With From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, the universe of the infamous killer returns to the big screen. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes was able to watch the movie already and had a lot of fun, even though one thing bothered him.
What kind of movie is Ballerina? Ballerina is the first film spin-off from the John Wick universe. Eva Macarro, played by Ana de Armas, is brought to the Ruska Roma organization by Winston after the death of her parents, where John Wick was also active. She is trained as an assassin and seeks revenge for the murder of her parents for years.
Instead of Wick’s father Chad Stahelski, Len Wiseman, known primarily for the Underworld series, is in the director’s chair. I was able to watch the film and was positively surprised. There’s hard-hitting action and cool choreography again, but one thing could have been left out.
A trailer for Ballerina can be seen here:
Revenge as the Main Motif
Revenge as a motive is not particularly original, but it always works quite well for me. Like in the first John Wick, the protagonist is mainly driven by revenge. One has to like that, but to get the action going, it works quite well.
However, the film should have left it at that, as they try to bring in more personal backstories of the characters, which mostly bored me. John Wick never had a really good story, but the absurd world full of assassins was perfect to frame the action.
In the previous parts, dialogues often characterized John Wick as a figure. He hardly speaks himself, but the reactions of others made him an almost ghostly figure, whose existence was only hinted at by some.
Unfortunately, the dialogues in Ballerina do not help to shape Ana de Armas’s character. She plays quite reserved, like Keanu Reeves, and the snippets of the story about her family have no emotional effect. Eva Maccaro is not John Wick, and she doesn’t have to be, but the story surrounding her could have been spared. As viewers of these films, one probably accepts pure revenge as a motivation.
The dialogues in Ballerina are only fun when the underworld is explained. That’s always big nonsense, but exactly the kind of nonsense I love.
Action fans can rejoice, as there are many fight scenes with and without weapons again. They are the most enjoyable part of the film. It’s not just about scenes where people beat each other up with regular weapons or fists. As is typical in the series, everything is used as a weapon.
There are flamethrowers, everyday objects, and even simple utensils used in the choreography. Unfortunately, it never reaches the absurd situations of John Wick 4. The fight scenes could have been filmed a bit clearer and less shaky, but fans of good fights will still enjoy them here.
The sequences are quite powerful and brutal again, but never lose their distinctive sense of style, with suits, dresses, and beautiful hotels.
What personally pleased me very much was that there was a certain wit in some scenes. This macabre slapstick humor lightens the mood of the film and perfectly fits the quirky techno-thriller world.
Ana de Armas (and the team behind the stunts) have also done a good job. She comes off as a professional killer who never does superhuman things. The Dance of Violence
, which was liked in previous parts, will probably be enjoyed again here.
I Want More from This World
The world in the John Wick universe is completely nonsensical and I love it. Secret organizations with assassin training camps? A crazy assassin cult in a European village, where even the beer seller is a killer? Exactly my thing. In this vein, Ballerina also strikes.
I also found the style and the visuals not bad. Together with the music, it creates a unique world that feels like countless killers have been left in a techno club. All characters take themselves so seriously that I can simply enjoy it.
If you like John Wick 3 and 4, then you can watch this one and have fun. If you prefer the less crazy thriller from part 1, you won’t find joy here. But these people probably already gave up on the series after part 2.
Those looking for a good story should not expect anything here. Whether you like Ballerina or not, the world has great potential for absurd action and characters, and I hope that they continue with it and not just focus on the character John Wick. You can find more action alternatives here: 5 Movies like John Wick
