Ballerina

Marrvell 7/9/2025 4:28:20 PM 8.4

* 1. The Ballerina in the world of John Wick is a captivating character who seamlessly blends the grace of ballet with the lethality of combat, embodying the franchise's unique fusion of art and violence. Introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, she enriches the series' intricate world-building by highlighting the diverse skills and backgrounds within the assassin network. Unity Phelan's portrayal is both elegant and fierce, making the Ballerina a memorable and striking addition to the John Wick universe.

Moviesandall 7/9/2025 3:19:44 PM 8.4

_Ballerina_ is a culmination of everything that works in the John Wick universe, but also dialed up to new heights. The movie is quite a simple vengeance story at the center which is sadly left unfulfilled but it is how well every other element of the movie is taken that makes this story actually work at the end of the day. The action is the same John Wick action we know and love but with so much more creativity infused this time around, from people popping like a balloon by way of grenade to people being lit on fire like crazy. This different approach to the action of the main John Wick films, which is often cold and very mechanical, makes Ballerina stand out on its own. Of course, _Ballerina_ also stands out because of the committed efforts of Ana de Armas as Eve who the audience actually gets to care for in the movie. That's why John Wick's inclusion here seems like a massive 4th wall break because the audience is locked into Eve and her vengeful mission. Other flaws of this movie lie in character development, balance, motivation, and redemption but also in short plot points and vague plot points. Lastly, the world building in _Ballerina_ is a healthy amount, especially for a spin-off film, making the movie that much more interesting. _Ballerina_ is another stellar addition to the John Wick universe that I hope has legs to continue in the future.

JPV852 6/6/2025 5:50:56 AM 8.4

Entertaining enough spin-off that features great stunts and action sequences one would expect from the franchise and while the story isn't terribly strong (to be fair none of the JW movies had amazing plots), it was a solid time-waster and Ana de Armas was fairly good in the lead. Reeves for his part probably had about 10-minutes of screen time and likely collected a nice paycheck for a day or two of filming. I won't say it broke new ground however I did think it was a step up from John Wick: Chapter 4. **3.5/5**