Whenever a film as original and exciting as John Wick enters the world, there's always the concern that Hollywood will inevitably overdo it and beat out any joy audiences once had by at least the third instalment. Admittedly, Chapter 3 — Parabellum began to show signs of jumping the shark, and Chapter 4 became too ridiculous even for the rules set within the franchise, but here we are with the first cinematic spinoff, and it feels just as fresh and entertaining as Keanu Reeves's debut as the character.
As we patiently await the fifth chapter of the John Wick series where our titular hero faces presumably new threats outside the High Table, the franchise rewinds back to John's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad (and very long) day. Len Wiseman's Ballerina specifically grows a seed sown during Parabellum that introduced Anjelica Huston as the Director, the head of the Ruska Roma, and her training school for assassins in tutus.
Ballerina focuses on one of the Director's most promising pupils, Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a young orphan sent to the Ruska Roma for shelter and training. We witness Eve's transformation into a stone cold killer and follow her on a couple of missions that lay the foundation for her skills, while also proving de Armas's ability to shoulder an action film on her own. The film turns when Eve begins to unravel family secrets that bring her to an Austrian mountain village, Hallstatt, where she's confronted by a multitude of assassins like her.
As with the entire franchise, the action feeds into the storytelling and the storytelling feeds into the action, providing Eve with a base that goes beyond being a kick-ass fighter. Ballerina's emotional notes are heartfelt — albeit not executed with the same simple poignancy as a punk kid killing a dog gifted to a widower by his dead wife. However, the familial drama that Eve discovers creates a compelling narrative that can drive the character forward across multiple films and stories.
It's the physicality and creativity of the action sequences that best reflect Eve's anger and sorrow. The pride of the John Wick franchise has always been the authenticity of its action set pieces and the ability of the actors to pull them off, and de Armas carries this tradition with seamless aplomb. Similar to how Ruby Rose's diminutive stature was addressed in Chapter 2, de Armas's smaller build compared to the many large henchmen who occupy this world) isn't simply given a Hollywood pass. But rather than tossing de Armas around like a rag doll (à la Rose's Ares), Ballerina shows the actor using weapons to her advantage to overcome the size difference, including a most excellent use of flamethrowers — it's an obvious route to take, but one that most action films fail to do when it comes to female stars.
Many elements from John Wick carry over to Ballerina. Shay Hatten's script expands upon the world built by Derek Kolstad beautifully, providing a deeper glimpse into the world of the Ruska Roma and even into the smaller details, like the tattoo seen on John's back. Wiseman incorporates many homages and references to its predecessors without feeling like fan service, including a quick nod to the original stunt performers like the Three Stooges and Buster Keaton.
The world of John Wick has always felt brimming with possibilities, which is what made the Mel Gibson-led The Continental series so disappointing. Ballerina did what The Continental failed to do: construct a world that allows us to go deeper into the details of John Wick with coordinated violence and heart.