Ballerina movie review: Ana de Armas revives John Wick franchise, 4/5 stars
From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina (M18)
125 minutes, opens on June 5
★★★★☆
The story: In the John Wick world of shadowy syndicates and the assassins who work for them, young Eve's father (David Castaneda) is murdered by an unknown clan. Winston (Ian McShane), manager of the haven for hired killers, the Continental Hotel, takes the girl under his wing. He sends her to Ruska Roma, an organisation that runs a ballet school training students to be graceful as they are deadly. Under the eye of the Director (Anjelica Huston), Eve (played by Ana de Armas as an adult) counts down the days till she can exact vengeance on the men who slayed her dad.
The first spin-off from the Keanu Reeves-headlined John Wick franchise (2014 to 2023) possesses all the signature elements – the gun-fu, intense violence and weapons porn. It also has something that was lacking in the series' recent films: a story with a beginning, middle and end.
At the centre of this origin story, set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), is Cuban-Spanish actress de Armas, who puts in a formidable performance as the seething agent of chaos. She is fiercely present, physically and emotionally. As a protagonist, Eve's compelling fury is much more relatable than Wick's ice-cold stoicism, which has been present since Reeves played the hired gun in the first film .
The John Wick universe is inspired by – or some would say, a direct copy of – martial arts movies set in a feudal China or Japan pockmarked by feisty clans jostling for control.
Ballerina would be the classic Hong Kong tale of an orphan raised in a Shaolin temple and trained to be invincible, so he or she might settle scores in a climactic showdown.
There is a compelling simplicity to the orphaned avenger set-up that American director Len Wiseman (the Underworld film franchise, 2003 to 2016; Total Recall, 2012) exploits to the fullest. There is little of the overwrought lore that dragged down the last two John Wick movies – the stuff about the High Table and its elaborate rules of order is thankfully absent. The inclusion of Ruska Roma and the Continental Hotel is kept to a minimum and feels necessary to the story.
To be fair, Wiseman has an easier job than four-time John Wick director Chad Stahelski, who has had to build a fantasy world over the past decade. By the fourth film, it was clear fatigue had set in, with the plot contrivances that move Wick from one fight to another becoming more strained and bloated.
Ballerina does not squander its new story and protagonist on weak action. Its fights are stunningly choreographed, with one highlight being a battle set in Prague that features hand grenades as weapons. That segment offers maximum bang for the buck.
This fresh start is a good move, one that bodes well for the future of the franchise as it heads into a fifth John Wick movie and a number of sequels and prequels – animated and live-action.
Hot take: With new face de Armas, the John Wick franchise is revitalised with stunning action that feels fresh, not formulaic.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
Rebel Wilson wants more action comedy roles after starring in Bride Hard, Entertainment News
Rebel Wilson wants more action comedy roles after starring in Bride Hard. The 45-year-old actress reunites with her Pitch Perfect co-star Anna Camp in the new flick that centres on a chaotic wedding day and hopes to land similar roles in the future, even though she acknowledges that she is not going to be in the John Wick franchise. Rebel told The Hollywood Reporter at the movie's Los Angeles premiere on Wednesday (June 18): "Obviously I'm not a serious action person, I'm not going to be in the John Wick franchise, but I feel like action comedy maybe there's a few roles coming up in that space which would be really fun." The Australian star plays secret agent Sam in the movie which sees her childhood best friend Betsy's (Camp) wedding crashed by armed mercenaries and says that she had been looking to work with her pal once again on a new project. Rebel said: "I love Anna, I think she's one of the world's best actresses — she can do anything, if you've seen her recently in You or Hysteria!, she's so multitalented. "This movie required a girl squad, so I was like, 'Yeah, bring in Anna Camp.' She could play any role; she decided she wanted to be the bride and so we play besties yet again." The film is directed by Simon West and he says it was a straightforward decision to cast Anna because of her existing bond with Wilson. The director explained: "It was just easy because they're friends. There's so much else going on in the film and putting a film together, you go, 'How can we make that relationship work the best?' And getting somebody like Anna Camp who is already her best friend and has already worked with her and they know each other's timing, it just makes the whole thing so obvious." Meanwhile, Rebel revealed that she went into "beast mode" when it came to her physical preparation for the movie. The Bridesmaids star told People: "I was pretty strong during this movie. I trained for a full five weeks and did conditioning for it, and then I had to be really kind of in beast mode, but I really enjoyed it, getting paid to almost be fit, which is really good." However, the actress explained that she was almost left "permanently disfigured" by a "freak accident" on set. She told Access Hollywood: "In a fight scene, a gun accidentally got whacked across my face. "It was just a freak accident, and my nose got split open, so I left set. It was my last night of shooting. I was like, 'How unlucky can I be?' "I was freaking out. They take an ambulance and they have to call a plastic surgeon, because if they didn't, I would have been permanently disfigured. So we got the plastic surgeon, they did all the stitches, and you can't tell now." [[nid:719218]]
