Ballerina

Hey everyone, and welcome. Today, we will be talking about the film Ballerina. Fun Fact: This is the final role of Lance Reddick, who passed away in 2023. This film was released in 2025 and stars Ana De Armas, Anjelica Houston, and Gabriel Byrne and was directed by Len Wiseman. So without further ado, let's get right into it.

Ballerina tells the story of Eve, whose father is killed, and she goes on to train with the Ruska Roma to be an assassin. On a mission, she comes across a man with the same mark as the one that killed her dad, so she goes on a mission to kill the people who killed her dad, even if it might start a war in the criminal underground.

Ballerina is an action-packed thriller. It has similar vibes to John Wick, Nobody, or Atomic Blonde.

I have been waiting for Ana De Armas to be in an action movie ever since she had her 10 minutes to shine in No Time to Die, because her scene was just so cool. She gets to step into the spotlight with Ballerina, which is a part of the John Wick franchise and brings over the well-choreographed fight scenes as well as the blood, durability, and trips all over the world. It's interesting to meet this character in this universe and see where her story connects with John Wick, but also where it is different. I love how, in contrast to John Wick in his films, she's just getting started and she isn't a legend, yet.

The movie got off to an intense start with a fight with Javier, Eve’s dad, which had me on the edge of my seat. I was sad he died, but I knew that was the catalyst for Eve to start fighting. I felt like the film dragged on a bit after that, showing her deciding to join the Roma Ruska, and I thought it would be great to mix in how the group was formed and how the structure works, because I don't know much about the Roma Ruska. Once we get past this, the movie really picks up and we see that the violence I have come to love in this franchise.

I love how John Wick makes an appearance in this film, considering he was still alive, and at first she seeks advice from him, but then later she fights him. I love how when she fights him, they don't make it seem like she can hold her own because let's be honest, she is not nearly as skilled as him. He ends up making an agreement with her that lets both of them stay true to their word. John Wick knows the pain of losing a loved one and wanting revenge, so he even helps her out a little.

Eve was an interesting character to follow because she is one who is just getting started in her career and is trying to follow the rules, but is getting impatient. I loved how her first mission was a struggle because this is her first time in the field, and she is still learning how to navigate fighting people who aren't holding back at all and might be better than her. I love how she had a mission and was set on completing it, and even though the director was against it, she still did what she needed to do. I think one of her great traits was the ability to adapt to situations, which really saved her and had me on the edge of my seat. In the end, I thought it might be cool for her to take over the cult since I had a feeling she had a hit on her now, but also cults are weird, so maybe it's best that she doesn't.

There are a few continuity errors throughout the film that I wish were addressed. The one that stands out is before the final battle, she had a bag of guns in her trunk, and I was wondering what the purpose of bringing all that was if she wasn't going to actually use them. I get that she was being attacked, but then she never returns, even after she kills people in that area, so its like, what’s the purpose of showing the bag if it wasn’t going to be used? I'm glad that she was resourceful, though, and used the enemy's weapons against them.

The cult members look like normal people, which is a small but important note because to get people to join your cult, you have to look inviting and act nice, which they did. I love how you didn't think some people were in it and then were surprised everyone was in on it. It was cool to have an enemy that looks like everyone else, which helps up the tension because anyone in the vicinity could attack you. I think the way they introduced this group was smart, too, to show how they have flown under the radar and why no one would have mentioned them or know where they are located.

My favorite part of this movie was the action scenes. The durability in the John Wick movies is very high, and this film definitely keeps that up. The action is violent and really doesn't hold back, and will have you saying Oh because you are shocked they did that, like blowing up a man on the side of a building or driving an ax through a man's head. One of the coolest and original scenes from what I can remember was the flamethrower scene, which was intense because I thought it would be one and done, and she just kept that thing on her and was just roasting people. Even when the enemy gets one, she fights off the enemy while also burning the other people trying to come at her.

Ballerina is an entertaining addition to the John Wick universe. The action scenes and the acting will keep you on the edge of your seat. This proved that there is still so much to explore in this franchise, and it kind of ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully we get more ballerina movies to expand on Eve’s lore.