It Stands On Its Own ("Ballerina" Movie Review)

 I thought the original "John Wick" film was an instant classic. It was a very simple premise. A man takes revenge on a group of very dangerous men who killed his dog, and these men realized very quickly that they messed with the wrong guy. The action sequences were absolutely brilliant. The single shots panning the action (which was dubbed 'gun fu') as the choreography played out. It was so well executed that the film became a hit and expanded into a whole new cinematic universe. Now I didn't really think it should've expanded beyond that first film, but anyone who knows a bit about Hollywood knows that if they have a hit on their hands, they will capitalize on it and beat it to death until the moviegoing audience doesn't want it anymore. But so far, the World of John Wick has become quite profitable. So why not five follow up films, one television series, and potential new film on the way?

Having said all of that, my thoughts on this new John Wick spin-off "Ballerina" is that it is a very entertaining action film which stands on its own. So why not make it stand on its own? Why make it a part of the John Wick Universe when it could've been its own thing? The simple answer...Hollywood is scared to death of taking the risk of putting out new franchises when you could attach it to a familiar intellectual property and get more fans involved. I get that. But if you took the John Wick elements out of the film it's still a fantastic action film.

This movie stars the wonderful Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a ballerina who also is a deadly assassin who runs into a killer who is a part of a cult that was responsible for her father's death (and the way she runs into this person is a highlight of the film as the stunt performed was one of the best that I've seen in an action film). So defying her Director, she sets out to gain access to this cult and gain her revenge. 

They do use the John Wick universe elements well, but I could also see alternate elements in its place in order to make this film 100% original. But as I've stated before, the element of this universe is what would appeal to moviegoers so I understand why they did it. 

Overall this is a highly entertaining film, filled with spectacular action sequences ranging from high octane, brutal, and even comical. There's one sequence with dishes that wouldn't be out of the ordinary in a Jackie Chan film. I do recommend this film and I could see the Eve character in a future John Wick super film mashup. But who knows how much of an appetite the filmgoing audience will have after over a decade of The John Wick Universe when one John Wick and one Ballerina would've been fine.