REVIEW: ‘Ballerina,' is a violent dance for revenge

Opinions are the author's alone and not endorsed by 2 NEWS and/or Nexstar Media Group.
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Given that its a spinoff in the world of the ever-popular John Wick franchise, 'Ballerina' lives up to expectations.
That's the review.
Rating: R – for reasons obvious to most, but just in case, strong violence and language.
Runtime: 2 hours, 4 minutes.
Still here? Well, thanks, I'll expound a little bit.
If you're a fan of John Wick, then you'll be pleased with this effort here by the spinoff.
Ana de Armas is a convincing assassin 'From the World of John Wick,' and the action set pieces structured around her character's revenge tour are well executed.
The story and character development are each as thin as a veil, but that's the standard for these movies. John Wick got back into the business after his dog was killed; Eve Macarro (Armas) becomes an assassin to avenge her father. Once the revenge plot is set in motion in these movies, they really move from point A to Z at the speed of a thumping heartbeat.
For reference, 'Ballerina' takes place between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. Wick does appear in the film (which is revealed in the trailer), and he is as cool as usual. Keanu Reeves can probably play this character in his sleep at this point.
To say more on the action pieces, they are elaborate and ever-present. While stuntman/filmmaker Chad Stahelski did not direct 'Ballerina,' the action here gives fans what they're looking for.
Personally though, the John Wick movies aren't my thing because of how much violence they contain, combined with bare story elements that make the characters doing the violence harder to care about.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

16 hours ago

• Yahoo

‘The Hunting Wives' Moves To Netflix For U.S. Following Lionsgate & Starz Separation; Premiere Date Set

EXCLUSIVE: The upcoming thriller drama The Hunting Wives, previously set at Starz, has a new home. Netflix has picked up the exclusive U.S. rights to the series, starring Malin Åkerman and Brittany Snow, which comes from showrunner Rebecca Cutter (Hightown), Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment. It will debut on the streamer on July 21. The Hunting Wives, an adaptation of May Cobb's best selling novel, was greenlighted by Starz in October 2023 when the network was part of Lionsgate, with Lionsgate Television serving as its in-house studio. The show, also starring Dermot Mulroney and Chrissy Metz, was filmed last year and is now completed and in the can. More from Deadline Why 'Ballerina' Isn't Springing Into The Rafters With A $25M-$27M Opening - Saturday AM Box Office Update Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms & Netflix Unveil Creative Partnership Netflix Shareholders Vote Out Board Member In Rare Repudiation; Streamer Weighs Resignation Offer According to sources, as part of Lionsgate and Starz's separation agreement, which came into effect May 7, Lionsgate Television negotiated the acquisition of The Hunting Wives' rights back from Starz as the studio executives felt that there was a better opportunity for a multi-season run on another platform vs. the limited series envisioned by Starz. The move also made sense for Starz which is moving towards owner economics post-separation with its programming strategy focused on series the network fully controls or co-produces. Starz recently opened writers rooms for several new projects in contention for a series green light, all fully owned. It is unclear whether The Hunting Wives falls under the restructuring charge of $177.4 million Starz recently took 'related to a strategic reassessment of the company's content portfolio.' Netflix's The Hunting Wives exclusive deal is for one year, sources said. Meanwhile, Lionsgate's worldwide television group is in the process of selling the show to international buyers, which had been the plan since the time the series was earmarked for Starz, a largely domestic player. The Hunting Wives tells the story of Sophie (Snow) and her family's move from the East Coast to deep East Texas, where she succumbs to socialite Margo Bank's (Åkerman) irresistible charms – and finds her life consumed by obsession, seduction, and murder. The series is executive produced by writer-showrunner Cutter, Erwin Stoff (The Serpent Queen) for 3 Arts Entertainment and Cobb. Cutter, who is in development on two projects for Netflix with Jerry Bruckheimer Television, is repped by CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Cobb is repped by WME, Victoria Sanders & Associates, Jackoway Austen Tyerman and Linden Entertainment. Snow is repped by Gersh and Principal Entertainment LA. Åkerman is repped by UTA and Entertainment 360. Metz is repped by CAA, Luber Roklin Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson Teller. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series

Yahoo

16 hours ago

• Yahoo

Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson's Action Channel Launches In UK: 'This Is Big – I've Got A Huge Audience Out Here'

