Following in the footsteps of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick was always going to be a tough ask forAna De Armas’ foray into the world of assassins inFrom the World of John Wick: Ballerina, but first reviews suggest she has risen to the task of becoming theWickuniverse’s newest kick-ass assassin – even if the film does have a tricky embargo in place, and some feel let down by the film in one particular way.
Ballerina’sstory takes place between the third and fourthJohn Wickmovies, allowing fans to be thrown right back into the world they know, and one where Reeve’s dog-loving killer has not met his maker. De Armas plays Eve, an assassin on a revenge mission to avenge her father, who is doing a veryJohn Wickthing and taking on plenty of bad guys who would happily see her dead.
Ana de Armas Explains Why Her ‘Ballerina’ Character is Not Just “the Female John Wick”
The John Wick saga continues this year with ‘Ballerina,’ but Ana de Armas has made sure that her character is not just a female John Wick.
While we are still a little way from getting a full critical view of the movie, many of the reactions shared on social media all seem to be in agreement about one thing – if you are looking for wild, over-the-top action sequences, plenty of violence, and not too much to think about, thenBallerinais probably going to be for you.
One comment from @LuminousDagger on X says that calledBallerinahas plenty of “ice-breaking, bone-crunching and gut-spilling action” which gives de Armas her “best action role yet.” This was emphatically corroborated by @TheJonathanSim, who says, “The best movie of the year. Absolute mayhem from start to finish. Mind-blowing fight scenes, phenomenally choreographed and staged. Ana de Armas is an action hero for the ages.”
‘Ballerina’ Can Scratch That John Wick Itch
For those who are looking for a bit of Shakespeare, thenBallerinacould be a little bit of a disappointment, but asComicBook’s Chris Killian puts it, “Admittedly, the story is a little shallow, but if all you want is to see Ana de Armas kill enough assassins to fill a small European village, thenBallerinais a bloody badass good time with action as intense and inventive as you’d expect from theJohn Wickfranchise.”
One of the surprising comments to come from this early wave of reviews notes that the appearance of Keanu Reevesin the movie is actually one of the slight negatives about the movie. @GermainLussier’s brief appraisal says, “Ballerinais so hilariously over the top, I laughed through the whole thing - for better & worse. It’s propulsive, has wild action, but also a painfully boring story that holds it back. John Wick’s inclusion hurts the movie too, which sucks, but Ana de Armas is a true action star.”
And that last line seems to be the consensus aboutBallerina, which means that those missing some of thatblistering, chaoticJohn Wickactionwill definitely find the movie a worthy addition to the franchise. Although early box office projections have not exactly been on the level of recent Wick movies,Ballerinacould do just enough to keep the saga alive untilJohn Wick 5brings Keanu Reeves back to the franchise full-time.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
