‘From the world of john wick: ballerina’ review

By Nadia Dalimonte

Ana de Armas in “Ballerina”

What does it mean to “fight like a girl?” For generations, this phrase always carried negative connotations. Fighting like a girl implied weakness, inadequacy, and humiliation. From the world of John Wick, “Ballerina” stands out by challenging this stereotype and reframing the phrase with an empowering embrace. Led by a compelling new character named Eve (played by a badass Ana de Armas), the film echoes a resonating lesson about leaning into your own strength, rather than letting your opponent dictate the fight. This film puts up a fight to prove worthy as a successful addition to Wick’s world, and hits almost every mark. While the story follows a bare bones structure, and some of the key characters feel wasted, the visual world-building and Eve’s origin story shine. In a bloody fun battle of fire and ice, “Ballerina” maintains core themes of the franchise and expands on action-packed lore with plenty of creative kills.

Taking place during the events of “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum,” “Ballerina” introduces us to Eve Macarro (de Armas) and establishes a fresh perspective at a time when John Wick has nearly reached the end of his road. When Eve was a child, she witnessed the murder of her father, and has been training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma ever since. Under strict guidance from the Director (Anjelica Huston) and with insightful training from Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), Eve learns to become a more motivated fighter. Most importantly, she figures out how to “fight like a girl,” which simply means how to discover her personal strengths. Knowing she is at a disadvantage given her size, she realizes she can focus not only on what makes her strong, but what she can use around her. In the John Wick world, everything can become a weapon, whether a TV remote or pair of ice skates.

“Ballerina” takes a refreshing approach by subverting action tropes and keeping Eve’s journey as realistic as possible. She’s not a superhuman who can suddenly take on the strength of several men. She makes mistakes and still has much to learn about how to weaponize her rage and determination for vengeance. As demonstrated in her first scene with the Director, Eve takes several falls as a ballerina on stage before standing her ground in reality. The character’s inner journey gives “Ballerina” a distinctive story. Eve’s growing motivation continues to propel the action forward, which gives weight and emotionality to every piece of choreography.

From an icy, neon-soaked nightclub to a snowy village labyrinth, “Ballerina” makes tremendous use of settings. Production designer Philip Ivey and cinematographer Romain Lacourbas, both newbies to the John Wick world of creatives, maintain the franchise aesthetic with a sleek and vibrant visual language. Part of the fun is also in watching how environments inspire choreography, and “Ballerina” has several standout moments in which creative kills are drawn from location features. The film’s second act in particular turns the action up several notches, where Eve brings grenades and flame throwers out to play. The choreography team deliver thrilling sequences, very much on par with the action we have seen throughout the “John Wick” films. These moments will remind you of why this franchise works so well.

Outside of Eve’s rocky road to revenge, “Ballerina” falls short of balancing new and returning characters. Familiar faces Winston (Ian McShane), Charon (the late Lance Reddick), and of course John Wick (Keanu Reeves) himself don’t need further exploration. They also earn applause on sight alone here. Reeves also has a fight sequence with de Armas that is entertaining enough to justify his appearance in her story. The Ruska Roma Director (Huston) gets more screen time compared to “Parabellum” and becomes entangled in Eve’s vengeful path. The majority of her scenes demonstrate some neatly crafted continuity that ties the “Ballerina” timeline to the third chapter of “John Wick.” Huston continues to nail her character’s blend of intimidation and dry humor.

The new characters, however, pop in and out of the story like cardboard silhouettes. Their underdeveloped motivations and personalities leave a lot to be desired, especially when played by talent such as Norman Reedus, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Gabriel Byrne. Byrne’s character in particular has the most disappointing arc as the film’s villain. This comes as a surprise for an origin story, where one would expect fresh faces to make a memorable mark and create intrigue for future films. Thankfully, “Ballerina” has a bonafide action star in the wonderful Ana de Armas. She high kicks into this world in a magnificent dance of charisma and discipline. From physicality to emotionality, de Armas brings  Eve’s character to life, and establishes a strong connection to the pure revenge that drives her. 

Len Wiseman is no Chad Stahelski, but “Ballerina” retains enough storytelling influence from the latter to work wonders as an entertaining extension of the “John Wick” franchise. Energetic choreography, stylish world-building, and a dynamic lead character have defined these films with Keanu Reeves at the core. Ana de Armas brilliantly follows in his footsteps while bringing a unique energy of her own into this world. “Ballerina” earns a place at the High Table, and indeed warrants a sequel.