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It’s been eight long years since it was announced that John Wick was getting a spinoff, so there’s no doubt that Ballerina comes highly anticipated for fans of the John Wick franchise. The film — starring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, the ballerina assassin who seeks revenge for her father’s death — finally hit the 2025 movie calendar on June 6, and critics are here to help us decide if we want to buy tickets to the new action movie.
The John Wick spinoff Ballerina, according to director Len Wiseman, is actually more of a parallel story, as it takes place between 2019’s Chapter 3 – Parabellum and 2023’s Chapter 4 (available to stream with a Peacock subscription).
The film received a glowing reaction from Tom Cruise (who has sparked dating rumors with Ana de Armas). However, in CinemaBlend’s review of Ballerina, Eric Eisenberg contends his low expectations helped his enjoyment of the “meh” spinoff. He rates the movie 3 out of 5 stars, writing:
On a narrative and character level, the film skates on doing pretty much the bare minimum (perfect example: it never actually provides a name for the antagonist cult that the hero is targeting for revenge), but when it comes to the ass-kicking, it doesn’t skimp, and it provides satisfying thrills.
Clint Gage of IGN gives the movie a “Great” 8 out of 10, admitting the movie does get off to a slow start, but once the story kicks in, Ballerina proves a worthy offering in the franchise, continuing the traditions that draw fans to John Wick but standing on its own in a surprising way. Gage continues:
From The World of John Wick: Ballerina finds a new vengeful assassin to follow through the shadows under the High Table. It’s a spinoff that knows why the John Wick series has been so successful, and both effectively follows the rules while adding to the ever expanding world. While it takes a good portion of its screentime to find confident footing, when the second half gets moving, the energy is undeniable as Ballerina becomes one funny, bloody and creative fight scene after another. I’m hoping for an encore.
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gives it 2.5 out of 4 stars, noting that the fight scenes — especially early on — don’t live up to what we’ve come to expect from this franchise. However, the movie’s second half is full of enough action that you won’t care. In Tallerico’s words:
Ballerina is a halfway decent action movie that will suffer because it lives in the massive shadow of John Wick, one of the best modern franchises. It struggles to escape the spectacular, no-misses Keanu Reeves quadrilogy, especially when its weaknesses are matched up specifically with the strength of Chad Stahelski’s films. Yet, this young assassin has also learned a thing or two from her mentor. Much like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the first half of Ballerina requires more patience than the second, when action does the talking and even the editing/choreography tightens up. The last third of Ballerina is basically one extended, truly goofy action sequence, and it’s the kind of unpretentious fun that one wants from a movie subtitled From the World of John Wick.
Brian Truitt of USA TODAY calls the Ana de Armas movie a “game-changer,” as the actress is deemed a great addition to the John Wick universe. Truitt enjoys how the character uses more random objects, flamethrowers and knife work for her kills instead of mimicking Wick’s gun fu. He gives the movie 3.5 stars out of 4 and writes:
De Armas smacks, smashes and crashes through a gauntlet of gunfights and brawls in the chilly revenge mission Ballerina, director Len Wiseman’s vital side adventure for the popular action-movie series. If you thought watching Tom Cruise hang off a biplane for 20 minutes was a blast, just wait until de Armas picks up a flamethrower.
David Rooney of THR says everyone in Ballerina understands the assignment, including director Len Wiseman, who doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with the franchise’s new protagonist. The flick very much stays true to the intense gun-fu franchise, making for a great summer afternoon at the movies. Rooney says:
As a protagonist, Eve doesn’t have the droll Zen vibe of Reeves’ John, showing her rage in a more obvious death stare, and she loses the tutu early, making the title seem somewhat arbitrary. But de Armas is a magnetic presence with all the right moves, and Wiseman’s muscular direction — along with DP Romain Lacourbas’ sleek visuals and an unrelenting pace that never lets up on the violence for long — makes for mindless summer action entertainment with a lot of style.
Ballerina is also notable as it was Lance Reddick’s final movie before his 2023 death at age 60. If you’re a fan of the ever-expanding John Wick franchise and want to give this new assassin a shot, Ballerina is in theaters now.
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