As the John Wick franchise has grossed over $1 Billion dollars across four films, it’s no surprise that a spin-off has been in the works. Ballerina is essentially John Wick 3.5 as it’s set between John Wick Chapter 3 and 4, with Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro. Just like John, Eve is trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization, and she’s on a mission to avenge her father’s death.

The plot is pretty rudimentary; it doesn’t stray much from the revenge action sub-genre. It’s glaringly obvious that Eve’s father will likely die before the opening credits, so the first 20 minutes of the attack on Macarro’s estate feel superfluous. To say what happens is predictable is putting it mildly. I think a couple of minutes of exposition would suffice, so we can get to Eve’s training at the Ruska Roma a lot faster.

Ballet is such a brutal sport, and there’s a certain mystique about it that makes it ideal for assassins in training. The moment when Eve dances until her feet bleed really highlights her determination and relentless spirit, using her pain and loss as motivation. Screenwriter Shay Hatten, who wrote the script for John Wick 4, is back, expanding the story that was originally created by Derek Kolstad. Given this is an expanded Wickverse, Eve gets to lock eyes with John Wick (Keanu Reeves), aka the Baba Yaga himself, briefly when he visits the Ruska Rom. Of course, it’s a harbinger of a follow-up encounter, albeit a more violent one, that’s been teased in the trailers.

I thought (wish) Chad Stahelski had directed this spin-off, especially given his passion for this franchise in the Wick Is Pain doc, but apparently he’s busy shooting The Highlander remake. There were claims of significant reshoots because Stahelski was dissatisfied with Len Wiseman’s direction, although Lionsgate refuted this. Regardless, I believe the action in this one is pretty decent overall, accompanied by Tyler Bates‘ rousing score. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of the amazing action sequences, like the hall of mirrors in Chapter 2 and the Osaka Continental in Chapter 4, which really raised the standard for fight choreography. The flamethrower sequence is the standout; it’s preposterously silly but fun and gives us a break from the relentless gun-fu.

De Armas has proven herself to be a skilled action star, though in some scenes, her imperviousness stretches credulity. She comes out with barely a scratch after some incredibly brutal fight scenes, some are quite violent, which made some audience members gasp. Now, she does compensate for her slender frame by being extra resourceful, and she’s sprightly when chased all over the fictionalized Hesserstadt. The snow-covered town looks like somewhere in northern Germany or a Nordic region, but it was actually filmed in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Dubrovnik, Croatia, all transformed to appear like a winter wonderland.

Familiar faces from the franchise appear again: Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, and Lance Reddick reprise their roles, though I’m still sad that this is Reddick’s last performance. Anjelica Huston is quite hilarious as The Director; she clearly enjoys playing the role. Nice to see Sharon Duncan-Brewster everywhere these days (I just saw her in a couple of ANDOR episodes), she plays a formidable trainer at Ruska Roma with a memorable advice to Eve, ‘Fight like a girl.’ The scenes between Eve and John Wick are a highlight and have a good build-up towards it. Even in the spin-off, Keanu still effortlessly steals every scene he’s in. His line delivery is always amusing; he’s got probably only 10 lines of dialogue, but he makes the most of them.

Hatten’s script is lean–there’s no distracting side plot, but no room for much character development for our heroine, either. We’re supposed to just tail along in Eve’s perilous vengeful quest as she faces not just a few goons but an entire town bent to The Chancellor’s will. Gabriel Byrne is quite sinister as a powerful cult leader, but doesn’t add anything new to this run-of-the-mill villain. None of the new characters, apart from Eve, is all that memorable.

Ballerina joins the ranks of bad-ass femme fatales like La Femme Nikita, Hanna, Atomic Blonde, The Old Guard, etc. The movie doesn’t break new ground and does feel a tad lengthy at just over two hours. Nonetheless, it’s quite a delight for action enthusiasts.

What do you think of Ballerina and the JOHN WICK franchise? 

…