Ballerina

This weekend, Ballerina, a John Wick spinoff, is released in theaters. The movie follows Eve, an assassin trained by the Ruska Roma, as she sets out on a journey to take revenge on the man who killed her father. This was one of my most anticipated movies of last year, before it got delayed, and thus became one of my most anticipated movies of this year. I love the John Wick series and was hoping to get more of what made the other films great.

I am happy to find that Ballerina is just as good as the other John Wick films. Most of the time, these spin-off type films fail to maintain the same level of charm and quality as the original series but this movie still manages. Ballerina manages to expand the world of John Wick even further. We get more details about the training and organization of the Ruska Roma as well as get introduced to this new sect of the world with a cult-like family assassin organization. One of the main concerns people had with the movie was that it wouldn't be as good without John Wick front and center. While he is in it, Ana De Armas manages to carry the movie and doesn't need the support of John Wick to make moments stronger. She does the action just as well and still carries the same presence as John Wick does. I also liked the use of John Wick in the movie. He is in it as a supporting role but he never takes away from Ana De Armas or distracts from her story. He comes in and does his thing but still allows her to have the spotlight and solve her problems. It is fun to see him in the movie, but it is just as good without him as it is with him in it. As with the other movies in the franchise, Ballerina has a ton of highly stylized action and lots of cool memorable sequences. The movie is also very well-paced, it never really lets up from the action as it just goes from action sequence to action sequence from beginning to end. With a lot of these spin-offs and sequels, one of my biggest complaints is that the movie isn't good enough to justify its existence. This movie definitely justifies its existence.

Overall, this is another great addition to the John Wick franchise that has just as good of a story and action sequences even without John Wick centered in the story.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A- Recommendation: This is a must see movie