The first reactions for Ballerina, the new John Wick spin-off starring Ana de Armas, are out. Critics say the film delivers wild action and a strong lead performance, though some note a thin storyline. The movie is set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4.
Early viewers call Ballerina a solid addition to the John Wick universe. The action scenes are getting high praise, with many calling them creative and intense. Ana de Armas is being called a “true action star” in her role as Eve Macarro, an assassin seeking revenge.
“Absolute mayhem from start to finish. Mind-blowing fight scenes, phenomenally choreographed and staged. Ana de Armas is an action hero for the ages.” – Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net
BALLERINA: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK is everything you could wish for.
The best movie of the year. Absolute mayhem from start to finish. Mind-blowing fight scenes, phenomenally choreographed and staged. Ana de Armas is an action hero for the ages.
Some critics say the story is simple, focusing more on action than deep plot. A few also feel Keanu Reeves’ cameo as John Wick doesn’t add much. Still, most agree the film is fun for fans of the franchise.
“Ballerina is so hilariously over the top, I laughed through the whole thing – for better & worse. It’s propulsive, has wild action, but also a painfully boring story that holds it back.” – Germain Lussier, io9
The film features Gabriel Byrne as a villain and the late Lance Reddick in one of his final roles. Director Len Wiseman brings his experience from action films like Underworld to the project.
There was some controversy over early reactions. Lionsgate asked critics to share only positive comments before the full reviews. This led to accusations of controlling opinions. The studio later said they only wanted to avoid spoilers.
“Ana de Armas kicks so much ass in this, it makes her performance in No Time to Die look like child’s play. The movie starts out rough but becomes an entertaining revenge story.” – Ben Pearson, Slashfilm
Ballerina releases in theaters on June 6, 2025. Early box office predictions suggest it may not match the main John Wick films but could still do well. Fans of high-energy action will likely enjoy it.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
