The following contains minor spoilers for Ballerina.
I am an unapologetic fan of all things John Wick. I’ve seen all the movies. I’ve been to the Las Vegas Continental. I love the Keanu Reeves-led franchise, and so the fact that we’re not only going to get more John Wick sequels, but prequels and multiple spinoffs, makes me a happy guy. As such, I was very much looking forward to seeing the first of those spinoffs, the Ana de Armas-led Ballerina.
Overall, I think Ballerina was a solid effort. The action sequences, while not quite up to the same standard as the John Wick films, were still well done, with a few really standout moments. Ana de Armas held her own throughout the film, as so many of us hoped she would. But while Ballerina was a solid action movie, I felt it was lacking as a John Wick film, and not because it didn’t have enough Keanu Reeves.
the rules are what make the World of John Wick special.
Caine, starring Donnie Yen, on the way, as well as an animated John Wick prequel. I hope the new films take a lesson from Ballerina and not follow in these footsteps. Don’t ignore the rules; instead, find creative ways to use them that will make your action and your story more interesting.
The rules of the John Wick universe are far from clear, and they’re more than a little bizarre. The gold coin-based economy makes basically no sense, but I don’t care. The rules are what make John Wick movies different from other action movies, and as we see more sequels and spinoffs, and whatever else in the John Wick universe, I hope we see more movies that find interesting ways to use the rules, and not simply ignore them.