'From The World of John Wick: Ballerina' Review: A Thrilling, Worthy Spinoff
The John Wick universe has officially become larger with From The World of John Wick: Ballerina, a spinoff that is sure to please die hard fans of the action series while expanding the fascinating lore and mythology the franchise has already established.
From The World of John Wick: Ballerina centers on Eve (Ana De Armas), a woman who is trained to be an assassin in the traditions of the Ruska Roma family as she aims to seek vengeance for the brutal murder of her father and bring the individuals responsible to justice. Following in the footsteps of its four incredibly well-made predecessors would make any spinoff sweat, but if there’s one word to describe this expansion of the franchise it’s confidence, lots of it.
Fortunately, this spinoff has a fantastic lead in De Armas who is truly a force to be reckoned with here. Not only does she prove that she worked tremendously hard to pull off the stunts in the film, but she is completely magnetic on screen. She’s charismatic, ferocious, and vulnerable as Eve, a deeply tortured character riddled with anguish, anger, impatience, and inner turmoil about the path she’s gone down and the work she’s chosen to do. She’s a character easy to root for and become emotionally invested in, just like Wick in the previous films. Making things even better are the action sequences which fans can rest assured live up to the caliber of the franchise.
The film is helmed by Len Wiseman, a director whose filmography is eclectic to say the least, having made films like Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard and the remake of Total Recall. While on the surface his direction appears to be confident and assured throughout, it’s unmistakable how the rumored re-shoots helmed by franchise veteran director Chad Stahelski are heavily sprinkled throughout in order to enhance the overall look and feel of the film, particularly the action sequences. Regardless of who helmed what, the set pieces are truly breathtaking. The stunts, camerawork, staging, relentless energy and playfulness keep the film light on its feet and heavy on the entertainment value. Every action sequence feels like a standout and not only that, but they also feel right at home aesthetically in the world of John Wick.
The film also does an admirable job fleshing out and expanding this universe in a way that never feels like its stretching things too thin. We meet a new organization Eve must go up against that is not only a compelling new addition to this universe, but also makes for an intimidating threat for her throughout. It’s also refreshing that the appearances of franchise favorite characters, such as Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (Lance Reddick), don’t feel forced or tacked on. Their characters are naturally woven into the story and don’t draw too much attention to themselves. Unfortunately, the big cameo in the film is one it could’ve easily done without.
John Wick himself, played once again by Keanu Reeves, makes an extended appearance in the film which will obviously please fans of the franchise. However, his presence ultimately feels like unnecessary window dressing, a reminder that is delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer that this story takes place in the same world his character inhabits. Naturally, it’s great to see Reeves and De Armas share the screen together and the former get in on the action with his signature flair, but this spinoff could’ve easily stood on its own without his character appearing at all. It also doesn’t help that its puzzling why his character would be where he is given the context that this film takes place between the third and fourth John Wick films, but it’s best not to think about it too deeply to avoid a nagging headache.
The film also falters when it comes to its supporting characters. Norman Reedus shows up as a member of the cult that Eve is tracking, but his character barely has any screen time or development to make much of an impression despite Reedus’ best efforts and gruff charm. The villain of the film, played here by Gabriel Byrne, is also a considerable disappointment, especially when compared to prior antagonists in the series. His character is mostly seen ordering his men around from afar or gaslighting everyone around him, barely making an impact despite his sizable screen time.
Pacing is also an issue for this spinoff, starting slow and sluggish out of the gate with a first act that feels cliche and very been there, done that in various aspects. Simply put, the first half of the film, including Eve’s backstory and her training, feels far too conventional for this franchise. Luckily, the second act picks up steam considerably and delivers the crowd-pleasing action film fans are expecting. The film also contains multiple trademarks of the series that can feel a little too conspicuous and tired, feeling more like obligatory fan service than organic narrative additions.
Fans can take a big sigh of relief with this spinoff and go into theaters confident they are not only going to see a great action film, but a very fun extension of the franchise they’ve come to know and love. From The World of John Wick: Ballerina is a rare spinoff that enriches and widens an established world and its residing characters instead of phoning it in to rake in box office dollars. Fans will show up for John Wick, but will assuredly leave wanting to see far more of Eve and the world of the Continental.