Ballerina

Plot? What Plot?

Ballerina is an average movie with exciting action sequences but weighed down with an underwhelming story and tired tropes.

The first 20 minutes are a chore with the standard origin story you've seen before but once the action begins, it doesn't let up and 5 minutes don't past between fight scenes. It's clear to see where the reshoots come in as they appear copied and pasted in.

Ana De Armas is the saving grace of the movie and gives a great performance while Keanu has a fun cameo with just the right amount of screen time. It's a shame to say that Gabriel Byrne is wasted as the villian and doesn't do much with the time provided.

The world of John Wick is a brilliant concept and continues to enthrall. I just wish there was more here to expand the lore and put a bit of meat on it. A decent enough time though, just not as great as i expected.

I love the John Wick series...the first two were absolutely great, the third was good en the fourth was a bit messy. But I love the storyline.

Then there was Ballerina... When I saw the preview wasnt convinced this would be good, but I wanted to give it a chance. The story, eventhough so simple written, could have been better. Then it all went like a jet... too fast to easy and not really believable. Also not really to feel in line with the character, that she's angry of course, to be top of her class...ah well could be. But then it all goes down the drain. A lot of fights and she manages to "slap" them all without having a scratch.

Someone else said it here in the reviews as well. John Wick had a believable story you saw him suffer. You understood. But now it's all so unbelievably in your face and you don't even have the time to feel her story. And everything she does is really not to believe.

They could've made a great story to build upon, but they really didn't think this through and just made a mess unfortunately.

But if you love a lot kicking and shooting with no real dialogue..pls do watch.

BALLERINA is a visual exhibition to feel the ACTION. Vibrant, frenetic, intense & vengeful, and I'm not just referring to the film, but also to Ana de Armas. An actress capable of anything with an electric aura that will paralyse you into not moving from your seat.

Ana de armas played the role so well. Keanu Reeves as always....his presence in the film is so strong.

OVERALL: It really fits the description "from the world of john wick". With new face de Armas, the John Wick franchise is revitalised with stunning action that feels fresh, not formulaic. Those missing some of that blistering, chaotic John Wick action will definitely find the movie a worthy addition to the franchise.

Ballerina checks every box of a John Wick film! It just gives you what you want from these movies - just the coolest stuff every 5 minutes, even after I assumed the John Wick movies left everything on the table with regards to inventive action scenes. It's impressive how John Wick writers keep finding new ways to do combat scenes. Ana de Armas kicks ass in a variety of violent and creative action sequences - grenades, flame-throwers, you name it! All movies should write action like this! Instead of relying on the same bang-bang-bang routine, the filmmakers constantly search for fresh angles - be it through location, weaponry, or method. That's a big reason why John Wick continues to offer the best gunplay in Hollywood.

So yes, Ballerina absolutely delivers on the action, and I had a blast with the fight scenes. But, like most of the Wick films, the story falls short. The revenge-driven plot is serviceable but basic, with flat characters who lack compelling motivations, and a villain who ultimately disappoints. It's the action - not the narrative - that keeps the film alive.

At a certain point, I had to stop watching it critically. Because it's so dumb, and yet so entertaining. I fully admit this is not an ideal situation, and normally I'd be very against this. On many occasions, after giving a negative review to something, someone will say to me, "Oh, just turn your brain off and enjoy it." To that, my response is always, "Well, if it was actually good, I shouldn't have to." Ballerina, however, is somehow both not good and also incredibly good at the same time. It's a mostly brainless, cold, cookie-cutter revenge movie that has so much unfathomable yet enjoyable action in it that the two are completely at odds. How can a film this hollow have action this entertaining? Why is such care devoted to these sequences when the story and emotion are so surface-level? It's bizarre and a little confusing. And yet, without realizing it, I did exactly what I always say not to do - I shut my brain off and had fun. I'm not surprised. I've had to do the same with the other Wick films, and Ballerina fits right in. And, like those films, I still came out leaning positive in the end.

Ana de Armas is a force of nature here, bringing intense physicality and a surprising vulnerability to this scrappy revenge tale. She ensures her character feels just as iconic as John Wick himself. Keanu Reeves has a much larger role than expected, but I appreciated that Wick never fully overtook the film - even if his presence does feel a bit like fan service. That said, I really missed Dan Laustsen's luminous cinematography from the earlier films. The visual identity takes a hit here. Still, the fact that Ballerina works as well as it does is a testament to the foundation that Chad Stahelski and Reeves have built and continue to shape. But when the bar is set this high, it's hard not to notice that this doesn't quite measure up. Even so, this is still everything you could want from a summer blockbuster. It's tons of fun and packed with killer set pieces.

Ballerina attempts to spin a new chapter within the John Wick universe, following Eve (Ana de Armas), a young woman whose life is defined by tragedy and vengeance. At eleven, Eve watches her father die in a staged fight that feels more like a rehearsal than a life-or-death struggle, leaving her with both trauma and motivation. Twelve years later, she resurfaces as a highly trained assassin under the guidance of The Director.

On paper, this premise could have worked. Stories of young women trained from childhood to become killers have been told effectively before; think Hanna (2011), La Femme Nikita (1990), Anna (2019), Colombiana (2011), or even Léon: The Professional (1994). Those films succeeded either because of their emotional depth (Léon), their fresh energy (Hanna), or their stylistic uniqueness (Nikita). Unfortunately, Ballerina fails to carve out its own identity.

The film's biggest issue lies in its credibility. By the time we see Eve as an adult, she's supposed to be 23, but Ana de Armas, at 37, struggles to convince us of that. This isn't simply about age; it's about believability. Keanu Reeves in John Wick embodies his role completely, making every fight feel authentic and earned. Ana de Armas, by contrast, looks stunning and moves competently, but never truly inhabits Eve. Her performance feels more like an imitation of action heroines who came before her rather than a character she owns. By comparison, Ruby Rose's mute assassin in John Wick: Chapter 2, though a much smaller role, was distinctive, memorable and fresh.

The film's title also feels misused. Ballerina promises a thematic or symbolic connection between Eve's training as a dancer and her deadly precision as an assassin. Instead, the ballet element is barely touched upon. Once her backstory is out of the way, the title becomes irrelevant; she's simply Eve, another killer on a revenge mission. It's a missed opportunity that could have distinguished the film stylistically, much like Black Swan or even Hanna used physical discipline and art as metaphors for transformation and control.

Supporting roles don't elevate the film either. Gabriel Byrne delivers exactly the kind of performance we've seen from him dozens of times before, and his demise is handled with such predictability that even his character should have seen it coming. Keanu Reeves pops up briefly as John Wick, a welcome cameo, though the continued use of the nickname "Baba Yaga" feels increasingly awkward. In Russian folklore, Baba Yaga is an old witch, which hardly fits Wick's persona; "Boogeyman" would have been far more accurate.

Stylistically, Ballerina leans heavily on The Matrix-style training sequences (with Nogi serving as a Morpheus stand-in) and John Wick, like gun-fu choreography. But unlike John Wick, which elevated fight scenes into something operatic, here the action feels staged, repetitive, and strangely lifeless.

In the end, Ballerina is competent but uninspired. It doesn't push the genre forward or give Ana de Armas the kind of breakout action role she might have been hoping for. Instead, it lands somewhere between imitation and missed opportunity; a derivative echo of much better films.