‘Ballerina' review: Ana de Armas leads a bloody ‘John Wick' spinoff
The new 'John Wick' spinoff 'Ballerina' is recommendable, -ish, primarily for the way Anjelica Huston, as the Russian mob boss, makes a meal out of a single-syllable word near the end, delivered after a pause so unerringly timed it's almost too good for this world. We don't deserve it. This fifth and fairly diverting movie in the assassin's-revenge franchise is not much interested in what anyone has to say — although Keanu Reeves says what little he has to say in rivetingly off-human ways — but Huston blurts her game-over syllable with the 'oh, authority of an acting titan.
'Ballerina' screenwriter Shay Hatten dreams up a simple story taking place between the events of 'John Wick' Chapters 3 and 4. In a prologue, little Eve (Victoria Comte) is orphaned after her assassin father is killed in an attack from a rival underworld gang, members of which have a conspicuous 'X' branded on their wrists.
Eve's taken under the protection of Wick's sometime-affiliates, the Ruska Roma. The years pass, she's Ana de Armas, she's long past ballet training even though she's still carrying around her wind-up ballerina doll, and she's ready to concentrate on killing. And that's the movie: She wants the killers of her late killer father killed, personally, by her.
It's no spoiler: This is where Reeves as Wick comes in handy, dispensing helpful/cryptic/annoying/supercool life lessons in tiny little sentences. Mostly Eve goes it alone, taking care of unworthy assailants of every type, including the deadliest barista alive. Reportedly, the late adds to the final cut of 'Ballerina' reinstated some extensive, relatively complex action sequences. They're pretty fair for what they are, meaning: They're stunt-driven, sometimes, and digitally futzed and stitched and glossed other times. You rarely get the kind of clean, inventive propulsion generated by that amazing 'John Wick 3' opener in the rare-books emporium, or the best bits in the Paris staircase marathon in '4.'
How's de Armas? She's OK. Sometimes better, but rarely holding the screen or activating the human element in any surprising ways. It's not her fault that Eve has so little emotional or psychological detail to go on; it's not in the script, which is both straightforward and filmable (I mean, they did film it) and as thin as Dollar Store printing paper.
As for the finale, well, it's a little too in love with the obvious lust object of 'Ballerina': the superhot flamethrower brandished by Eve as she incinerates a dutiful roster of village assassins. The movie hits sincere variations on the themes of fate and family, practically begging for a 'Fast & Furious' crossover project. But 'Ballerina' really can't wait to get to the flames.
'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' — 2.5 stars (out of 4)
MPA rating: R (for strong/bloody violence throughout, and language)
Running time: 2:05
How to watch: Premieres in theaters June 5
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See John Wick spinoff 'Ballerina' in theaters, rent 'Sinners,' stream 'Presence' on Hulu, plus more movies to watch this weekend
We independently evaluate the products we review. When you buy via links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read more about how we vet products and deals. Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers! I'm Brett Arnold, a longtime writer and editor at Yahoo and film critic for my podcast, Roger (Ebert) & Me, and welcome to Trust Me, I Watch Everything. I'm here to recommend what you should see in movie theaters, rent from the comfort of your couch or queue up from a streaming service you may already subscribe to. I watch it all so you don't have to. This week, Ballerina, the long-awaited John Wick spin-off starring Ana De Armas, hits theaters. If you're looking for a movie to keep you up at night, horror-thriller Dangerous Animals is a strong candidate, but don't miss out on the smash hit Sinners either. Also available is an animated take on the Predator franchise and a nostalgic documentary in Becoming Led Zeppelin. What to watch in theaters Movies newly available to rent or buy Movies debuting on streaming services you may already have Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have My "it's just good enough" recommendation: Why you should watch it: After a lengthy delay and reports of extensive reshoots, stuntman-turned-filmmaker Chad Stahelski, the brainchild of the franchise and director of all four John Wick films, was brought in to replace director Len Wiseman. One of its stars, Ian McShane, confirmed in an interview that Stahelski came onboard to "protect the franchise." He did what he could. Whenever the movie is in hyper-violent action mode, it's a lot of fun. The problem is, that awesome action is almost entirely relegated to the final 45 minutes, which leaves about an hour and 15 minutes of laborious setup. Anytime the movie slows down to get into the minutiae of the world-building or the backstory of the lead character, it's a bore, missing the mark of what makes Wick satisfying. The dark humor that punctuates the violence, a staple of the series, is firmly in tact here though, and the more inventive kills involve grenades, flamethrowers and an ice skate. Keeping with franchise tradition, it does appear that Ana de Armas does a lot of her own fighting and stunt work, and it looks great. While the reshoots clearly added the fluid action that works, they also added in John Wick himself in a way that felt unneeded, taking away from the lead character's story. I guess the writing was on the wall when the title changed from Ballerina to From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. 🍿 What critics are saying: Don't come for the storyline! Variety's Owen Gleiberman called the plot of Ballerina "pure trash," with the Los Angeles Times's Amy Nicholson calling it "a snooze." That said, the fight scenes get high marks. "These movies lie or die by their action sequences, and to its credit, this franchise expansion pack has a few good ones up its sleeve," Rolling Stone's David Fear wrote. 