From the World of John Wick: Ballerina Movie Review

I'm going to be honest, I went into this movie with sky-high expectations, and for the most part, it didn't disappoint! Ever since I saw Ana De Armas kick serious ass in No Time to Die, I knew she would be perfect for a standalone action movie ( preferably catwoman ), but for sure as an assassin in any movie let alone in the John Wick universe!

TMJ Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿/ 5

The Plot of Ballerina

Considering Ballerina is "From the World of John Wick" the plot isn't going to be worthy of Christopher Nolan's approval, but that's not why we are here, are we?

Eve Macarro has her father murdered in front of her by a "tribe," or as we would commonly call a cult in the current day. This leads to her being adopted by another faction of a similar society named Ruska Roma with the help of Winston immediately after.

The Ruska Roma reminds me of the Red Room, which bred MCU's Black Widow assassins to change the course of world history. I feel both institutions are inspired by KGB training houses that recruit women as spies around the world - on which I don't have a stance ( and thankfully no experience! ), considering every country has a defence program, and you can never predict the forms it will take.

Cut to twelve years later, Ana De Armas' Eve is sent on a couple of killing contracts where she identifies one of the people she slays as belonging to the tribe that took her father before his time. This sets Eve on a relentless path of vengeance until she finds the one she wants dead, eventually taking on an entire village with every single person being a killer and with no place to hide.

When Eve's well-deserved revenge plan puts the Rusks Roma in trouble, who does the fine institution of Russian ballerinas send in but the Baba Yaga, John Wick himself! The buildup to the scene where Wick spots Eve is so awesome that it literally gave me chills, given his insane history as an assassin and the legend he is.

The scene will be made more realistic with the air conditioning in the theater for sure ( be sure to leave your jacket at home! ), mirroring their snowy surroundings.

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Cinematography

Most of the shots in this movie are exceptionally beautiful - I feel it is to reflect the incredible beauty of the lead, Ana De Armas. It is just elegant, picturesque, with every long shot and wide shot looking like an impactful painting with countless embedded elements within itself.

The drive to the villain's village in the idyllic snowcapped Austrian town of Hallstatt reminds me of the trip that Hugh Jackman's Wolverine takes in The Wolverine and with the very same motivation of pure, undiluted revenge.

One particular scene left an impression when Eve Macarro battles multiple bad guys, and the audience gets to see it mostly in silhouette. I would say it reminds me of Tarantino's Kill Bill, but this is its own thing - it is raw, unrefined rage channeled into precise combat and shown as such. I loved it!

In a scene that I can't help but think of the animated movie "The Polar Express" with Tom Hanks' voice, you see a train pull into the snowy village of the villain carrying the famed Baba Yaga, who slays everything on the path to his goal.

One particular scene is so epic that I couldn't figure out what was happening, and it came out of nowhere when Eve was just getting ready to make a quick exit. From what I could tell, Eve gets jackknifed in her high-end car, and she uses nothing but raw strength and leverage to stop the car from being pushed into oblivion by another powerful car. Just wow!

Ana De Armas with a flamethrower that has a solid reach of 5 yards in front of her, making for an epic scene of destruction for no reason other than to survive, is just brilliant.

The scene where The Ballerina from the world of John Wick fights fire with a water shield and yells at her opponent is raw survivalist rage that is done well. It also shows that even when under life-threatening pressure, she is a skilled combatant and battle strategist despite feeling fear quite strongly at the same time.

Ballerina is a movie that is to be viewed for its exquisite action sequences, that is fueled by nothing but infinite anger and a desire to stop at nothing to avenge your cause. Everything else is secondary. Although if you've seen ANY John Wick movie, you would already know this.

The Cast of Ballerina: From the World of John Wick

This film's cast list reads like a who's who of action stars in Hollywood and beyond, from Lance Reddick's Charon, who runs the Continental, to Ian McShane's Winston Scott, who heads the hotel, which is sacred ground for assassins of their world.

You also see Gabriel Byrne play the Chancellor, which must be a cakewalk compared to the role of the Devil he played in End of Days.

Of course, the key character of Anjelica Huston as the Director of Ruska Roma returns, continuing her performance with great ease. There is also Norman Reedus of Blade and The Walking Dead fame, who makes a significant appearance in this awesome action flick.

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The lovely Catalina Sandino Moreno plays Lena, a fellow ballerina in this movie, with her character taking unexpected turns in the flick. Another surprising addition to the cast is David Castañeda as Eve's father, whom you might remember from the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.

Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro delivers a highly nuanced performance as the Ruska Roma assassin known as a Ballerina. You get to see her experience fear while executing her killing contracts, which in no way affects her combat skills and execution. Make no mistake - Eve is as deadly as they come, using almost anything as a weapon, even more ruthless than Wick, to even the playing field in a fight.

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There are delightful and surprising moments of comedy in this tale of revenge that remind you of the Three Stooges and, quite literally, Buster Keaton, who makes an actual appearance on screen in a way. This is something that you don't expect in a John Wick movie and comes as an enjoyable surprise.

Should You Watch It? Yes! Be Seeing It!

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is an out-and-out action movie that makes it worthy of being a part of the John Wick universe. You get to see Ana De Armas' acting range, kicking ass, allowing for moments of comedy and all along facing the odds regardless of victory. Watch it!