'Ballerina' can't hold a candle to 'John Wick'
Spinoff isn't as light on its feet as its source material.
When I saw “No Time To Die,” I said right away that the producers of the James Bond series should greenlight a spinoff movie or series that teamed up Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch. If only they had listened to me, they might still have control of the franchise (and be a billion dollars poorer).
I guess the closest we’ll get is “Ballerina,” a spinoff of the John Wick franchise starring de Armas, and set right before the events of “John Wick 4” so that you-know-who can make what is surely a lucrative cameo appearance.
Aside from that, “Ballerina” is a pretty serviceable action movie that feels surgically grafted into the “John Wick” universe. All the signifiers are there – the Continental Hotels, the tattooed switchboard operators, the byzantine set of rules that seem to exist only so that the hero can violate them. And de Armas is perfectly fine as ballerina-killer Eve Macarro, at ease with both the action and melodramatic sides of the film.
But “Ballerina” lacks the gonzo panache of the “John Wick” films, especially the orchestrated mayhem of “John Wick 4.” Once you’ve left it all on the table – and by “all,” I mean all the bullet casings and blood spatters – it’s difficult to return to the scene of the crime and do something ordinary.
Orphaned after her assassin father was killed, Eve is taken in as a young girl by the Rushka Roma, headed by the ruthless Director (Anjelica Huston), which trains its proteges equally in “Swan Lake” and knife fights. Eve goes to the head of the class in both disciplines, but she’s nursing a quest for revenge against whoever killed her dad.
She soon discovers that the culprit was The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the leader of an insular rival clan who doesn’t allow any members to leave alive. Defying the rules of the Rushka Roma, Eve heads off on her mission of vengeance.
Instead of the rain-slicked streets of New York or Paris, the last act takes place in a remote Alpine village where everybody is a potential killer, which at least provides a visual change of scenery. But journeyman director Len Wiseman (the “Underworld” series) can’t provide the visual wit or grace of a “John Wick” action sequence. There’s no long takes or off-kilter angles, just workmanlike efficiency. (The one exception may be a flamethrower duel that literally lights up the screen.)
When Keanu Reeves shows up for a couple of cameos at the beginning and end of the film, exuding sad-eyed cool, it’s a glaring reminder of what “Ballerina” is missing. If the “John Wick” films are equivalent to the elegant, sinister Continental Hotel, “Ballerina” is more like a budget-friendly Continental Motel located off the freeway.
“Ballerina” is now playing in theaters. In Madison, it’s playing at Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, AMC Fitchburg 18 and Flix Brewhouse Madison.