Are Critics In Step With ‘John Wick’ Spinoff?

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina — starring Ana de Arma and featuring Keanu Reeves — has some, but not all, critics jumping for joy.

Rated R, Ballerina plays in Thursday previews and opens in 3,400 North American theaters on Friday.

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The logline for Ballerina reads, “Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro (Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.”

Directed by Len Wiseman, Ballerina also stars features John Wick franchise stars Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane and the late Lance Reddick in supporting roles. Ballerina also stars Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Norman Reedus.

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The review embargo for Ballerina lifted Wednesday afternoon and the film is getting a mostly positive reception from Rotten Tomatoes critics with a 75% rating based on 55 reviews as of the publication of this article. The rating, of course, could change as more reviews roll in the throughout the week and over the weekend.

The RT Critics Consensus and Popcornmeter rating are still pending.

What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Ballerina’?

David Ehrlich of IndieWire is among the top critics on RT who gives From the World of John Wick: Ballerina a “fresh” review, writing, “The good news is that Ballerina has another place it wants to show us, and that place turns out to be a wonderful addition to this franchise’s ever-swelling cinematic universe.”

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter also thinks Ballerina takes a step in the right direction, noting in his review summary on RT, “[Ana] de Armas is a magnetic presence with all the right moves, and [Len] Wiseman’s muscular direction make for mindless summer action entertainment with a lot of style.”

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Also praising Ballerina is Gregory Nussen of Deadline Hollywood Daily, who writes in his RT summary, “[Ana] de Armas is a huge reason why this all works; her presence is beguiling, and her movement is immaculate. So, too, is Jason Ballantine’s editing job.”

Among Ballerina’s detractors on RT is Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence, who writes in her “rotten” review, “As a vehicle to add more lore and nuance to the JWCU — while also delivering numerous fun action sequences — Ballerina functions well. Unfortunately, it fails to give its star a real character to play, or a substantial plotline.”

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Tim Grierson of Screen International is another top critic on RT who gives Ballerina a “rotten” review, writing, “Ballerina isn’t sharp enough to deserve [Ana] de Armas’s killer performance.”

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina — plays in Thursday previews and opens in wide release in theaters on Friday.

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