Euronews Culture's Film of the Week: 'From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina'

Published on 06/06/2025 - 15:27 GMT+2

After 4 Keanu Reeves-starring John Wick films, now comes nan inevitable spin-off to beverage nan franchise for each it’s worth, pursuing nan dire spin-off bid titled The Continental. 

Ballerina – aliases to springiness it its afloat title From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina - stars Ana de Armas and is group betwixt nan events John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. And earlier toxic fanboys referring to this newest summation to nan franchise arsenic “John Chick” person an aneurism and moan astir really nan bid can’t perchance past without Reeves, fearfulness not: nan Baba Yaga is besides back. Briefly. And it’s almost a shame, arsenic de Armas is simply a unit to beryllium reckoned pinch here. 

Not that this comes arsenic a surprise. Her scene-stealing quality arsenic Paloma successful 2021’s No Time To Die mightiness arsenic good person been an audition portion for Ballerina, arsenic nan character tin grip action sequences pinch aplomb and delivers nan equipment 4 years later.

She plays Eve Macarro, a ballerina-turned-assassin pinch nan Ruska Roma, who defies her orders and sets retired to activity revenge connected those who murdered her begetter (David Castañeda). Her quest takes her to nan New York Continental (featuring a little but very welcome cameo from nan precocious Lance Reddick), and later to an Austrian colony (almost exclusively populated by assassins) to complete her collision people pinch The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). 

Plot-wise, that’s astir arsenic acold arsenic it goes, as Shay Hatten’s wafer-thin book is this adventure’s pitfall. Lines for illustration “a slug is not bully aliases evil” grate and subplots are forgotten astir earlier they’ve moreover begun, starring to value performers being criminally underused. Catalina Sandino Moreno, playing the enigmatic Lena, and Norman Reedus arsenic nan shady Daniel Pine suffer nan most. Add an exposition-heavy first enactment which drags its feet, and location should beryllium each logic to disregard Ballerina arsenic thing much than a cynical cash-grab.

However, for each its galore pitfalls, Ballerina picks up successful nan 2nd half and delivers a broadly enjoyable romp. It useful champion erstwhile it streamlines proceedings and does distant pinch nan overwrought and progressively contrived lore that gradually plagued nan erstwhile John Wick movies. By yet settling for Ana de Armas gun-fuing, punching and blasting everything and everyone that gets successful her way, audiences tin (finally) commencement to person immoderate fun.

There are rumblings that this 2nd half pick-up has to do pinch rumoured reshoots. Ballerina had a troubled production, pinch franchise mastermind Chad Stahelski apparently having to measurement successful and return nan reins from head Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free Or Die Hard). 

There’s nary uncertainty astir who nan superior filmmaker is, and which 1 has a keener oculus for kinetic action...

Thanks to nan satisfying simplicity of nan 2nd half – which recalls nan acquainted slickness of John Wick's choreography – Ballerina gets better, pinch 2 sequences involving manus grenades being lobbed astir aft a gathering is rudely interrupted and a flamethrower face-off opinionated out. It’s successful these moments that de Armas’ characteristic has to accommodate to her environments and show her scrappy resourcefulness. In doing so, you genuinely get to admit really nan overmuch nan character had to springiness it socks, arsenic she did galore of nan stunts herself.

Add nan truth that nan characteristic of Eve is fiery - particularly compared to nan ice-cold stoicism of John Wick - and nan ultra-violent proceedings often consciousness much visceral. So overmuch truthful that when nan boogeyman does show up for an extended cameo, you won’t attraction each that much.

As flawed and overlong arsenic it is, Ana de Armas’ performance and her committedness to nan action successful nan film’s 2nd half elevates Ballerina to a worthy introduction successful nan John Wick canon. It’s not up location pinch different female-led assassin movies for illustration Nikita, The Long Kiss Goodnight aliases Hanna, but it crosses nan decorativeness statement arsenic an unabashedly trashy spin-off that makes you dream this assassin will get to creation again.

Ballerina is successful cinemas now.