Although this spin-off movie needs more ambition, an outstanding Ana de Armas is paired with a strong, well-written protagonist who defies Keanu Reeves’ John Wick.
Ana de Armas gets to inflict bullet-spewing, flame-throwing, and grenade-exploding mayhem on a plethora of men in Ballerina, after her roles in action movies such as No Time to Die and The Gray Man. However, it appears that her greatest achievement stems from Eve Macarro’s refusal to be merely a “female John Wick.”Studios aren’t very interested in female assassins right now (should we blame Black Widow?), but it’s also not unreasonable for Lionsgate to keep marketing it as a John Wick movie (the title is prefixed with “From the World of John Wick”). It is truly remarkable to witness Eve stand on her own two feet because of the Babayaga’s lengthy, incomparable shadow. Is it possible to say the same of the movie? Sadly, Ballerina might not make it through that confrontation.
Ballerina starts off by introducing us to Eve, and the movie rightfully takes its time to give this important information. A young Eve (Victoria Comte) trains to become a ballerina assassin with the Ruska Roma in New York after her father was killed by Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the ruthless Cult leader. She is looked after by the Director (Anjelica Huston, reprising her role from John Wick: Chapter 3) and Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), a mentor at the organization.Twelve years later, Eve is a murderous machine who, predictably, meets the Cultists who murdered her father and sets out to exact revenge. This quest takes us to an uncharted universe where Eve may have reached her breaking point.
As we move through some major action set pieces, director Len Wiseman’s picture, which was written by Shay Hatten, the author of John Wick 3 & 4, picks up speed. There is fluid and creative action choreography throughout, whether it is in the fight scene inside The Continental (when we meet Daniel Pine, played by Norman Reedus), or the protracted final scene in a wintry riverbank village, where Eve is further motivated to pursue revenge. But the way Armas’ Eve is written is what really makes this event compelling.
Eve is taught by Nogi to accept her small size and the flaws she inherently carries from the very beginning. Eve thus depends on quickness, spatial awareness, fluid bodily motions, and flawless accuracy. It’s fascinating to watch an assassin develop into her true nature, and even if she initially finds it difficult to defeat her adversaries, she finds her greatest momentum during a dramatic battle inside an ammunition store. The fact that Armas portrays Eve with noticeable wide-eyedness also helps.A toy ballerina key becomes a representation of Eve’s perspective on her life under the Ruska Roma. As she reveals to John Wick in a scene, she longs for freedom and to overcome her fate, but she also wants to know the truth about what happened to her father (interestingly, her Latin tattoo means “Light amidst darkness,” whereas her father’s tattoo symbolizes self-conquest).
The problem with Ballerina is that, in trying to maintain the authenticity of the John Wick universe while simultaneously forging its own identity, the movie aligns with the idea that many people mistakenly believe John Wick to be: a wet dream of an adrenaline addict. John Wick is more; these were stories driven by the anger, sorrow, and fatigue of the world behind the sullen, icy eyes of Keanu Reeves. Armas’ character is thrown into action set pieces before she can maintain control of the frames, so Ballerina has very little of that going for her.
Ballerina’s attempts to establish the dynamics between the protagonist and the supporting characters, such as Winston, the Director, or even the Chancellor, are hardly successful; all we get are some childish exchanges. It is unfair to expect Eve to fit in perfectly with a world that John took four films to get used to.
The characters from The Continental do spring to mind, particularly when you meet the present-day Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (the late Lance Reddick). Of course, character growth cannot be compared between a two-hour movie and a three-episode series. Additionally, Ballerina aims to be at the more pulpier end of the spectrum if that series shifted away from Chad Stahelski’s John Wick movies.
The issue here isn’t the plot’s simplicity—the John Wick movies didn’t work for their plot—but rather a lack of ambition. It’s ridiculous how fabricated and practical the Ballerina world appears to be for the novice lead. She utilizes ice-skating skates as shurikens, tosses explosives in close quarters (and manages to keep her head intact), and battles hundreds of Cultists with firearms and flamethrowers. While the action is thrilling, the effect barely lasts.
Since the movie takes place between the events of the third and fourth John Wick movies, you are left wondering how John Wick’s appearance fits into the bigger picture. It appears that John managed to find time for this side project despite being excommunicado.
