Mini Film Review – Ballerina

Yesterday I watched Ballerina; and it was pretty good! Directed by Len Wiseman, and starring Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, and Gabriel Byrne; Ballerina (or From the World of John Wick: Ballerina if you want to use it’s full title) is an action thriller spin-off set in the world of John Wick between films 3 and 4. As a young girl, Eve Macarro (Armas) witnesses the death of her father at the hands of a cult leader (Byrne), many years later she is now a trained assasin, and sets out on a quest for vengeance! The references to John Wick are all over the place, largely thanks to past characters and Keanu Reeves himself showing up periodically. But the film does take time to explore other worlds, and in some regards the film’s setting and build-up are a lot like The Villainess, showing her training and background, before going out into the real world as a lethal assasin. Ballerina does though fall into the same trap that all the other John Wick films have done: lacking explanation. The main enemy group is constantly referred to as a cult. But they never explain what kind of cult they are, and as a result, the definition just feels meaningless. But other than this constant issue, the film works out really well. The fight choreography is excellent, whilst also showing off new things that have not been seen to date, such as an awesome face-off involving flamethrowers. Ana de Armas really fits into this world too, as she finds it easy to dissolve into it, but without following the same mould as John Wick himself, instead portraying a new and (almost more) interesting character. It’s also nice to see an array of coloured lighting, and a different style of music too. I hope they make a sequel?!