EXCLUSIVE: Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson is taking his action channel to kick ass overseas. Just six months after the 50 Cent Action Channel debuted as a FAST channel in partnership with Lionsgate in the U.S., it has launched as a subscription service in the UK via Prime Video Channels, we can reveal. More from Deadline Glenn Close & Billy Porter Join Cast Of Lionsgate's 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' - CineEurope Why 'Ballerina' Didn't Leap Into The Rafters With $25M Opening - Sunday AM Box Office Update 'The Hunting Wives' Moves To Netflix For U.S. Following Lionsgate & Starz Separation; Premiere Date Set In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Jackson said the UK was always likely to be the channel's first overseas home. 'You know, everybody loves London,' he explained. 'If you're from New York, or you're a recording artist from America in general, the first stop and your first dose of international love is London.' The UK might start to feel like a second home for rapper, actor and producer Jackson this year, with three June tour dates plus last week's announcement of Fightland, a Starz series set in the east London boxing world that he is exec producing. Fightland goes into production this year. The news marks the first international expansion for Jackson's FAST network. As opposed to the FAST distribution in the U.S., the UK network is being offered as a Prime Video add-on for £3.99 ($5.43) a month following a seven-day free trial. It launched just before Jackson headlined the Parklife Concert Festival in Manchester, UK, on Saturday (June 14), and QR codes linking to the free trial offer were distributed at the concert. Jackson and Lionsgate also see an opportunity to tap into the rapper's original UK fanbase, many of whom are now into middle-age after buying his first albums in the early 2000s. 'My audience, my core audience – the people that were enjoying my music in the very beginning – is at home,' he said. 'They're older. They'll understand the entertainment choices that I make creatively. I've used music to merge with entertainment.' Lionsgate library and originals plans 50 Cent Action includes the 'In Da Club' rapper's favorite films and television series, action films such as Kill Bill: Volume 1 & 2, The Expendables, Righteous Kill, Nightcrawler and Mechanic: Resurrection, and many other films and television series drawn from Lionsgate's library comprising up to 1,000 hours of content. Jackson and Lionsgate have a long-standing relationship with the latter owning Power network Starz until last year and continuing to sell the crime drama series internationally. 'It's been a cool partnership because they've been able to completely engage and get involved and they really enjoyed the concept, too,' said Jackson. He told Deadline the more 50 Cent Action expands, the more likely it is we'll see original programs on the channel. 'There's an opportunity for me to launch originals that wouldn't even pitch out to the other networks,' he added. 'Creatively, I'll make it and put it onto the platform. You know you'll be ahead of the curve just following the culture.' In the U.S., where Jackson and Lionsgate first partnered, 50 Cent Action has become the top action channel on The Roku Channel and LG Channels, as we revealed in April. It's also available on Prime Video, Plex, DirecTV, Vizio and Xumo. While it will be an SVoD proposition in the UK, 50 Cent Action is considered one of the first talent-led FAST networks, using the power – pun intended – of 50 Cent's personality to drive fan engagement editorially and through direct social media. Jackson said this connection was crucial to the success. 'I don't think that they've figured out how to market the FAST channels,' said Jackson, noting that many simply repeat one popular show, limiting the scope and ambition. 'They just package portions of their content, put it up and let it roll, instead of trying to figure out a whole brand, a whole vibe. I want my FAST channel to feel like a cable network.' Jackson admitted that being able to 'reach 110 million people through my phone' at any time does give him a unique advantage, as he outlined how he keeps his followers in the loop. 'It's on my mind all the time,' he said. 'I end up talking about it or I hashtag the actual '50 Cent Action', or the concept of a show, and then it works. It results in being number one on Roku and LG platforms.' 'Being able to launch out here [in the UK] is big because I have a huge audience here that hasn't been able to participate with us. Now they get a chance to see it.' 'Staying tapped in' Social media has been a huge part of 50 Cent's public persona, with his cheeky digs at long-term rival Sean 'Diddy' Combs' very public legal troubles and other public issues keeping fans engaged. Jackson said 'staying tapped in' to his audience's experience has been vital, adding that this is part of the reason why he's recently been commenting socially on the very public beef between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. 'It's [about] going into other relatable things that [the audience sees], because they're subject to it too,' he said. 'I've said stuff about Elon and Trump not getting along. You can't miss it. I don't have political aspirations, but you still see and still understand that there's something else that's going on there.' 50 Cent has sold more than 30 million albums around the world, while his Power drama series universe at Starz has been expanding as fast as Ghost's criminal empire, with Deadline revealing last week that two new spin-offs are in the works. The latest, which is currently untitled, comes from Gary Lennon (Power Book IV: Force) and Kendra Chapman (Power Book IV: Force), with Lennon also serving as showrunner. A writers room for the project, also known as Power: Legacy, will open soon. There were rumors one of the Power spin-offs could be set in the UK's capital, but Jackson has just had Fightland – a boxing drama series set in London – greenlit at Starz, which spun out of Lionsgate last year. Jackson is exec-producing through G-Unit Film & Television. The plot will follow a disgraced, formerly incarcerated boxing champion who returns to London to seek vengeance against the crime family he thinks betrayed him. Jackson has also pushed into true crime through the likes of Peacock's The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, which launched last week, and an upcoming Netflix doc about Combs that will address the recent charges facing the music mogul, including sex trafficking and racketeering, along with multiple allegations of sexual assault and violent abusive behavior. Expect more on that front, with Jackson planning to expand the number of projects he exec-produces. He noted how he had learned to produce and create in different genres and mediums to keep himself fresh. 'It's amazing, because I met the audience as '50 Cent,' the entertainer, the rapper,' he said. 'Then when they see you consistently have success on a whole other genre, they go, 'wow,' because it's not like everybody's pivoting well. A lot of people stay in that same space. They're just known for that one thing that they've done great, and it's just that, the whole way. But I can't escape my passion for film and television, it just came through music first.' Jackson is repped by IAG, attorney Steve Savva and AKR Public Relations. { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 1, }, pmcCnx: { singleAutoPlay: 'auto' } } }, playerId: "32fe25c4-79aa-406a-af44-69b41e969e71", mediaId: "6527b9e0-1c96-4081-b77d-45ee1c265a9d", }).render("connatix_player_6527b9e0-1c96-4081-b77d-45ee1c265a9d_2"); }); Best of Deadline 'Bachelor in Paradise' Cast Announcement: See Who Is Headed To The Beach For Season 10 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery

