When No Time to Die hit theaters back in 2021, Ana de Armas’ Paloma was often singled out as one of the startling highlights of the film. The Bond girl was so interesting that despite only being in one scene out of the nearly three-hour Craig Bond finale, she left a lasting impression that propelled her to fan-favourite status. Although her time in the world of 007 is now behind her (although a certain agent would suggest to Never Say Never Again), de Armas proves that she has the star power, charisma, and physicality to headline her own action feature, this time in Ballerina.
Set in the wildly successful world of John Wick, we see de Armas’ Eve Macarro takes center stage in an action-driven story that takes place between the third and fourth Wick movies. Like the Keanu Reeves-led movies, Ballerina is in no shortage of all the manic mayhem and absurd carnage audiences have come to expect out of these movies, and it’s still wildly effective and entertaining the fifth time around. The action sequences are dynamic, and on that front Ballerina will surely leave fans of the franchise satisfied.
Due to its nature as a spinoff, Ballerina also serves to expand the scope of the franchise in remarkable ways. Boasting stunning backdrops, new locations, a heavy arsenal of creative weapons (a flamethrower?!), the film takes every chance it gets to develop the franchise’ worldbuilding. The great relief is that film isn’t merely a ghoulish rehash of things that we’ve seen before, but an exciting addition to the ever-growing action film franchise.
Conversely, Ballerina’s devotion to its predecessors proves to be occasionally tiresome in some cases. Narratively, it relies on callbacks, tie-ins, cameo appearances for the story to stay afloat, which results in occasional pacing issues. While a reliance on established canon can often be the safest approach for spin-off movies, Ballerina is often at its best when it distances itself away from the John Wick movies and set up new ground. Easter eggs and references are fun, but the de Armas-led movie proves that it can rock the Glock just fine even without the bells and whistles.
If Ballerina is any indication, it’s that the future of this action franchise is bright and promising. Stacked with fantastic action sequences, tremendous worldbuilding, and a truly dynamite lead, the movie approaches the insanely high bar set by its predecessors with stunning grace. It may not carry the level of emotional weight as John Wick, but Ballerina more than earned its place at the High Table.
