Ballerina

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Ballerina is the first spinoff film in the John Wick universe, set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. In this film, we follow Eve, a young assassin trained by the Ruska Roma, who goes off on a revenge mission when she encounters the group that murdered her father.

I love how scrappy Ballerina is throughout. Where watching John Wick is about watching a master assassin sweep his way through a room brimming with goons, Ballerina presents more of an underdog revenge mission. Eve enters this film through a fairly compelling tragic origin and an adrenaline-filled training sequence that sees her getting moulded into the fighter we've all come out to see. This is a film in which the protagonist struggles, she is smaller than most of her opponents and her punches don't pack a wallop. Seeing this character learn to fight more effectively as if her life depends on it, makes this an interesting premise from the beginning. We know Eve is going to hurl herself at her opponents like an animal, clawing her way through a fight creatively and without compromise. Eve's descent into the world of the High Table is fascinating, and this development introduces a new cult faction, making for a unique adversary. I appreciated watching Eve work her way up the ladder to achieve her revenge - even being judged for her righteousness by the Baba Yaga himself. The best aspects of this film come from seeing Eve fight her way through a killer village, that felt fresh for the John Wick universe.

This is a film that captures action brilliantly, thinking of ways for the camera to latch onto the most original form of movement to really make those brawls flow. Pairing neatly with that is just how nicely the editing weaves this production together; the action sequences involve very intensive cutting, which makes the film look all the better for it. I was blown away by the stunts across Ballerina, like a John Wick film the theme seems to be creativity first and choreography only half a step behind. The score for this film is nothing short of thrilling, with a real adrenaline pulse present throughout and a neat Tchaikovsky number scattered to weave an emotional bond with the character. Having a track from Evanescence and Halsey both meant this film had a broody, tough edge to close on that perfectly mirrored the tone of Ballerina.

Ana de Armas, who played Eve, leads this film with the same amount of intense drive that made Reeves' Wick so famous; de Armas has a primal ferocity and rage on show that really makes you sit up and pay attention. Keanu Reeves, who played John Wick, is such a staple of this franchise and a welcome return; Reeves presents a more morose and benevolent side of Wick here that I quite enjoyed. Anjelica Huston, who played The Director, is still an imposing force within this world; Huston lends a cold edge to this character which I loved. Gabriel Byrne, who played The Chancellor, is one of the most memorable antagonists in the John Wick universe yet; Byrne presents himself with such charisma while talking about spine-chilling actions. Ava Joyce McCarthy, who played Ella, is a brilliant child performer; she didn't get boxed into type and really gave her role a mean edge where required. Norman Reedus, who played Daniel Pine, is giving more than you might expect with his fatherly assassin; this role was quite a selfless type who pushed himself for the sake of his daughter. Lance Reddick, who played Charon, isn't in this for long but gives as good as ever; Reddick was a real treasure as Charon and he is an actor who will be sincerely missed. Abraham Popoola, who played Frank, is a role I'd love to see back in this universe; Popoola found the perfect balance between campy and cool.

However, the best performance came from Ian McShane, who played Winston. This character is such a brilliant fixture of the John Wick universe. McShane is entirely elegant and sophisticated in his delivery, making the actual person he is portraying both alluring and mysterious. In this feature we get the more benevolent side of Winston, seeing him shelter and protect young Eve. McShane does a great job of being the doorman in this almost fantastical world of killers and assassins. I was especially impressed with the way McShane subtly steers de Armas to her path of revenge. Winston becomes this figure for justice within the world of darkness he resides in, which has always been one of the most fascinating facets of his character.

I greatly enjoyed Ballerina, it feels like another sign that the John Wick universe is the safest place to go for good action. However, where Ballerina suffered is just how ridiculous it decided to get at times. I felt this film tried to be creative wherever possible, but it so frequently undercut this with a sequence that felt almost cartoonish. The grenade sequence and the flamethrower sequence in particular got a bit overbearing. Ballerina also tried a bit too hard to come off as a dramatic character piece at times, delivering Eve some plot twists around her past that were uninspired. This movie didn't need to make Eve's story overly complex, her revenge angle served the narrative enough. I also enjoyed seeing John Wick in this, but he was used a lot more than was really required. John Wick diving into the action at the end of the film as Eve's fight sequences were tapering out stole the thunder of her ending a bit. The focus was shifted from Eve right when it should have stayed squarely on her.

Catalina Sandino Moreno, who played Lena, just feels like an error within the story; the commitment to the secret sister arc is an emotional push that winds up having no weight behind it. Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who played Nogi, really gets saddled with the exposition dumps for this feature; I also found her being delegated the constant pep talks quite frustrating. David Castañeda and Victoria Comte, who played Javier and Young Eve respectively, weren't the most interesting aspects of Ballerina's opening; I particularly found Comte a difficult young performer to engage with as the child version of the leading role. 

This is just further proof that the world of John Wick continues to dominate the action film scene. I would give Ballerina a 7.5/10.