Ballerina Movie Review

Released: 6th June 2025 (UK and US)

Length: 125 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Len Wiseman

Starring: Ana de Armas, Angelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, Ian Mcshane, Lance Reddick and Keanu Reeves

Since 2014, the John Wick franchise has torn up the box office with some of the best fight choreography in the action genre. The Baba Yaga’s story concluded in 2023, but his stylised world is up for expansion with spin-offs. Ana De Armas takes the lead in Ballerina, a well-made film that sits in the shadow of the mainline titles.

Taking place during John Wick: Chapter 3, Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) is the daughter of an assassin, inducted into the Ruska Roma at a young age. She seeks vengeance on those who killed her father, eventually breaking away from the faction to carry out her personal mission. Ballerina doesn’t stray far from the franchise formula; a world of assassins and a protagonist who turns their skills against it; the film unfolds across several locations from New York all the way to Scandinavia. It maintains a good pace, though there are a couple of plot threads that don’t mean much to the narrative. Eve’s lost sister is waived through without any depth and her search for a kidnapped daughter had some potential for parallels, but also falls short. These were intended to make her story stand out from John, but they needed more attention in the runtime. Still, many who have followed the series for years will find it easy to dismiss these problems.

The characters of Ballerina sit on the same level as the first John Wick. Ana de Armas is strong-willed and determined throughout as Eve steels herself in combat. I felt she could have done more for the emotional moments, especially in the final act. Her adversary is played by Gabriel Byrne; a good choice, but The Chancellor feels rather flat when compared to previous efforts. Like Willem Defoe before him, Norman Reedus is short-changed with a basic role; he shows up for a fight scene at the end of the first act and is quickly taken out of commission. The actor has solid experience in the genre and it’s a shame he doesn’t have more to do. On the other hand, several returning faces including Ian McShane as Winston and Lance Reddick as Charon (his final role released posthumously) are very effective for short time they take place. Keanu Reeves does make an appearance and he delivers some great work once again; Ballerina weaves John Wick into the narrative without disrupting the flow, allowing the two actors to show off their strengths together.

What’s most impressive about Ballerina is a continued excellence in action. Despite being the fifth entry in the series, the filmmakers always know how to switch things up. Battling at close range with grenades and a potent flamethrower in the climax are the big highlights alongside the usual round of gun-fu. The stuntwork, lighting and camera angles are all superb, delivering a wildly entertaining flourish. There’s no doubt Ana trained hard for these scenes and a lot of emphasis is placed on Eve using her wits instead of brute strength to come out on top. However, the sense of pain has been reduced this time around. In previous films John would get battered and bruised in most fight scenes, amplifying the tension, but Eva often finishes most set pieces without many scratches. The music is fairly unremarkable too; aside from the use of iconic opera themes, it doesn’t do enough to set itself apart from the mainline films.

Ballerina may have some drawbacks and a lacklustre plot thread or two, but when it sticks to creative action the production finds great success. It’s an entertaining spin-off that still delivers everything you’d expect from the franchise.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)