Film: Ballerina [2025] – Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane

Ballerina fits right in line with the rest of the John Wick universe. Works on its own, but also as an homage that elevates the John Wick saga to mythic status. 

Ballerina takes place between Chapter 3 and 4 of the main franchise. Wick is alive. But he’s not the focus on the movie. This propulsively flamboyant spin-off satisfies enormously, despite being a not terribly original tale about an elite female assassin played by the amazing Ana de Armas.

However, it’s not all great. The sense of aimlessness is an issue with so many spin-offs, including this one. The movie relies heavily on the formula that made Wick great: Kill someone close, set the titular character on a revenge path, figure out new ways to kill 2 villains every 5 seconds.

That formula is great when you don’t know what’s coming. My main issue with this movie was the writing and editing. Straight from the opening scene, all the secrets are spelled out. There are no surprises in Eve’s story (Ana de Armas). Absolutely none, even the Keanu Reeves. You can see them coming from a mile. In addition, with a runtime of 2h 4m, the movie could have easily benefited from a shorter lenght. Like 8 to 13 mintues shorter. A lot of scenes were about people walking, looking left and right. I wouldn’t mind those scenes if they pushed the story forward. However, they just felt like fillers because there was a mandate to go over the two hours mark.

Having said that, the visuals and the action is top level. Those scenes are a constant reminder about the franchise we’re in: Over the top visuals, amazing action, and tightly choreographed murder sprees.

Ballerina ultimately succeeds as a piece of junky fun, however, because it attempts to expand the Wick canon rather than deepen its titular protagonist.

Should You Watch It?

Ana de Armas is the queen of Ballerina. Mostly great, needs some tightening, it’s a throwback to the first John Wick.

Where Can I Watch It?

Ballerina is now playing in theaters.