👀 How to watch: From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is now in theaters nationwide. Get tickets ➕ Bonus recommendation: Dangerous Animals Why you should watch it: Dangerous Animals is one of those movies in which the very premise feels like a spoiler. The opening scene is such a terrific reveal, it's hard not to imagine how much better it'd play with zero knowledge going in. So stop reading now and watch it if you're into horror or survival thrillers or shark movies. If you need more convincing, read on, because boy does it have a killer premise. It's a serial killer movie with a shark-related twist, or a shark movie with a serial killer added for good measure. Let me explain: Jai Courtney plays a serial killer, and his method of killing people is to feed them to sharks. 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David Sims at the Atlantic said it "had [him] cheering for every thrill and spill, all while mulling the deeper concerns threaded through it" and AP's Jocelyn Novek wrote, "by far the most creatively ambitious, culturally layered, artistically bold twin-led cinematic outing yet — if this sentence feels like a lot, get ready for the movie!" 👀 How to watch: Sinners is now available to rent or purchase on digital and on-demand. Rent or buy 'Sinners' 🤔 If that's not for you... : A Nicolas Cage-led, laugh-out-loud funny but also quite stressful descent into madness that recalls the Ozploitation classic Wake in Fright. "Don't live here, don't surf here!" — Rent or buy. My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Prey, the Predator prequel that brought new life to the beloved sci-fi/action franchise, shocked everyone when it debuted on Hulu a few years ago with its unique spin on the series, centering Amber Midthunder's Naru. 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Now streaming on Peacock. :The selling point of this movie is not only that Robert De Niro is returning to the mob movie genre, but that he's playing two distinct leading roles in it. The problem is, the characters are not related, so it's just a strange gimmick that never really makes sense outside of "wouldn't it be fun to see De Niro play against himself?" The movie is a familiar bore, but it's now on HBO Max, so if you're curious, it won't cost you anything extra. Now streaming on HBO Max. What an exhaustive week! We'll see you again next Friday at the movies.
Yahoo
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John Wick 5 Isn't a Sure Thing, Keanu Reeves Not in Caine Spin-off
Longtime Jon Wick director Chad Stahelski recently opened up about progress on John Wick 5, the planned Caine spin-off, and how Keanu Reeves factors into it all. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Stahelski was asked about how John Wick 5 will move forward while still trying to keep Wick's death in the fourth movie a canon fact. Stahelski admitted that coming up with ideas was tough and that they are still trying to crack it. 'I'm not going to lie to you, it's a bit of a conundrum,' said Stahelski. 'Me and Mike Finch — the writer on 4 who's also writing 5 — we've got a pretty good story that I think is cool. Once we have a 50-page book, and if we're feeling it, we'll sit with Keanu and shape this thing. Look, everybody seems to want it. It's a matter of whether we crack it. We're actively working on it. It's just . . . is it going to be satisfying?' Despite the reported development of a fifth film, Stahelski seemed more apprehensive about the film existing, noting that 'if' they decide it isn't right, they will likely stumble across other story ideas in the process. The director noted that the studio does 'very much' want a fifth movie, though, and they are trying. 'The studio would very much will it into existence, I'm sure, at some point. Look, they've been great and they've asked us to really try and we have a really good couple of ideas and we're going to try.' Another question asked of Stahelski was whether or not Wick will appear in the planned spin-off movie Caine, which stars Donny Yen. Stahelski did reveal that Wick won't be in that movie and offered up what fans can expect from its tone. 'The Donny Yen spinoff doesn't have the John Wick character. It's got Donny Yen and it's an ode to kung fu movies,' Stahelski said. 'If John Wick 1 was about Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin, this is about Chow Yun-fat, John Woo and Wong Kar-wai. So I think that one is a little easier to get it across to audiences because it's in a sub-genre of what we love.' (Source: The Hollywood Reporter) Originally reported by Anthony Nash on Coming Soon.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Ballerina Reviews & Rotten Tomatoes Are Good, but Not John Wick Level
Ballerina has garnered mostly positive reviews from critics and a pretty good Rotten Tomatoes score, though it's not as remarkable as some of the other entries in the John Wick franchise. The movie premieres in U.S. theaters on Friday, June 6, 2025, and follows Ana de Armas' Eve Macarro, a ballerina who starts training as an assassin in pursuit of revenge. Jonathan Sim of ComingSoon gave Ballerina a nine out of 10 rating and noted that it was 'yet another fantastic installment in this series.' Sim praised the movie's action sequences, adding that it fleshes out the 'sliver of a world we saw in John Wick 3, when Wick goes to the ballet to get help from The Director (Anjelica Huston), who ran the crime syndicate The Ruska Roma.' Screen Rant's Rachel LaBonte observed that while Ballerina might not have lived up to the 'high standards set by the previous movies,' the reviewer did have 'a good time watching it.' According to Brian Truitt of USA Today, 'There's no need to yearn for a female 007 or a woman Wick anymore – just hope for another film that's all about Eve.' TheWrap's William Bibbiani criticized Ballerina by writing that it was a 'cluttered mess with a boring storyline.' However, Bibbiani added that the action was 'amazing' in the movie and that 'there's a genuine sense of humor to all its weird duels to the death.' John Wick (2014) has an 86% approval rating on the review aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes after 225 reviews. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) has an approval rating of 89% after 283 reviews. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) has also garnered an 89% rating after 357 reviews. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) has a 94% approval rating after 383 reviews. The Continental, which originally streamed on Peacock in 2023, has a 63% approval rating for its first and only season. As for Ballerina (2025), it currently has a 78% approval rating after 80 reviews. That number will likely change after the movie premieres and more reviews are submitted.
