Review - Ballerina (2025)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. From the world of John Wick comes the new action movie Ballerina , directed by Underworld director Len Wiseman, and starring Ana de Armas, Angelica Huston, Norman Reedus, Gabriel Byrne, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves. 

       The movie, which is set sometime around the events of John Wick: Chapter Three - Parabellum, this movie follows Eve Macarro, a ballerina who was trained in the ways of the assassins by the Ruska Roma, and the journey she takes to avenge the death of her father, which sees Eve meet some familiar faces, such as Winston and Charon at the New York Continental, as well as the Baba Yaga himself: John Wick. 

        So, the plot of this movie is pretty basic and straightforward, much like that of the very first John Wick. But, where the movie falls slightly short in plot it makes up for in action. And, the action scenes are absolutely fantastic, especially in the way Ana de Armas handles the fights. Now, it's become pretty commonplace in modern Hollywood action films that a woman has been shown to overpower an opponent, specifically a male opponent, with sheer strength. This movie, however, shows Eve being taught to instead use her environment and her smaller stature to overcome an opponent instead. Not with strength, but by being opportunistic. 

       The acting in this movie, as it is with the rest of the John Wick films, was really good, with Ana de Armas truly carrying this movie. I also enjoyed seeing Angelica Huston return as The Director, as well as Sharon Duncan-Brewster as a Ruska Roma trainer. Gabriel Byrne as the villainous Chancellor, leader of a cult that killed Eve's father, was truly chilling in this movie, and certainly ranks among other John Wick antagonists like Viggo Tarasov and the Marquis de Gramont. 

      And, of course, I was glad to see the returns of John Wick stars like Lance Reddick (in one of his final performances before his passing in 2023) as Charon, Ian McShane as Winston, and Keanu Reeves as John Wick. I will admit, I was surprised in just how much of a role both McShane and Reeves had in this movie, and just how much of an impact they both had on Eve's journey in the movie. 

      All in all, I had a lot of fun with Ballerina. I found it to be a genuinely kickass expansion of the world of John Wick, and I definitely recommend seeing it. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys in the next review.