From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"

John Wick's mark on action cinema cannot be understated – just look at the sheer number of clones that have come in the original's wake: Atomic Blonde, Nobody, Monkey Man, Bullet Train, more. Now, finally, an imitator set in the same universe, and with it comes a sense that we've seen this before. To quote another Keanu Reeves franchise: "Whoa. Déjà vu."

Ballerina (or From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, as it's being marketed) takes place between the third and fourth entries in the main series, meaning that – spoiler alert for John Wick: Chapter 4 – the Baba Yaga is still alive. Of course, this isn't Wick’s story, but there are many, many similarities between his tale and that of Ana de Armas' Eve Macarro.

The movie begins when Eve's father is mysteriously murdered by a cult of killers. Alone in the world, Eve is approached by Ian McShane's Winston Scott, who takes the orphan to Anjelica Huston's Director. She adopts the child into her organisation, the Ruska Roma, and Eve is forced to dance until her toes are bloody, for this is no normal ballet school, but a training ground for deadly assassins.

As we know, John Wick was a member of the Roma Ruska, eventually leaving to become the world's most prolific hitman. And like Wick, Eve does not let a grudge go. Where the first chapter in the John Wick saga focused on Reeves' killer dishing out revenge against those who murdered his dog, Ballerina sees Eve trying to avenge her father's death by whatever means necessary, even if it puts her against her comrades in the Ruska Roma.

All action

From the moment Eve embarks on her first mission, Ballerina plays out like a video game. First, a visceral action scene, followed by a brief cut scene that just about sets the next plot point in motion, then a restocking of guns and ammo, and onto the next action scene for some more cold-blooded killing, the odd boss battle thrown in for good measure. Repeat.

The structure works, thanks almost entirely to the action. Highlights include a dance-floor brawl (a series' staple), a particularly gruesome axe to the face, a very funny fight with plates, and a seriously cool flamethrower-off, not to mention some brilliant actor blocking as characters use grenades in various creative ways. In other words, Ballerina's action scenes are the franchise at its bone-crunching best.

De Armas, it should be said, makes for a badass action hero, selling every punch and every injury, just as she did in James Bond. It's just unfortunate that, during the scenes between the action, she's not only let down by a basic script that rehashes plot-points from the other John Wick movies, but she's unable to deliver the movie's one-liners with the required gravitas.

For instance, there's one particular revelation towards the movie's back half that's meant to be a big, emotional reveal. Yet, the scene is rushed and Eve is given no time to fully comprehend what's happened. De Armas, meanwhile, has a sad look on her face, one that we see time and time again throughout Ballerina, her performance coming across a little one-note.

Returning to the world

Later, Eve comes across a new weapon and reacts by saying, "Cool." Now, Reeves' Wick says these sorts of simple lines all the time, the actor finding ways of making them sound, well, cool. But de Armas does not have Reeves' sensibilities, and the line, like many others in the film, lands with little impact. It's a shame because she's so good in the action sequences, you wish the script had played to her strengths and differentiated her character more from Wick.

Speaking of the franchise's flagship hero, he almost risks overshadowing his protégé. Wick makes a brief appearance early on in Ballerina before coming back with a vengeance, an entire set-piece revolving solely around him. It's a treat to see Reeves back in the role, but also a reminder of how strong his character is outside of the action compared to Eve.

Similarly, returning players McShane, Houston, and Lance Reddick (in his final on-screen role) may not be central to the story, but their appearances showcase just how great some of the series' mainstays are – and comparatively, how the newcomers in Ballerina lack personality (Norman Reedus has a good single set piece, while Gabriel Byrne is a middling villain with unclear motives, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster has little to do).

Perhaps one reason for the strong action comes down to executive producer (and John Wick helmer) Chad Stahelski reportedly taking over reshoots, done primarily to oomph up the fighting. In fact, there have been reports that, like Captain America: Brave New World, Ballerina went through a significant amount of retooling in post-production following disastrous test screenings. There's little proof of this in the final film, the seams of reshoots thoroughly sewn together, with director Len Wiseman's fingerprints across every scene.

It makes for a tonally consistent movie, though one that fails to deliver on a deeper emotional level – arguably the element that elevated the franchise above its many clones. It's a shame, because the action really is brilliant, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu. Whoa.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is in theaters from June 6.

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