Ballerina or From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, is a new film set in the John Wick franchise releasing in theaters this weekend. Directed by Len Wiseman & written by Shay Hatten, the film stars Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves. Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro, who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.

As a fan of the franchise and of Ana de Armas, I was excited. The production issues this film faced did worry me. With mostly positive reviews, I went into this feeling hopeful. I was even bumping John Wick music on the way to the movie theater. I’m afraid I should have lowered my expectations even further, because I left disappointed.

It sucks when a film isn’t quite for you that everyone else is raving about. To be fair, I didn’t like John Wick: Chapter 2 on the first watch and I thought John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was good at best, but nothing extraordinary. On my latest rewatches of those two, my feelings changed for the better. I’m honestly not sure if I will feel the same way with this one. Even though I had a terrible viewing experience involving the guy next to me on his phone and the ceiling above me leaking water, I was still quite disappointed with the end result. I wasn’t expecting anything perfect, but I also wasn’t expecting…this.

The glowing positive aspect this film has going for it is Ana de Armas. She is exceptional in the lead role. She keeps the film alive with her charisma and energy. It’s no wonder she stole the spotlight in No Time to Die with the minimal runtime she had. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the action franchise starter she deserves. Much like how Keanu Reeves got to start his own franchise with these movies, it would be nice for Armas to be in something original that isn’t also trying to please the fans at the same time. There is a lot of conflict with the film wanting to be its own thing versus trying to connect with this universe.

The one thing I kept hearing from early reviews is that you go to these movies for the action and not the story. Okay, that’s true to an extent. The first film does a great job at introducing this universe that is able to expand as the franchise goes on. The problem here is that it is having to connect the dots in a timeline that doesn’t quite make much sense to me.

As we follow Eve (Armas) and learn her backstory, it is very generic. There is a solid action set piece that sets the stage for the amazing action choreography the film will have, but the script feels like it was regenerated and rushed. The opening scene makes Eve obsess over a ballerina glove that she goes on to obsess over for the next 12 years. It would be like if Wick obsessed over matches. The film could have explored the life she wanted through this device, but it instead comes off so unnatural and forced that makes it feel more cliche more than anything else. Don’t even get me started on the dialogue. Some of the roughest dialogue I have heard in an action film in quite some time. There is even a random twist in the middle involving Armas’ backstory that makes no sense at all and that part is even rushed.

The structure becomes more convoluted as it tries to fit between chapters 3 & 4. Honestly, I don’t understand why this couldn’t have been a prequel to the first movie where Wick could have trained Eve in the beginning. At least that would have been more interesting. Instead, what they do is shoehorn a plot involving Wick that doesn’t make much sense to the story or his character. It makes a little bit of sense, but with the arc he’s on during this time, I have a tough time buying he was content with this little side quest. The structure can also be quite rushed. I wouldn’t recommend going to the bathroom at any point as you may be confused how the film got to its given point.

We are reintroduced to characters that make it feel welcoming to return to this world. It’s nice to see Reeves return, especially with what we see from him later on. With a smaller screentime, it’s even better, and bittersweet, to see Lance Reddick one last time. Anjelica Huston & Ian McShane look like they are sleepwalking in roles that show too much comfort and not enough conviction.

Along with Ana de Armas, there are two other additional new faces added – Gabriel Byrne & Norman Reedus. I was really looking forward to their characters as I enjoy both actors’ talents. Byrne is effective in his TV show role, In Treatment. His dialogue and mannerisms in that show could have easily made him a cunning and intimidating villain here. Nope. I get the impression he didn’t want to be there, making him perhaps the weakest villain in this franchise so far. Reedus does a great job at hyping things up such as his role in the film. Take him out of the film and you lose absolutely nothing. His talents and his screen presence felt completely mismanaged as his role feels like it was added because he’s a likable actor, but he couldn’t stay around for too long due to his obligations towards The Walking Dead. Such wasted potential between these two actors.

Then, there is the action. That’s why people coming to these movies, right? It’s easy to get swept into the action. If that’s all you are looking for, then I can see anyone having a good time. There were plenty of action set pieces throughout that made me audibly gasp. The shock factor is there and it is still very satisfying. There are several moments that continue to push the boundaries of violence that this franchise is known for with iconic set pieces between a flamethrower fight scene and a grenade fight scene.

While these set pieces are still done well due to the choreography, I get the impression that the camera could care less. There are moments where the camera feels like an additional character, much like it did with the other films. I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of time the camera just felt stationary and uninspired. What we are seeing on screen can be exciting, but I couldn’t always get into it due to where the camera is placed.

I’ve heard plenty of rumors about the production this film went through. I am not here to stay any of it is true. If it is, I can believe it. While director Len Wiseman has directed and been involved with TV projects, he hasn’t actually directed a film since 2012’s Total Recall. That’s 13 years, which is insane. It does feel like he is sometimes out of his depth in the drama. There are some action set pieces that are better than others that I think show were the reshoots came in to make them better. If this franchise wants to do well going forward though, it needs better direction to make the action feel like an actual John Wick movie, as well as make the story around it more emotionally compelling. The story here isn’t great, but it could have been even better if the right performances came out from some of the talent.

Overall, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a mixed bag. It’s far from horrible, but it’s also far from perfect. It’s right there in the middle for me. The ambition is there with some unique action set pieces and an incredible performance from Armas. The film just needed a better focus on its story while have a cohesive direction that helped make the action & drama flow better.

VERDICT: 2.5/5 (Okay)

I do also want to point how bad my theater experience was. Theater experiences don’t typically impact me as bad as this one did. It was a packed theater. The guy sitting next to me had his phone facing upwards so main screen would light up anytime he got a notification. It’s behavior like that that makes people not want to go to theaters anymore. I have just learned it’s best to not say anything. I’ve overheard people get into fights over it. At this point, you should know better.

The ceiling above me was also leaking water. I’ve gone to that theaters for years and never had that issue. It looks like the ceiling above me was broken and water from the AC kept leaking. Luckily, it wasn’t much and I had a jacket to block it, but it was still annoying dealing with random drips of water as I was just trying to enjoy a movie.