Well, I thought, after John Wick: Chapter 4, we would have seen the last of the assassin formerly known as Baba Yaga. That’s not what Lionsgate thought apparently as they brought back John Wick for, as of right now, one more blood-soaked adventure… sorta. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina does have John Wick show up to cement this as part of the world. However, this is still a story focusing on a new assassin who, while maybe not as deadly as Baba Yaga for now, is more than capable of carrying his legacy.

So, two things you have to know right now before you read on. First, I’ll be calling this movie Ballerina from now on because, while I know there is South Korean movie with the same title, it’s simply too much work to keep on typing in “From the World of John Wick…” when we all know what movie we’re talking about. Let’s not be too pedantic about it. Second, this will be a SPOILER FREE review. I got to watch it earlier than most territories because movies in the Philippines are released on a Wednesday instead of a Friday or the weekend. So, I am aware most territories haven’t even seen it yet so, to be fair to them, this will be a SPOILER FREE review.

Taking place around the same time as John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Eve, a young and eager assassin of the Ruska Roma clan, finds clues as to the whereabouts of the group who killed her father. Despite orders from The Director to stand down as it may cause the downfall of the entire clan, Eve still sets out on her personal mission of revenge.

I don’t envy Ana de Armas for taking the role of Eve, the titular Ballerina. You just know a lot of fans will be comparing her to Keanu Reeves‘ John Wick. It wouldn’t be a fair comparison as we did have four whole films to get to know him. However, credit where credit is due, Ana de Armas’ Eve is not just a female version of John Wick and the film does a good job of showing that. She’s generally new to the assassin game so, while she’s still a deadly killing machine, her kills never come off as clean as how John Wick dispatches his targets. You do see the possibility of her becoming a legendary assassin like John Wick but, for now, she still has a ways to go. Still, I will give her a ton of props for doing most of her own stunts. Much like how Keanu Reeves did most of them in his films, you can clearly see Ana de Armas in most of the action scenes.

I also do love how Ballerina does recapture the general aesthetic and world building of the John Wick movies. It was nice to get reacquainted with this really noir-like world where assassins can find safe haven in specific hotels and how, despite them all being assassins, most of them have some code of honor to follow. I will say I am kind of upset they use smartphones instead of the “brick phones” all the assassins carried around as shown in the John Wick movies. I know that’s a nitpick but that little bit of detail really added to the atmosphere and world! Shame they forgot about it here!

Of course, as this is a movie set in the John Wick universe, you do expect there to be a lot of action and fights. Thankfully, the action does follow the franchise’s established formula of chaotic action and generally great fight choreography. They had some really creative ideas and setpieces as well when it comes to the situations Eve has to adapt to. They are really set up well and the fights are very entertaining as they’re happening. However, they do feel like they end abruptly. They just left a feeling of “That’s it?” in me. If they just had one or two more sequences in these actions scenes, they would make a more lasting impression.

The acting ranges from good to… good. Ana de Armas is fine as Eve but I do wish she copied a little more of Keanu Reeves’ “oh-god-I’m-hurt-so-badly-and-I’m-about-to-die” way of conveying how beat up she should be. Maybe that’s why I don’t really feel that much empathy for her despite her getting the crap kicked out of her. I mean, she looks fine! Keanu Reeves still plays the soft-spoken but deadly John Wick will all the class and charisma in the world. It’s also nice to see Ian McShane and (RIP) Lance Reddick reprising their roles as Winston and Charon, respectively. They always bring a feeling of civility and chivalry to this incredibly brutal world of assassins. I also liked Anjelica Huston performance as the Director of the Ruska Roma clan. However, don’t expect them to have a lot of screen time. They’re mostly there to remind people this is a John Wick movie.

I do feel the weakest performance comes from Gabriel Byrne as the big bad guy. But I can’t really blame him for giving a pretty bland performance as the character himself is written pretty bland. Unlike the other good guys and bad guys we’ve gotten to know throughout the John Wick franchise, he has no defining quirk to make him stick out. He doesn’t have a sense of grandeur like Winston. He doesn’t have the trashy class of The Director. Heck, he doesn’t even have the delicious overconfidence of The Marquis in John Wick: Chapter 4! No, this bad guy is just the head of a bad guy group and he’s very unmemorable.

The overall story also had me scratching my head as there are parts that don’t make sense. A lot of it has to deal with Ballerina’s place in John Wick’s continuity. They make it very obvious that it takes place around the time of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum as they even took the time to recreate the scene when John Wick returns to the Ruska Roma and added how Eve actually talked to John Wick during this time. Things gets messy after this as some things in Ballerina don’t really fit the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum afterwards. Then again, I haven’t watched that movie in a while but, from what I remember, things just don’t line up.

I also have to mention there is a feeling of disconnect between the scenes with John Wick, actually. They feel divorced from most of the film. I generally have the sneaking suspicion the higher ups at Lionsgate really wanted to make sure Ballerina was a hit and wanted everyone to know this was a movie in the John Wick universe. So, despite the script not having John Wick show up at all, they ordered the character to get written into the story. When these new scenes were scribbled in, they opted to spend a few extra bucks to get Keanu Reeves to reprises the role. So, John Wick is there but his inclusion does feel rather artificial and forced. Still, he gets to do his John Wick thing, which is always good thing, right?

I also found issue with the script overstuffing the story with a some needless things. As this is a SPOILER FREE review, I can’t really get into the nitty-gritty but there are a couple of unnecessary plot threads and characters introduced to the story. I guess it’s possible they’re planting the seeds for possible sequel stories. But it does make we wish they wove them in better. As such, they could’ve been cut out and trimmed out of the film’s 125-minute runtime.

Then again, I never really went to go see a John Wick movie for the plot. I went to go see them for the action scenes and the atmosphere and, overall, I do think Ballerina gets those two things mostly right. It’s a very enjoyable action movie and does more than just enough to keep you entertained. It’s great seeing Ana de Armas taking the hard hits to get you engrossed in the fights and it’s just so much fun to return to this world of assassins. This does feel like a good start to a proposed spinoff franchise. It may not be a great as the original John Wick movies. But then again, hardly any other movie is, right?

Have you seen From the World of John Wick: Ballerina? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!