Ballerina

Director: Len Wiseman

Ballerina is the first cinematic extension of the “World of John Wick”. It centres around Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who, after a childhood trauma finds herself under the tutelage of the Ruska Roma and its director (Angelica Huston). Eve is training to be a Kikimora an angel of protection or revenge, depending on which side you are on. When an opportunity comes to avenge her childhood trauma, she takes it even though it is going to put her in conflict against, both a group who live by different rules to the Ruska Roma, and against the Roma’s themselves.

Extending the John Wick cannon has potential, a dark underworld, full of myth and legend. But Ballerina doesn’t really take advantage of any of that and instead serves up a rather average, predictable and occasionally dull revenge action flick.

It’s the story that really lets it down. It’s predictable and can’t help itself by signposting any potentially interesting twists nice and clearly. It also takes itself too seriously, what makes the Wick films work is their light touch, a sense of fun between the violence. This is much more stoney faced in its approach and feels heavy going. It also has a tendency to overdo its set pieces with many of them feeling too long, as it rolls from one gruelling fight-fest to another with little story or lightening of the tone.

On the plus side Ana de Armas is solid in the central role and delivers on the action front. We also see the late Lance Reddick, one last time. And the action sequences are the quality you’d expect from the World of Wick, with some, although not enough, creative ways of killing the bad guys.

Ballerina is a disappointing extension of the John Wick cannon. While Ana de Armas is solid enough, the film ignores all that is good about the Wick world. The plot is dull and predictable, signposting twists as clear as day. Action sequences are over cooked and the film lacks pace. It’s biggest fault is it’s oh so serious, and that lack of a lighter tone can make it feel a real slog. This may not stay long on The Continental’s movie channel!