From the World of John Wick: Ballerina Review

Ana de Armas is effortlessly cool as Eve Macarro in the action packed but flawed From the World of John Wick: Ballerina.

Said slow start involves Hatten setting up this familiar revenge narrative for our main protagonist Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) while also catching up viewers who may have forgotten who the Ruska Roma crime syndicate are. While de Armas does her best to make Eve’s training fun to watch and gives the character some genuine human moments, things in Ballerina do not pick up until Eve is assigned her first contract. Once she gets to the club though, a rush of adrenaline hits that refuses to wear off. 

Ana de Armas does so much to elevate this story and keep you rooting for Eve. With a slight hesitation or a look, de Armas shows that Eve still possesses her humanity even if it is buried deep within this unquenchable desire for vengeance. Much like John Wick (Keanu Reeves), Eve’s revenge is about more than what was physically taken from her. De Armas brings forth a woman who not only lost her father, but also lost her innocence and childhood with his death. There are moments when you can see that innocence return and that is part of what makes Eve so interesting in between her badass feats. She is so much more than a female John Wick, because de Armas has tons of natural charisma and strength which allow her to easily nail the biggest moments of this narrative. 

As one would expect, Ballerina features some brutal, outstanding action. Chad Stahelski’s fingerprints are all over these sequences and while I do not think they reach the heights of 2023’s John Wick Chapter 4, there are plenty of moments that left me in awe. Every single one of these fights/stunts felt tailored to the skillsets of Ana de Armas and Eve Macarro. While Eve does employ a fair amount of gunplay, she is not afraid to improvise and put her body on the line in combat to counter the strength advantage of her enemies. This leads to some sick and unconventional kills that you can feel the impact of in your seat. I honestly lost count of how many times I audibly winced while watching the film. 

That improvisation also leads to hilarious moments and kills which you have not seen in this franchise before. One example is a kill executed by Eve with an ice skate. Even if it is a little on the nose for someone who trained as a ballerina, you cannot help but chuckle and be impressed that someone came up with that idea. John Wick’s kills place such a focus on being tough but Eve has her own brand of tenacity that can wind up being goofy in a good way. The script and de Armas manage to strike a perfect balance between the two tones and further separate Eve from John. 

Hats off to the entire stunt team of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina as well who all do a tremendous job of selling these huge sequences and ensuring that viewers believe what they are seeing at all times. That is one of the hallmarks of these films, how real the action looks and feels and it would not have happened if everyone involved with the stunts had not given all they had. There is a clear sense of pride among this bunch and it comes through on screen with every punch, kick, and slam into a wall. 

Shifting back to the narrative, what it and the performance of Ana de Armas do so well throughout From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is allow Eve to grow in a way that feels natural. De Armas portrays her with the energy of someone who does not quite have it all put together early on and viewers can chart Eve’s evolution as the story goes on. As the story continues, de Armas transforms Eve into someone that is more confident and calculated. What you end up having is a protagonist who endures so much throughout the film and works her way through it (and into viewers’ hearts), which makes it all the more satisfying when Eve reaches a point where she can convincingly take on anyone. 

Anyone naturally includes John Wick, and the Baba Yaga is in more of Ballerina than you would think. Keanu Reeves slips back into one of his most iconic roles with ease and stands toe to toe with de Armas as Eve. It is the ultimate test for not only Eve as a character but for Ana de Armas as an action star and their showdown does not disappoint. The two characters are two sides of the same coin with vastly different fighting styles and seeing them battle is like a chess match where the outcome constantly changes until someone comes out on top. This is not a passing of the torch moment for Reeves, but instead an acknowledgement that this franchise has someone else that is just as capable of leading their own journey while Mr. Wick remains the main attraction. 

I am so glad that Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard returned to score this film because their musical compositions add so much to what you see on screen. There is nothing like having good music backing your action sequences, as we have seen with previous films in this franchise. Their songs for From the World of John Wick: Ballerina would not only fit right in at a nightclub, but also help set the tone for critical moments. There may be punches being thrown and bullets flying, but you will be bobbing your head to these tunes while you watch. 

For as much as Ballerina has going for it, there are a few flaws. This story almost moves at too fast of a pace, leaving certain beats to feel incredibly unearned and/or completely out of nowhere. There is one moment in particular that happens and should be a big moment but I feel nothing because there was no build up and the story moves on just as quickly as it hit us with this development. 

Several characters also are underused due to the rushed nature of this script, including Norman Reedus as Daniel Pine, a man who Eve seeks out for information. Reedus may seem to be in Daryl Dixon mode with this character, but he makes for an interesting ally to Eve that does not get much time to grow. 

By far the biggest offense in this script is its main antagonist, the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), who leads a cult-like town against Eve. He has no real unique traits, to the point where I got his actor Byrne confused for Sharlto Copley due to the similarities I found between the Chancellor and Copley’s character in 2013’s Oldboy. They both have immense wealth that allows them to bend people to their will, family as their primary motivation, and a connection to our lead. The Chancellor is so generic that audiences will only care about him because of Eve and her quest for vengeance. It is a shame, but thankfully de Armas makes their conflict more interesting by displaying a clear investment in it throughout; if it hadn’t been clear how much revenge mattered to Eve, the whole film would have fallen flat. 

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina uses a truly dynamite lead performance from Ana de Armas and fantastic action to become an awesome summer blockbuster. Sure, the script has its issues, but de Armas proves she can handle action while also crafting a sympathetic character, plus you cannot find fight sequences and gunplay like this anywhere else. Hopefully we see Eve again because this was one heck of an introduction.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina will be released in U.S. and Canadian theaters, in U.K. and Irish cinemas, and globally in theaters on June 6, 2025. Read our list of John Wick movies ranked from worst to best!