From the World of John Wick: Ballerina was a highly anticipated, action-packed addition to the expansive and vibrant John Wick universe. While it has all the elements that made the John Wick franchise a success, the film’s chaotic combat scenes and anticlimactic finish abruptly halt the momentum. 

Spoilers below!

The film follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), the child of legendary assassin parents, who navigates her adolescence into adulthood while seeking to avenge her father’s death. Her father was murdered by a bloodthirsty cult that he and her mother used to belong to. Her father’s struggle to keep her alive began with their house being invaded by the cult as the film opens. However, Eve’s mother is mentioned only briefly, leaving us with little knowledge about her, other than the fact that she was killed due to Eve’s father’s choice to leave the cult.

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The movie wasn’t fantastic, but it had unforgettable moments. After Eve’s father’s death, she’s approached by fan-favorite Winston (Ian McShane), who offers her a path to become a hit-woman with the famous Ruska Roma (a dynasty John Wick was a part of). She accepts, becoming a ballerina assassin. Watching her train and execute spur-of-the-moment attacks was exciting because it made her relatable; she doesn’t instantly achieve John Wick’s levels of efficiency, instead moving at her own pace. Some of the shocking deaths almost felt like Final Destination levels of bizarre (in a good way), but her story ultimately came to a boring end.

During the film’s two-hour runtime, more time was spent on Eve’s training than on letting viewers know who she is as a person. We wish they had allowed her to engage in something campy, like defeating bad guys in ballerina shoes, or performing some wild dance move that would destroy her enemies, M3GAN-style. Instead, she’s portrayed as a melee fighter known for hacking up her foes with tomahawks and other sharp and pointy weapons.

She and John (Keanu Reeves) cross paths in what was supposed to be an epic battle, but he clearly held back, nearly killing her several times. We don’t think they needed to fight (at least so soon), especially since Eve isn’t qualified; she’d just finished assassin training camp two months ago, and while she’s a good fighter, she’s not yet spectacular. It’s interesting to witness the Wick team build rapport with Eve early on, but it makes us wonder if they have something bigger planned for the John Wick universe that we’re missing.

If you’re looking for an easy-going movie, this is it, but if you’re expecting John Wick, it’s more like a girl-boss gatekeeping version of John Wick. The film’s mantra had the supporting characters encouraging Eve to fight like a girl, which felt cringeworthy because that’s not something anyone would say to John Wick. The movie leans heavily into the tired faux feminism. At the same time, an actual feminist approach would have allowed Eve to stand on her own (without John Wick being so involved) and have a stronger story than dead parents, a long-lost sister, and a crazy cult that wanted to steal her as a baby.

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