‘Ballerina’ Review – A Good Movie Done In By “Girlboss Fatigue”?
“From the world of John Wick” comes Ballerina, the first spinoff in the series, and probably the only one we might ever see. It’s not grossing enough globally to break even, so a sequel or further building of the Wick universe likely won’t be justifiable, which has to suck for fans of the series. As someone who’s not the biggest Wick mark out there, I save my sympathy for Ana de Armas and her movie, which I ended up really liking.
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Ballerina is another tale of revenge, and there seems to be a lot of it in its franchise to go around. Our story begins when a young, innocent girl named Eve (child actress Victoria Comte in flashbacks) is prevented from starting a new life with her daddy (David Castañeda, Umbrella Academy), who is one of the assassins serving one organization within the web John Wick is stuck in.
Dad is in the same boat as John Boy. He wants out of the life for good and wants his daughter to come with him to start a new, stable existence. This doesn’t fly with the cult-like group he represents. Once you’re in, you never leave, and if you try, their Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) – the last person you want to see – pays you a visit.
That’s what he does, and while the visit doesn’t work out for dear old Dad, Eve escapes. She winds up in the care of the Ruska Roma house through the intervention of Continental owner Winston (Ian McShane in the second most important guest appearance), from the last two films.
Under the tutelage and protection of the Director (Anjelica Houston), Eve grows up learning the art of ballet (clearly) and assassination. Once she is ready to be sent on assignments, Eve (played henceforth by de Armas) is soon on the trail of The Chancellor and his cult, determined to get some payback. And there are loads of bodies, bullet casings, and explosions in her wake.
I can admit a big theme of Ballerina is “fighting like a girl,” but all that means is fighting dirty and more viciously than your opponents to gain the advantage. On its own, the tactic is gender-neutral and just good sense in situations where every choice is a matter of life and death.
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Yes, they break this rule a time or two. On her first mission to save a Korean socialite at a frigid and elaborate dance club, Eve is roundhouse kicked and thrown through and across a few tables. Still, she gets up and dusts herself off to deliver punishment to a bunch of guys approximately her size.
I know how that sounds, but it’s pretty standard for this series. How many near-fatal falls did John Wick walk away from in four movies?
The film soon finds a balance and delivers what’s expected – combat, gunplay, blood, gore, and the explosions (lots of explosions). However, they aren’t to the excesses of Michael Bay. They are more contained, and their results would make David Cronenberg smile a little at something director Len Wiseman borrows from himself.
In Underworld: Awakenings, a scene plays out where Selene (Kate Beckinsale, an ex-Mrs. Wiseman) slays the Super Lycan (the underrated Kris Holden-Reid) with a grenade shoved into his gaping wound. In Ballerina, Wiseman ups that ante and has it play out several times in a few minutes.
One of Eve’s favorite tricks is grabbing a bunch of grenades when she finds them, wrapping a bandolier full around an enemy’s neck, and pulling a pin. That’s how she goes about it to make heads explode, and it’s an inventive alternative to shooting everybody, I’ll say that.
De Armas does her part with grace and grit to turn Eve into one of the most badass heroine’s in recent memory. This is not another case of Charlie’s Angels, Terminator: Dark Fate, or Wonder Woman: 1984. I’d put her with ScarJo as Black Widow, Amber Midthunder in Prey, or Beckinsale in Underworld. I’d compare her to Furiosa as well, though I mean the Anya Taylor-Joy version, specifically. Joy played a character less tainted by full-blown girlboss energy.
Like De Armas is as Eve, she was well-rounded and multi-faceted, but sadly won’t get people to notice because of the avowed fatigue. Men – and some women too – keep saying how sick they are of the ‘perfect’ agenda-fueled female protagonists they see in modern Star Wars, Trek, Marvel, The Last of Us, Enola Holmes, and anything involving Phoebe Waller-Bridge, that they aren’t inclined to give a Furiosa or Ballerina a chance.
“Female John Wick” and “John Wick Lite” don’t automatically mean ‘bad’, ‘boring’, or ‘pale imitation’. This film is hardly those things, and I hope it develops a following over time that appreciates it as one of the better entries in the Wick canon. May Ballerina have better luck on streaming; that’s a good place for stuff to blow up.
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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
PROS
- Familiar but still compelling story with Ana de Armas at the center
- Norman Reedus in a small role
- Anjelica Huston is great
- Explosive action especially in a fiery final act with a flamethrower duel
- Fun Easter Egg for avid MK fans: Stephen Bernhardt (Ciro in 'Mortal Kombat: Conquest') shows up briefly
CONS
- Keanu Reeves is always likable but he shows up to give more wooden dialogue
- Ian McShane is a little wooden too
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