Movie · 2025 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 2h 5m · R · English
Curator score: 3.5/10 (604.9K ratings)
Vengeance has a new face.
Overview
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.5/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.28/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 59
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Len Wiseman
Production
Thunder Road, 87Eleven, Lionsgate
Cast
Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ava McCarthy, Juliet Doherty, Norman Reedus, Lance Reddick, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, David Castañeda, Victoria Comte, Robert Maaser, Sooyoung Choi, Jung Doo-hong, Anne Parillaud, Marc Cram, Rila Fukushima, Abraham Popoola
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A sleek, violent spin-off that mostly succeeds as an action showcase, even if the story and characters are thin. It’s best when it leans into inventive, high-impact set pieces and the franchise’s stylized underworld mythology; it’s less convincing as a standalone drama.
Best for
John Wick fans who mainly want new action choreography and world-building
Viewers who enjoy revenge plots with a glossy, comic-book tone
Audiences looking for a theatrical, big-screen spectacle with flamethrowers, gun-fu, and elaborate kills
Skip if
You want a strong standalone story or deep character development
You’re tired of the John Wick formula and its mythology
You prefer action films with more realism, restraint, or emotional weight
Overview
Ballerina is a franchise extension that knows exactly what it is: a sleek, hard-charging action vehicle built around escalating violence and immaculate style. The plot is mostly scaffolding, but the film understands that its audience is here for momentum, choreography, and the pleasure of watching a lethal world get even more elaborate.
Worth noting
Ana de Armas gives the movie its pulse, selling Eve as both vulnerable and ferocious, and the best sequences make smart use of her physicality and the series’ increasingly absurd arsenal. When the film commits to invention, it delivers the kind of polished mayhem that can make a crowded theater feel like a sports arena.
Bottom line
The tradeoff is that the emotional beats are thin and the middle stretches can feel like connective tissue between bigger bursts of action. Still, for viewers who want a stylish revenge thriller with premium franchise polish, it lands more often than it misses.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Bobby Wagner (3★) · 8905 likes
sometimes, you just have to watch a beautiful woman shoot people in the head for two hours
júlia (3.5★) · 7077 likes
"it's suicide, it's fucking john wick""he's just one guy"
*dies*
JoshuaCaine (4★) · 7073 likes
Yeah man, God took His time when making Ana de Armas.
jer ☘️ (4★) · 6034 likes
may thy flamethrower chip and shatter
zoë rose bryant (3.5★) · 4924 likes
wish i would’ve seen this in 4DX so i could feel ana de armas punch me in the face too
2010 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 59m · R · Curator 8.1/10 (58.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, MUBI, Rakuten Viki, Hi-YAH, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A grim, emotional rescue-and-revenge thriller with elegant action escalation.