Ballerina (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father’s death.

My Take – Back in 2014, no one could have predicted that a mid-budget action thriller starring Keanu Reeves (a decade after peaking global popularity with the Matrix trilogy) would turn into a phenomenal action franchise and its lead character, the titular John Wick, a massive pop-culture icon.

Now four films in, with each installment finding bigger critical and commercial success, the series is further expanding with a new spin-off, focusing on a new character called Eve Macarro, played by Cuban actress Ana de Armas. A performer who has already proven herself to be capable of pulling off any kind of role with an electric aura.

Indeed, the film had an uphill battle considering news about massive re-shoots which led to its release delay and the last time the franchise expanded we got ‘The Continental‘, a 1970s-set spin-off TV series that premiered and disappeared without creating much noise. But in the end, it all turned out to be conjecture as the vibrant, frenetic, intense and vengeful finished film pirouettes onto the scene with guns blazing and brings enough to the table to please diehard fans of the series while further expanding the fascinating lore and mythology the franchise has already established.

Helmed by director Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard) and penned by franchise staple writer Shay Hatten, the film takes a little time to find a confident footing, but when it does the energy is undeniable as it introduces one bloody and creative fight scene after another.

Sure, it isn’t quite at the level of the mainline features, and can feel a little too conspicuous at times, but the multiple trademarks of the series and the visual exhibition will assuredly leave viewers wanting to see far more of Eve and return to the world of the Continental.

Set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), the story follows Eve Macarro, who as a young girl saw her father Javier (David Castañeda) getting killed by a group of men belonging to a cult controlled by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). Left orphan, Eve is brought to the Ruska Roma clan and introduced to their implacable Director (Anjelica Huston), by Winston Scott (Ian McShane), the enigmatic owner of the New York Continental Hotel.

Over the next twelve years, guided by her no-nonsense mentor Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), who schools her to exploit every advantage as a woman and, if necessary, cheat, Eve (Ana de Armas) completes her training in the traditions of the Ruska Roma that combines combat and weapons training with ballet to improve her strength and agility.

Soon enough, Eve is taking over contracts and completing them to the best to her abilities, that is until she encounters one particular assassin, who she kills, but also identifies the mark on his wrist belonging to the same cult. Reigniting her quest to seek vengeance for the brutal murder of her father and ending each of these responsible mysterious individuals hiding in the picturesque alpine mountains. Even if it means defying direct orders from the Director and taking on the legendary John Wick (Keanu Reeves).

Without a doubt, Eve is a character easy to root for and become emotionally invested in, just like Wick in the previous films. The film also does an admirable job fleshing out and expanding this universe in a way that never feels like its stretching things too thin. We even meet a new organization in the form of the cult Eve must go up against that is not only a compelling new addition to this universe, but also makes for an intimidating threat for her throughout.

It’s also refreshing that the appearances of franchise favorite characters, such as Winston and Charon (Lance Reddick), don’t feel forced or tacked on. Their characters are naturally woven into the story and don’t draw too much attention to themselves. Agreed, the plot is threadbare, but you’re here for the action, and it delivers more of what we’ve come to expect and rest assured live up to the caliber of the franchise. Here, director Wiseman harnesses his experience behind the camera of the Underworld films to orchestrate these fisticuffs with ease and de Armas copes with the physical demand of her role with similar grace.

Every action sequence feels like a standout and not only that, but they also feel right at home aesthetically in the world of John Wick. When they’re at their peak, the fight scenes make you cringe and chuckle at the same time. The film acknowledges that Eve is physically weaker than most of her male opponents, so she has to fight smart.

In many of the action scenes, you don’t see her mowing down enemies like John Wick; she gets beaten up a lot. Instead, she uses clever tactics and tools to gain the upper hand, which results in some truly creative action set pieces. She mostly weaponizes her unpredictability: grenades, fire, fists and no kill looks the same. There’s an excellent, albeit ridiculous, grenade scene that’s so dumb it’s brilliant. There’s also a fun sequence involving ice skates and a phenomenal flamethrower moment that was just glorious.

It also helps that Ana de Armas is terrific in the lead role. Not only does she prove that she worked tremendously hard to pull off the stunts in the film, but she is completely magnetic on screen. She’s charismatic, ferocious, and vulnerable as Eve, a deeply tortured character riddled with anguish, anger, impatience, and inner turmoil about the path she’s gone down and the work she’s chosen to do.

As the new villain Gabriel Byrne is in full-on scenery-chewing mode, while in supporting roles – Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Norman Reedus, David Castañeda and Lance Reddick (in his final appearance) add enough value to the proceedings.

The film also has Keanu Reeves making an extended appearance as John Wick, something which will obviously please fans of the franchise. Though, his presence ultimately feels like unnecessary window dressing, it’s great to see Reeves and de Armas share the screen together and the former get in on the action with his signature flair. On the whole, ‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina‘ is a worthy spinoff that captures the same absurd and thrilling energy of the original series.