No, 'Ballerina' is not a good movie
To quote my letterboxd review, "somebody call Coralie Fargeat because where was the substance?"
Ballerina is the latest entry into the John Wick Franchise, and quite possibly the worst. Directed by Len Wiseman, it is painfully obvious that the film was subject to behind-the-scenes drama, undergoing multiple reshoots without the original director present. It’s no wonder to me that Lionsgate were wary about the review embargo for this film.
Credit: Lionsgate (2025)
One of the greatest pieces of writing advice I have ever been given was to ensure that the paragraph above appropriately flows into the proceeding paragraph; if you can mix your paragraphs about and the writing would still make sense, then it’s a bad piece of writing, and I think this logic can definitly be applied to this film. Where Ballerina suffers most is in its decision to prioritise flashy action sequences over any kind of substance. Admittedly, these sequences are, at times, impressive and well-directed, but the film never takes a second to breathe, and these sequences are just stuck together, one after the other, with no substantial connection. It feels like the editors were on an incredibly strict deadline and just threw whatever they could onto the editing timeline and hoped that it would stick the landing without proof-watching beforehand.
There is barely any time given for the audience to connect with our protagonist, Eve; we’re given a brief backstory, which, in all honesty, is just another flashy action sequence, contributing to the underwritten nature of the film. As a casual audience member, I’m not given any reason to connect with Eve, other than with her dad’s death. I would’ve cared for this more if the film took the time to let me understand Eve’s psyche; all I know about her is that her dad is dead, and this motivated her to seek revenge on those responsible, but I have no reason to care for this because I do not know her.
That being said, this movie is not entirely unappealing. My distaste for the film largely comes from my distaste for bog-standard action flicks, which, if you happen to be a fan of, then you will find some enjoyment in this thing. There’s a pretty great sequence near the end involving a flamethrower, and you might even be treated to some screentime from Mr John Wick himself.