It’s been eight long years since it was announced that John Wick was getting a spinoff, so there’s no doubt that Ballerina comes highly anticipated for fans of the John Wick franchise. The film — starring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, the ballerina assassin who seeks revenge for her father’s death — finally hit the 2025 movie calendar on June 6, and critics are here to help us decide if we want to buy tickets to the new action movie.
The John Wick spinoff Ballerina, according to director Len Wiseman, is actually more of a parallel story, as it takes place between 2019’s Chapter 3 – Parabellum and 2023’s Chapter 4 (available to stream with a Peacock subscription).
glowing reaction from Tom Cruise (who has sparked dating rumors with Ana de Armas). However, in CinemaBlend’s review of Ballerina, Eric Eisenberg contends his low expectations helped his enjoyment of the “meh” spinoff. He rates the movie 3 out of 5 stars, writing:
Clint Gage of IGN gives the movie a “Great” 8 out of 10, admitting the movie does get off to a slow start, but once the story kicks in, Ballerina proves a worthy offering in the franchise, continuing the traditions that draw fans to John Wick but standing on its own in a surprising way. Gage continues:
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gives it 2.5 out of 4 stars, noting that the fight scenes — especially early on — don’t live up to what we’ve come to expect from this franchise. However, the movie’s second half is full of enough action that you won’t care. In Tallerico’s words:
Brian Truitt of USA TODAY calls the Ana de Armas movie a “game-changer,” as the actress is deemed a great addition to the John Wick universe. Truitt enjoys how the character uses more random objects, flamethrowers and knife work for her kills instead of mimicking Wick’s gun fu. He gives the movie 3.5 stars out of 4 and writes:
David Rooney of THR says everyone in Ballerina understands the assignment, including director Len Wiseman, who doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with the franchise’s new protagonist. The flick very much stays true to the intense gun-fu franchise, making for a great summer afternoon at the movies. Rooney says:
Ballerina is also notable as it was Lance Reddick’s final movie before his 2023 death at age 60. If you’re a fan of the ever-expanding John Wick franchise and want to give this new assassin a shot, Ballerina is in theaters now.