Ballerina
Ballerina
An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father's death.
rg9400 reviewedJuly 2, 2025
5 movies into this franchise, and you know what you're getting. Still, there are some incredibly cheesy lines in this movie that feel more over the top than anything in the main franchise. Also, the stilted line delivery here feels a bit more noticeable compared to when Keanu Reeves does it. Ana de Armas is a worthy star to add to this franchise. She's nimble and agile compared to Reeves' bull-in-a-china-shop approach. She actually emotes really well, and due to her character's inexperience with the chaos, she contrasts nicely with Wick's more stoic nature. Unfortunately, the rest of the plot does a big disservice to her character. I don't particularly expect deep character development from these movies, but I thought the movie had some interesting angles it could have taken with her being trained more as a protector as well as introducing elements and characters that created more motivation than simply vengeance. Unfortunately, this franchise is trapped in its cycles of revenge, and so these moments are extremely short-lived and make the plot feel generic even within this franchise. The part that hurts is that the protector angle was right there, and it would have made the fight choreography more interesting. The action sequences are what drive this franchise, and frankly, most of them are uninteresting. They also don't have the visual cinematography that makes them exciting. I think having her try to defend someone else would have naturally forced more creative set pieces that feel distinct within this series. As is, I forgot most of them except one near the beginning (where she is playing that role) and the final one. That final one was excellent, but it's not enough to carry a 2-hour movie. The villain is actually interesting as a concept, but again, this movie undercuts developing him into more than a caricature throughout. Even if you don't watch these movies for plot or character, it's hard not to notice when the ideas are right there. My final thought is around the John Wick of it all. I knew based on the unnecessary subtitle "From the world of John Wick" as well as the initial trailer that heavily emphasized his cameo that this movie was really driving home its IP connections in an attempt at franchise building. His role in this movie is inexplicable and unnecessary and way too much, going well beyond a simple cameo. I also think he just distracts from Eve's own journey. Overall, I think this movie had some real potential that it often squanders for significantly less interesting choices, but Ana de Armas is a star that can easily carry this franchise forward if they are smart.