Ballerina Review: Ana de Armas’ Spectacular John Wick Spin-off
Check-in begins at the Continental once again with Ballerina, a spin-off of the popular John Wick franchise. Keanu Reeves’s portrayal of the vengeful action hero has become a bit of a pop culture icon. Famous for their stylized “gun fu” fight scenes and mind-blowing stunt work, the John Wick movies have been one of the best, most consistent action franchises of all time. We now have Ana de Armas taking the lead as a new character, Eve Macarro, in this film that takes place during and after the events of 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Ballerina is yet another fantastic installment in this series. This movie is action perfection, providing all the manic mayhem and carnage candy that you’ve grown to expect from these movies. This movie expands on a sliver of a world we saw in John Wick 3, when Wick goes to the ballet to get help from The Director (Anjelica Huston), who ran the crime syndicate The Ruska Roma. This movie starts off years before anyone killed John Wick’s dog, where we meet Eve’s father, who has the same set of tattoos Wick has. After a thrilling, well-crafted opening action set piece where he demonstrates a similar fighting ability to Wick, Eve watches her father die at the hands of the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) and his men.
Winston (Ian McShane) leaves her with The Director, who trains into her adulthood. When Eve finds a link to the people who killed her father, she goes rogue on a bloody mission of vengeance. I kid you not when I say this is not just a perfect female-led action movie; this is one of the best action movies of the century. Every complaint that people have about female action heroes are addressed here. You spend the first half hour watching her train to be able to fight, so when she does, we believe all of it. Her backstory is enough for us to sympathize with her, and the fight choreography is stunning. She’s not overpowering men double her size with brute force; she’s beating them with a mixture of her resourcefulness, strength, and a trademark unwillingness to die.
Early on, Eve’s mentor Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) tells her that she’ll always be at a disadvantage from her opponents, so she must improvise and “fight like a girl.” One of the best ideas in this film is that it turns the phrase, “fight like a girl,” into something to aspire to. A phrase that’s often used as an insult is looked at as something entirely different here, and Ballerina is living evidence that when done right, all that matters is what an incredible time you’re having, and this movie is one hell of a ride.
Ana de Armas is a star. She’s worked with Reeves before on Knock Knock and Exposed, and we’ve seen slivers of her action ability in The Gray Man and a scene-stealing role in the Bond film No Time to Die. Finally, she’s #1 on the call sheet in an action star vehicle that makes full use of her ability. She uses every bit of her ability here, bringing the perfect amount of femininity to a character that’s way more violent than most female characters in fiction. You can tell how committed she is to the stunt work, performing the majority of the fight scenes herself. It’s an incredibly physical role, and she was more than up for the task.
Director Len Wiseman also serves as a worthy director for this series. Chad Stahelski, who directed the first four Wick movies and assisted on this film, revitalized the American action genre with his commitment to unbroken wide shots that allowed us to always see the hero’s face during the stunts. Wiseman is no stranger to stepping into well-established action franchises, having previously directed the very good (and underrated) Live Free or Die Hard. His work here is mind-blowing. Much like Stahelski, he frames every fight in long, unbroken shots that always allow us to see the stunts De Armas is performing.
As for the fight scenes? Damn. They are brutal. And splendid. It’s a non-stop action thrill ride that packs a punch and keeps you on the edge of your seat. There’s at least one moment where Wiseman films a scene in a way that suggests that the action is over, pulling out into an extreme wide, only to immediately launch us right back into the action. This movie does not stop. There are dialogue scenes, but Ballerina has this remarkable sense of momentum that never lets up. There isn’t a wasted second in this film.
Eve’s style of fighting is designed to put the biggest smile on your face. She has guns, but she also uses a lot of improvised weapons. It’s always fantastic when she can turn anything into a lethal weapon, whether she’s trading her ballet shoes for ice skates or if she can’t find a gun but she does find a box of grenades. The stunt work across the entire movie is impeccable, and everyone on that stunt team deserves individual praise.
Where does Ballerina falter? The story is pretty simple. This is a movie about a woman seeking vengeance for the death of her father, and that’s just about everything. It’s less a story and more of a vehicle for fight scenes. Some may not like the thin story, but it’s so entertaining that I didn’t think much about it. Also, even though her motivation is emotional, the film doesn’t bring that emotion back enough towards the final act. Norman Reedus is also a bit underutilized, but these are nitpicks. Romain Lacourbas’s cinematography fits perfectly into this world, and there are so many moments that will make you chuckle at how 100% awesome this movie is.
Ballerina is the best movie of the year so far. Ana de Armas has never been better. Keanu Reeves returns as Wick in this film in a small role, but he’s in it just the right amount to avoid taking the spotlight from Eve. If you’re a fan of Wick or if you like action movies at all, this is what you need to watch. Be seeing you at the movies.
SCORE: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Ballerina review.
Source: Comingsoon.net