Business Times
08-06-2025
- Business Times
Disney's ‘Lilo & Stitch' tops North America box office for third week
[LOS ANGELES] Disney's family-friendly Lilo & Stitch kept up its dominance of the early summer North American box office, winning for a third week in a row with US$32.5 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed on Sunday (Jun 8). The live-action remake of a 2002 animated film of the same name has so far raked in US$335.8 million in the United States and Canada, and another US$436 million abroad, Exhibitor Relations said. Maia Kealoha (as Lilo), Hannah Waddingham, Courtney B Vance and Zach Galifianakis star, while Chris Sanders again provides the voice of the chaos-creating blue alien Stitch. Debuting in second place at US$25 million was Lionsgate's Ballerina, a John Wick spinoff starring Ana de Armas as a dancer turned contract killer, and co-starring Anjelica Huston. Keanu Reeves makes a brief appearance as the hitman Wick. 'This is a weak opening for an action thriller spinoff,' said David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – the latest, and ostensibly last, in the hugely successful Tom Cruise spy thriller series based on a 1960s TV show – took third place with US$15 million. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up The Paramount film has now grossed more than US$449 million worldwide. In fourth place was Sony's Karate Kid: Legends, a sequel featuring Ralph Macchio – the star of the original 1984 classic – and action flick icon Jackie Chan, along with Ben Wang in the title role. It made US$8.7 million at the domestic box office in its second week in theatres. And finishing up the top five was Warner Bros and New Line's horror film Final Destination: Bloodlines , at US$6.5 million. It has grossed US$123.6 million so far at the domestic box office. Rounding out the top 10 were:
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- Straits Times
Ballerina movie review: Ana de Armas revives John Wick franchise, 4/5 stars
From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina (M18) 125 minutes, opens on June 5 ★★★★☆ The story: In the John Wick world of shadowy syndicates and the assassins who work for them, young Eve's father (David Castaneda) is murdered by an unknown clan. Winston (Ian McShane), manager of the haven for hired killers, the Continental Hotel, takes the girl under his wing. He sends her to Ruska Roma, an organisation that runs a ballet school training students to be graceful as they are deadly. Under the eye of the Director (Anjelica Huston), Eve (played by Ana de Armas as an adult) counts down the days till she can exact vengeance on the men who slayed her dad. The first spin-off from the Keanu Reeves-headlined John Wick franchise (2014 to 2023) possesses all the signature elements – the gun-fu, intense violence and weapons porn. It also has something that was lacking in the series' recent films: a story with a beginning, middle and end. At the centre of this origin story, set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), is Cuban-Spanish actress de Armas, who puts in a formidable performance as the seething agent of chaos. She is fiercely present, physically and emotionally. As a protagonist, Eve's compelling fury is much more relatable than Wick's ice-cold stoicism, which has been present since Reeves played the hired gun in the first film . The John Wick universe is inspired by – or some would say, a direct copy of – martial arts movies set in a feudal China or Japan pockmarked by feisty clans jostling for control. Ballerina would be the classic Hong Kong tale of an orphan raised in a Shaolin temple and trained to be invincible, so he or she might settle scores in a climactic showdown. There is a compelling simplicity to the orphaned avenger set-up that American director Len Wiseman (the Underworld film franchise, 2003 to 2016; Total Recall, 2012) exploits to the fullest. There is little of the overwrought lore that dragged down the last two John Wick movies – the stuff about the High Table and its elaborate rules of order is thankfully absent. The inclusion of Ruska Roma and the Continental Hotel is kept to a minimum and feels necessary to the story. To be fair, Wiseman has an easier job than four-time John Wick director Chad Stahelski, who has had to build a fantasy world over the past decade. By the fourth film, it was clear fatigue had set in, with the plot contrivances that move Wick from one fight to another becoming more strained and bloated. Ballerina does not squander its new story and protagonist on weak action. Its fights are stunningly choreographed, with one highlight being a battle set in Prague that features hand grenades as weapons. That segment offers maximum bang for the buck. This fresh start is a good move, one that bodes well for the future of the franchise as it heads into a fifth John Wick movie and a number of sequels and prequels – animated and live-action. Hot take: With new face de Armas, the John Wick franchise is revitalised with stunning action that feels fresh, not formulaic. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
