I always love a good revenge story. It's usually thrilling and satisfying. The first time I heard that a spin-off from John Wick’s Universe was in production, I was super excited and thrilled considering who the main character of the spin-off is. I knew I was going to watch regardless of any negative review because I couldn't help myself not to be excited to see Keanu Reeves as John Wick again.
Ballerina (2025) is an action thriller film that was distributed by Lionsgate. It is a spin-off that was extracted from the universe of John Wick where the story took place from Chapter 3 and 4 of John Wick. This spin-off starred a lot of interesting actors; Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane and Keanu Reeves.
If you follow the John Wick Universe orderly, you would know that this story is a revenge story that revolves around Eve Macarro who is the daughter of Javier, an assassin of the Ruska Roma and his wife who is a member of a dangerous cult of assassins located in Hallstatt. When Eve was a child her Father took her away from the cult to give her a normal life. This move led to the death of her mother, his wife.
Things did go well for Javier because the Chancellor of this dangerous cult raided Javier’s home where Eve was hidden. This raid also led to the death of Eve’s father right before her eyes. However before Javier died, he used his breath to escape with Eve to safety. So after the death of her father, the New York Continental manager Winston Scott brought Eve to the Ruska Roma where Eve met with the director and she enlisted to be a ballerina.
Fast forward to 12 years later, under the care of the Ruska Romas, Eve underwent some hardcore training, as a ballerina, an assassin and a bodyguard. During her training she got the opportunity to meet the famous ”Baba Yaga” and had a brief chat with him. However, Eve successfully finished her training but then her past creeped in when her life was about to progressive. What happens now? Will her past take her down?
My Review And Rating.
This movie is a worthy spin-off! It was thrilling and an amazing watch. I enjoyed it. The movie kept me on the edge of my seat all through. I didn't at any point in time lose interest or attention. As I kept on watching the movie some characters made me start daydreaming if there could be another spin-off for them also like the character Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster). I want to see more of her, I want to know her backstory and how she got to join the Ruska Roma. Honestly, I am curious about her character and feel she would be a bad ass.
The plot of this movie is straight right out of John Wick type of writing style and vibe. It's straight forward, no mystery, no twist to the story, quite predictable, intense with lots of action scenes, fast paced and thrilling.
In my opinion, I wish Eve Macarro’s character was not written too emotionally. I wish she was written as a coldhearted woman, who has truly lost her father. Also like a woman who has no conscience, stubborn, strong, and resilient. For me Eva’s character is softly portrayed there is no rage, or anger to her. She was too soft to be an assassin who left dead bodies in her path.
The setting of the movie was fantastic. The choreography was done excellently and well knitted into the plot. All the action scenes were arranged well, and shot meticulously. You could tell that a lot of work had been put into it. All the action scenes were fast paced, non-stop sequences which gave me the feel of adrenaline.
The killings were satisfying and good. Also, the cafe owner made me wonder why so much energy and she didn't want to give up until she got a bullet between her eyes. I would have given up. The cast were all good, especially Ana de Armas. She was amazing and carried her role strongly. She had the spotlight and maintained it all through the movie but not until Keanu appeared again.
Rating this movie, I will give it 8 out of 10 stars. It was a nice spin-off. If there would be a sequel, I would love to watch it. My expectations were somewhat met but I am also not forgetting this movie anytime soon.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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