Geek Tyrant

a day ago

• Geek Tyrant

Keanu Reeves Reportedly Has One Big Condition to Return For JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 5 — GeekTyrant

Keanu Reeves may be ready to suit up as John Wick one more time, but only on one condition, the action has to match what his 60-year-old body can actually handle. According to In Touch, Reeves is being 'perfectly honest' with the creative team behind John Wick: Chapter 5 as development slowly moves forward. A source told the outlet, 'The script is being written and Keanu is being perfectly honest about what he's willing and not willing to do stunt-wise. There's no faking this. He's being totally honest about what he can and can't do, and he had put his body through hell for these movies.' Reeves has never been one to shy away from the punishing stunts and physically demanding sequences that define the franchise, but after four films and years of wear and tear, he's drawing some boundaries. It's not about stepping back from action entirely, but about being smart about what's possible now. If John Wick: Chapter 5 is going to happen, the wild set pieces that fans love need to be tailored to fit what Reeves is actually capable of at this point in his career. Lionsgate officially announced the film back in April at CinemaCon, with franchise director Chad Stahelski once again at the helm. But even with that announcement, the movie isn't a sure thing just yet. Stahelski has admitted that developing the next chapter is tricky, saying, 'cracking the story is a bit of a conundrum.' After all, John Wick did seemingly die at the end of Chapter 4. Still, Lionsgate is eager to make it happen. Stahelski even joked that the studio 'would very much will [John Wick 5] into existence' if they could. But for Reeves to come back, the team has to find a version of the movie that both works narratively and respects the limits Reeves is setting. The franchise has always centered on Reeves doing the real stunts, which added a level of authenticity that helped elevate John Wick above the usual action fare. But, maybe it's time to evolve the formula. He's already mentioned his knees may not survive another gauntlet of stair falls. That doesn't mean the next John Wick film has to go soft. If anything, reimagining the action to suit an older, wearier Wick could give the movie something fresh and interesting. What does an aging assassin's last stand look like when it's not just bullets and broken bones, but strategy, restraint, and experience? If the team can crack a story that respects what the franchise has built and what Reeves is ready to give, it could be something special. But if they can't? Maybe it's okay to let the Baba Yaga finally rest.