From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) [Movie Review] – A Lethal Dance of Revenge

Plot and Franchise Context

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a 2025 Hollywood action thriller and the latest spin-off in the John Wick franchise. Directed by Len Wiseman (from a Shay Hatten script), it follows Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a ballet student turned assassin avenging her father. The story is set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4, and even features Keanu Reeves and Ian McShane in small supporting roles to tie it into the Wick timeline. Early reviews have been broadly positive (about 75% on Rotten Tomatoes), praising the film’s “creatively brutal action choreography” and de Armas’s steely screen presence.

Lead Performance: Ana de Armas

Ana de Armas delivers a charismatic and physical turn as the new franchise hero. Critics note she is “a charming screen presence, throwing herself at fight scenes with aplomb”, and USA Today even calls her performance a “game-changer” for the series. Her Eve is hot-blooded and furious – she drops her tutu early and fights with unvarnished rage rather than Zen composure. De Armas’s athleticism shines throughout (wielding everything from ice skates to flamethrowers), and reviewers praise her as “magnetic… with all the right moves” in the climactic battles. In short, she anchors Ballerina with a blend of grace and grit that drives the film forward.

Action Choreography and Set-Pieces

The action in Ballerina is its main selling point. Fight scenes grow increasingly inventive and relentless, culminating in an Austrian-alps finale that literally explodes into flamethrower duels and grenade-belt antics. Vulture raves that this climax is “absurd, and thrilling, and gorgeous,” praising the blend of brutality and dark humor. IGN notes that after a deliberate first act, the movie finally hits its stride – by the second half “the energy is undeniable” as it serves up “one funny, bloody and creative fight scene after another”. If previous Wick films focused on choreographed gunplay, Ballerina raises the bar with improvised weapons and physics-defying stunts. The result is a high-adrenaline ballet of violence: even if the early set-ups feel routine, the payoff is an over-the-top action showcase.

Watch free Hollywood movies only on HDMovie365.com

World-Building and Timeline

Ballerina leans heavily on established Wick lore. The snowy Austrian village showdown exemplifies the series’ trademark world-building: in John Wick’s world, anyone might secretly be a hitman. The film adds color to the Ruska Roma clan, the Director character, and the High Table without reinventing them. However, placing the story between chapters three and four feels contrived – as The Atlantic notes, the chronology is mainly a pretext to insert Reeves’s cameo. In practice, this spin-off expands the Wickverse with new villains and settings, but franchise purists may cringe at its timeline gymnastics.

Spin-off Comparisons and Tone

As a big-budget spin-off, Ballerina inevitably draws comparisons to titles like Hobbs & Shaw and Bumblebee. Atlantic critic David Sims points out that all such films “have to exist on a scale equivalent to their progenitors” to justify themselves. Unlike Hobbs & Shaw’s broad buddy-comedy approach, Ballerina ultimately embraces the Wick formula – Sims observes that while Hobbs & Shaw largely “ignored” its franchise’s logic, Ballerina eventually “locks on” to what made the original series successful. In tone, it is much grittier and deadpan than those lighter spin-offs. Instead of the rock ‘n’ roll bromance of Hobbs & Shaw or the nostalgic warmth of Bumblebee, Ballerina plays as grim, hyper-stylized revenge — essentially a violent neo-noir that fits more closely with the darker Wick entries.

Watch the From the World of John Wick: Ballerina movie for free now exclusively on HDMovie365!

Conclusion and Rating

In the end, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina doesn’t reinvent the franchise, but it delivers solid, polished thrills. De Armas proves a worthy new lead, and Wiseman’s direction ensures the film keeps moving even if the plot has occasional lulls. By the finale the movie is unabashed fun – as one critic put it, “mindless summer action entertainment with a lot of style”. It may not surpass the Keanu-led chapters, but it outshines many spin-off efforts by sticking to the Wick ethos. Overall, Ballerina earns 4 out of 5 for a high-octane return to the underworld John Wick made famous.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5)