From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – Film Review
Reviewed by Harris Dang on the 5th of June 2025
Roadshow presents a film by Len Wiseman
Written by Shay Hatten
Produced by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Chad Stahelski
Starring Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves
Cinematography Romain Lacourbas
Edited by Jason Ballantine
Music by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard
Rating: MA15+
Running Time: 125 minutes
Release Date: the 5th of June 2025
In Ballerina (or From the World of John Wick: Ballerina), we learn how a young woman named Eve Maccaro (Ana de Armas) was orphaned when her father (Davis Castaneda) was brutally murdered in their home. With the help of Winston (Ian McShane), Eve is taken to the Ruska Roma, a criminal organisation led by the Director (Anjelica Huston) set under the High Table.
Eve trains in the art of ballet and in armed and unarmed combat. These disciplines allow her to become a deadly assassin. During an assignment, she uncovers one of the men responsible for her father’s death and undertakes a bloody path of revenge.
Ballerina is a spin-off film set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). Since it was announced in 2019 that it would be directed by Len Wise, expectations have been greatly tempered. Firstly, it would be impossible for Ballerina to live up to the incredibly high standards of the series. Secondly, Len Wiseman’s track record has been inconsistent. His most well-received film is Live Free or Die Hard (2007). There has been news that John Wick filmmaker stalwart Chad Stahelski worked on major reshoots (and new shoots) in Wiseman’s absence. Does Ballerina prance around and kick ass on its own two feet?
In the role of Eve, Ana de Armas is a compelling and formidable heroine. Having proven her action capabilities in films such as No Time to Die (2021) and The Gray Man (2022), she handles the stuntwork with pluck and carries the arch humour with aplomb. It is a shame her commitment to the amazing action cannot salvage the rest of the film.
Say what you want about John Wick’s concept of a man avenging his dog, but pets cruelly dying was a universal pain that resonated with audiences sincerely and ironically. It was sincere in that people would do anything to reclaim that love. It was ironic because such destruction over an animal is comical. In Ballerina, avenging a family member does not offer the same thrill. The concept is highly derivative and makes little room for innovation.
Speaking of innovation, Ballerina lacks the same impacting, immersive world building as John Wick. The fault is partly attributable to ineffective character work. Despite possessing talent such as Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, and Catalina Sandino Moreno, they cannot lend the same presence as the characters in the original series.
Len Wiseman’s direction is also at fault. While he has made enjoyably flashy films, such as the Underworld franchise, his filmmaking skills are the equivalent of a seat-filler. His filmic style is at best a Stahelski imitation minus the assured visual imagination and reverent glee for genre cinema that once shone through. This is despite the return of regular Wick cast members Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick (in his final posthumous role).
Thankfully, Ballerina delivers on the action front. It upholds the high action standards and stunt choreography thanks to the stunt team, including franchise stalwarts Jeremy Marinas and Jackson Spidell, and newcomers Jan Petrina and Caleb Spillyards. What they realized is that Eve could not be a clone of John Wick himself. Armas’ own physicality had to be utilised to her advantage. The choreography involving her speed and small stature is compellingly realized.
The action also retains the sharp humour that made the prior films wildly fun. From the use of improvised weapons, including ice skates, the farcical deployment of hand grenades, and the cinematically pleasing burst of flamethrowers, Ballerina excels action-wise.
Fans of international action cinema (in front of and behind the camera) will appreciate the appearances of Marinas as an unfortunate mercenary, Daniel Bernhardt as a tenacious, scarfaced [sic] assassin, and Korean action maestro Jung Doo-hong, best known for his work in Arahan (2004) and The City of Violence (2006). Doo-hong makes for a worthy opponent in Eve’s first mission.
Overall, Ana de Armas capably leads Ballerina, and the action matches the quality of the earlier Wick films. Yet without the emotional pull and visual imagination of the past, Ballerina ends up moving with two left feet.
Summary: Ana de Armas capably leads Ballerina, and the action matches the quality of the John Wick films. Yet without the emotional pull and visual imagination of the past, Ballerina ends up moving with two left feet.
3
Mixed
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