Ballerina (2025)
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Ana de Armas, Gabrien Byrne, Anjelica Houston, Norman Reedus
Primary genre: Action
Secondary genre: Thriller
Seeking to fill the void left by the behemoth that was “John Wick Chapter 4” (2023), “Ballerina”, the spin-off from the greatest modern action franchise does little to expand its mythos. This does not mean it does not bear any entertaining value. After all, Len Wiseman has directed a lot of genre flicks like “Underworld” (2003), “Total Recall” (2012) and the fourth entry in the “Die Hard” (1988-2013) series. Yet, you can’t help but perceive a persistent familiarity in its story. “Ballerina” is basically a gender-swapped John Wick film retaining the franchise’s signature elements (soundtrack by Le Castle Vania, hypersaturated cinematography, brutal stunt work, and an aristocratic demeanor in the face of death).
Trying to develop a motion picture based on a single visual in “John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum” (2019) is not an easy task and “Ballerina” unfortunately does not dance as well as it thinks it does. The structure is overly familiar echoing the templates of “Ninja Assassin” (2009) and Luc Besson’s “La Femme Nikita” (1990). The obligatory introduction to set up the revenge motive, the training montage, the first mission and the final confrontation with the villain do not break any ground and will have no one screaming about their novelty. The script attempts to interject an interesting dynamic halfway through, yet this goes nowhere rallying us up for the next overkill sequence.
Therefore, the flick is placing all its bets on its presentation and its action. Opening with a bang, “Ballerina” is heavier and more brutal than John Wick, moving at a faster pace and employing similar panache. The opening is a banger and clearly a lot of effort has been put to conceive unique set pieces. A melee in an ice club (what would be a John Wick movie if there is not at least one stylistic location for people to dance?) is entertaining and the extended climax in Hallstatt has Ana fighting tooth and nail to keep herself alive in this beautiful snowy arena where danger comes from every corner. While “Ballerina” does not have the titan that is John Wick, it rightfully pushes its heroine to her limits - girl boss she ain’t, relying on cunning, wit and skill to violently take down her opponents.
“One bullet... well placed... can be a magical thing. It’s neither good. Nor evil. But how a man uses it, reveals his true character”
De Armas is convincing in a blunt role cutting a composing heroine who would benefit from a meatier story. The rest of the cast, including reliable key characters from the John Wick universe are nothing more than over-extended cameos which offer the deus-ex-machina help Armas’ ballerina needs. The weakest link is Gabriel Byrne’s The Chancellor, the main antagonist who leads a cult that feels indistinguishable from the High Table’s adversaries despite all the gloomy exposition about being something far more sinister. So it all comes down to the anticipated appearance of Keanu Reeves who gives the film a jolt of energy and reminding us just how good of a character the puppy-loving assassin is.
While “Ballerina” does not add much to the mythos of John Wick, it is a refreshing step in the creation of a female action hero that prioritizes training and hard work for its sequences as opposed to cheap CGI. For a night in with pizza and cold beer, it is more than enough as it is not insulting your intelligence even if its dramatic depth is no more than that of a Japanese pond.
Not a Bolsoi dancer but neither an amateur
+Excellent, creative and brutal action
+Great production design
+Convincing female lead
+John is back
+Good cast
-Predictable blueprint of a story
-Weak villain