllic Austrian colony called Hallstatt — a existent place, beautifully wedged betwixt a still reservoir and immoderate glorious Alpine mountains — that “Ballerina” John Wickifies into a cultish refuge for ex-assassins who want to create life alternatively of ending it. It’s nan cleanable setup for this franchise to spell afloat “Hot Fuzz” erstwhile nan crap hits nan instrumentality successful nan 3rd act. 

And truthful “Ballerina” halfheartedly pivots into a communicative that kinda sorta weighs family against fate, and — better yet — transitions into a movie wherever Ana De Armas smashes nan aforesaid female complete nan caput pinch 20 different plates, invents a twelve caller ways to perfectly obliterate people pinch grenades, and turns a brace of fig skates into a swinging brace of nunchakus that springiness caller meaning to nan double loop salchow. Eve’s inheritance arsenic a dancer weirdly doesn’t facet into nan action successful rather nan aforesaid measurement (the ballerina of it each doesn’t widen overmuch beyond a fewer cues from “Swan Lake,” aliases nan aforesaid cue 10 different times), but that doesn’t mean nan movie treats her for illustration a plug-and-play John Wick stand-in. On nan contrary, its ultra-violence is reliably astatine its champion whenever nan blocking embraces de Armas’ differences. 

“Change nan terms,” a Ruska Roma coach tells Eve astatine nan commencement of a movie that’s intelligibly hedging its bets. “Lean into your strengths, not his.” She’s talking astir Eve’s opponent, but nan sentiment applies conscionable arsenic neatly to John Wick, whose stoicism turned each shootout into a warfare of wills. Eve doesn’t person rather nan aforesaid soul strength, and truthful she’s forced to look for extracurricular help. Read: She has to usage her situation to fuck group up. And she does. She really does. The prop activity ne'er aspires to Jackie Chan levels of comic mayhem, but — with nan thief of stunt double and trainer Cara Marie Chooljian — de Armas uses each assets astatine her disposal to go a convincingly vulnerable tornado of death. The 3rd enactment finds Eve taking specified eager advantage of nan world astir her that it feels for illustration she’s compensating for nan first half of nan movie’s nonaccomplishment to do nan same. 

Perhaps location will beryllium clip for that later. At its core, “Ballerina” is simply a movie astir a bright-eyed newcomer asking a jaded fable for immoderate profession advice, only for John Wick to show Eve to do thing other pinch her life. But she evidently doesn’t want to heed that warning, and by nan clip Eve kills her measurement to nan extremity credits of this spinoff, I didn’t want her to either. A bigger, much assured sequel mightiness beryllium conscionable what this franchise needs to bask a serene modulation of powerfulness — and to make bully connected nan afloat imaginable of a Hollywood action movie that meaningfully tries to iterate connected John Wick alternatively of conscionable copying his moves.  

Grade: B-

Lionsgate will merchandise “Ballerina” successful theaters connected Friday, June 6.

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