Ballerina
It feels at least somewhat understandable to be skeptical of a John Wick spin-off movie, one that’s a prequel and allows him to make a guest appearance while also being a significant part of the marketing. But Ballerina stands on its own legs, no pun intended, and at least by one metric, could be the best film in the whole series.
Ballerina has a bit of an inverse curve going on. It is technically the worst-reviewed movie by critics in the John Wick franchise, albeit with a still solid 74%. But surprisingly, at present, Ballerina has a 94% audience score, which is well above some of the past movies and even inches past John Wick 4. Here’s the breakdown.
- Ballerina – 94% audience score, 74% critic score
- John Wick 4 – 93% audience score, 94% critic score
- John Wick 2 – 85% audience score, 89% critic score
- John Wick 3: Parabellum – 86% audience score, 89% critic score
- John Wick – 82% audience score, 86% critic score
Ballerina
The film stars Ana de Armas as a killer who is beginning her assassin training, and the events of the movie take place during Parabellum, meaning John Wick is alive to guest star (albeit not for long). The series also appears to be bringing Wick back to life for a fifth film, so we won’t be without him for too long.
The movie is being praised for its intense choreography and de Armas’ fighting skills (well, plus her stunt doubles), and that’s a high bar given that the Wick series has some of the best gunfights in film history.
It’s a common complaint that there are simply not enough women action stars compared to their male counterparts. It may be hard to pin down an actual ratio, but it’s certainly uneven. Here, de Armas is establishing herself in the genre after dipping her toe in previously across from James Bond in a memorable, brief turn in No Time to Die.
Ballerina
It’s worth noting that one of de Armas’ breakout roles was Knock Knock, opposite, you guessed it, Keanu Reeves, so we’re coming full circle here. De Armas has turned into an in-demand actress in Hollywood and even scored an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde.
It’s encouraging to see that Ballerina is not just a cash-in on the John Wick name (“from the world of John Wick” still sounds weird as a tagline, however), but it actually stands up to the quality of the series, especially on the audience side, it seems. Certainly a must-watch from the sound of it.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
