Movie Review: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA
Sequels are hard. Franchises are even harder. Friends, yours truly continues to be a card-carrying John Wick: Chapter 4 fan. However, I am decidedly not a fan of needless sequels. Over the course of the last year, though, we've seen Hollywood really start testing out the Wick Universe. Just how far will this dark, chaotic and violent world stretch? Well, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina aims to test that. Will the frenetic stunt spectacular land a solid punch? Or will the fireworks fail to spark? Read on. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
A young woman (Ana de Armas), after growing up in the Ruska Roma ballet school, strikes out on her own as an assassin. With her newfound freedom, she is solely focused on avenging her father's murder. However, she soon finds herself entangled with a super-secret cult of murderers. Will she be able to come out on top? Ian McShane, Angelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus and Lance Reddick co-star in the movie. Len Wiseman directs From the World of John Wick: Ballerina from a script by Shay Hatten.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a beast of a title, but boy, oh, boy. I must bow to the Wick creative team for continually finding a way to keep the franchise feeling not only fresh but innovative. Five films in, most franchises are starting to feel … a little dusty. Not John Wick , it seems, though.
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Wiseman and his creative team step into large shoes. Chad Stahelski helmed the first four films and played a vital role in crafting this world. Kids, you wouldn't even know Stahelski wasn't behind the camera. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina captures the same quick pacing in this magnificent, fluorescent, breakneck universe. Wiseman, for those who might not remember, cut his teeth directing the Underworld franchise beginning with the first film in 2003, so he knows his way around a stunt.
It shouldn't come as a surprise, but Ana de Armas slays (pun intended) as Eve, the once lost little girl coming into her own. She's by herself for long stretches of time, but her intense physicality and an occasionally winking charisma allow her to easily carry the story. De Armas, however, is particularly at ease with the stunt work, which, like any John Wick film, is always formidable.
This franchise's ability to develop on its stunts with each passing movie is a thing of beauty. Nothing is repeated. While John Wick had to spend the fourth film fighting his way through Paris, Eve must work her way through a quaint little village in the Alps, where apparently everyone is an assassin. Everything can be used as a weapon: katanas, hand grenades, dinner plates … fingers. There were plenty of shocked scoffs in the theater thanks to the pace and ferocity of the film's violence. This film is a hoot with an audience.
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At the same time, the movie's dynamic supporting players will feel immediately comfortable to everyone familiar with the John Wick franchise. Ian McShane, of course, dominates when he's on screen. Any elder millennial will tell you, with far too much glee, that Angelica Huston is a queen. However, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina also reminded yours truly of one thing. We don't deserve Gabriel Byrne, who cuts a menacing figure as The Chancellor.
Friends, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a rarity. It might be the fifth film in the franchise, but it's also just as fun as the first. The seamless melding of inventive stunts, magnetic world-building and a colorful cast of supporting characters shoulder the load easily. This is an effortlessly gritty stunt spectacular and a must-see for John Wick fans the world over.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina opens in theaters on June 6, 2025.
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