Directed by: Len Wiseman
Written by: Shay Hatten and Michael Finch
Directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a former ballerina turned assassin seeking revenge for her father’s murder. The film aims to expand the John Wick universe with a story of family, loss, and cold vengeance, set against a backdrop of tightly choreographed violence and slick visuals.
Here come the spoilers…
The plot begins with young Eve witnessing her father’s brutal murder by a secretive assassin cult. This trauma is supposed to fuel her journey from innocent girl to lethal killer. Unfortunately, the movie never really explores the emotional impact of that loss beyond that opening scene.
Spoiler alert: There are barely any flashbacks or moments showing Eve’s life with her father, which is a massive missed opportunity. Revenge films rely on the heart-wrenching contrast between love lost and cold vengeance — Ballerina skips the love and rushes straight to the vengeance, leaving the story emotionally hollow.
Eve’s mission to dismantle the cult brings her into contact with a handful of villains, including Gabriel Byrne’s enigmatic Chancellor and Catalina Sandino Moreno’s estranged sister, Lena. These characters get some screen time but are largely underdeveloped. Their motivations and relationships with Eve feel rushed and thin, weakening the narrative’s stakes and tension.
The action scenes, choreographed with precision and flair, are the film’s undeniable highlight. Ana de Armas delivers on the physicality, executing fight sequences that are slick and often brutal. But without a solid emotional core, these set pieces play like dance routines without the music — impressive but ultimately hollow.
The pacing suffers as a result, bouncing between moments of intense violence and stretches where the story stalls. The film’s failure to deepen Eve’s backstory or build meaningful relationships means we never truly understand what she’s fighting for beyond revenge. Again, the film lacks heart, and the action sequences alone can’t give this film a much-needed pulse.
By the time Ballerina reaches its climax, you’re left wishing for more glimpses of the little girl Eve once was — the one who loved her father and had a life before all the bloodshed. Instead, we get a slick but soulless revenge thriller that never quite earns its emotional impact.
If you want a stylish action movie with a charismatic lead and tight fight choreography, Ballerina delivers. If you want a revenge story with heart, you’ll find it frustratingly short on substance.
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