Ballerina (2025), or From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, is an action thriller featuring Wiseman’s directorial skills and Hatten’s script about a Wick spin-off. It will star Ana de Armas as a ballerina assassin, and Macarro—a name which I can only assume means ‘the one who dances’, will be hunting down those she is ‘contracted’ to eliminate.
Ballerina is placed between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 and John Wick: Chapter 4. In expanding the universe’s assassin mythology, it retains the franchise’s hallmark stylized violence. It introduces another female character to the world of contracts, codes, and consequences, where the leading male protagonist is still the ‘John Wick’.
Synopsis
Ballerina will follow alloying Eve Macarro, daughter of Ruska Roma, a criminal family which uniquely combines classical arts ball and ruthless combat. As a result of her parent’s murder, Eve joins a violent ballet school where little girls are transformed into vicious assassins under ‘The Director’s’ stringent supervision
Years later, we find Eve as an elegant yet deadly assassin. Her life begins to unravel when she uncovers the truth behind her father’s murder and the powerful figure known only as The Chancellor. Burning with a desire for both vengeance and the truth, Eve dares to breach the assassin hierarchy to hunt down the man who has changed her life forever.
Eve reconnects with some of her oldest allies and even new foes. Atop Europe’s icy mountains, in lavish nightclubs, and in abandoned war bunkers, she meets people who help her along the way. Winston, the Continental Hotel manager, and Charon, the dedicated concierge, aid her in her quest. At one point, she even meets John Wick himself, creating a pivotal moment that connects the spin-off to the original saga.
Main Characters and Cast
Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas):
She is the film’s main character, as well as a top-class ballerina and one of the most dangerous assassins. The role is a compelling one for Ana de Armas, who exploits the elegance, fury, and tactical cunning of the character to great effect, and who was extremely trained. The film’s emotional journey centers on Eve’s transformation from a “trained weapon” to an independent “force.”
The Director (Anjelica Huston):
The Director is now training assassins at the facility she oversees in “John Wick: Chapter 3”. In the Ruska Roma community, she symbolizes the more rigid archaic influences who impose order but covertly adapt to political change.
Winston Scott (Ian McShane):
The Continental’s enigmatic manager again serves as a power broker and mentor. His conversations with Eve are steeped in questions of revenge, loyalty, and selfhood.
Charon (Lance Reddick):
Presented as his final role before his tragic death, Charon infuses the sordid world of contract killers with dignity and sympathy. His depiction of unwavering professionalism blended with warmth showcases his enduring compassion.
The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne):
The Chancellor forms the center as the antagonistic cult figure who methodically operates out of cold ideology, planning assassinations without any emotion. The calm menace he projects stands in sharp contrast to the emotional rage from Eve, resulting in a tense rivalry.
Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus):
An assassin who is connected to both Eve and The Chancellor. He is a rebellious character with ambiguous motivations throughout the narrative, making him a wildcard.
Themes
Revenge and Redemption:
At its core, Ballerina is about personal justice. For Eve, the journey starts with obsession over vengeance but over the course of her journey, she confronts what her chosen path entails—including significant costs to herself.Tradition vs Autonomy:
Eve’s struggle with The Director and other authority figures aligns with a universal conflict of self versus society. It illustrates the tension between individuality and institutional domination conflict in self versus society.
Art as Discipline and Weapon:
In this case, ballet, which is traditionally regarded as an art of beauty is transformed into an instrument of violence. The choreography of both dance and violence epitomizes Eve’s internal struggle between control and fury, and the equilibrium she strives to achieve between them.
Sisterhood and Isolation:
Eve’s experiences with female peers and teachers amidst a collective sisterhood reveal her as devoid of companionship. It also portrays the violent and patriarchal world of savagery that women live in, marking the harrowing journey of women caught in such a network.
Style and Direction
The action sequences remain intensely choreographed and visually theatrical, merging martial arts with ballet in a new way. One sequence that stands out to me is when Eve defeats a room of assassins with firearms and pointe shoes, transforming a classical performance into a deadly dance.
Len Wiseman infuses kinetic energy into the set pieces of Underworld and Live Free or Die Hard while giving space for character reflection during quieter moments. In addition, the film’s score, which combines orchestral arrangements with industrial beats, emphasizes the film’s focus on high-stake action.
The cinematography showcases a distinctive juxtaposition of beauty and brutality. The snow-covered monasteries, mirrored training studios, and even the decadent underground clubs serve as stunning backdrops for confrontations that are philosophical as much as they are physical.
Reception
Ballerina garnered positive responses from both audiences and critics. Focus praise centered around Ana de Armas’ performance, the creative action sequences, and the film’s ability to stand alone while still honoring the John Wick saga. Though some critics felt the pacing slowed in the second act, most agreed that Armas’s film adds meaningful depth and diversity to the franchise.
The film also serves as an emotional farewell to Lance Reddick, whose final scenes as Charon were filled with respect and admiration. For longtime fans, his presence provided a layer of gravitas and nostalgia.
Box Office and Legacy
Ballerina, released in the summer of 2025, accumulated over $130 million in revenue globally, which was a significant amount for a spin-off. We have now seen that the John Wick franchise has the ability to branch out into new dimensions while still preserving the level of storytelling and visual artistry synonymous with the franchise.
There was an immediate rush to develop sequel and spin-off concepts, including potential prequels centered around the Ruska Roma and other assassin guilds. Eve Macarro is now viewed as one of the primary personas in the franchise’s burgeoning narrative as she provides a counterbalance to John Wick’s archetypical masculine myth with a woman’s perspective.
Conclusion
Ballerina is a beautifully stylized and emotionally rich film that expands the John Wick universe. With Ana de Armas taking center stage with a charged performance, the film depicts the choreography of ballet intertwined with violence which is a distinctive contribution to the action genre.
It goes beyond being simply a side story. Ballerina reflects upon the themes of trauma, acts of revenge, and the journey toward self-identity. It portrays a mixture of grace and savagery, asserting that beauty and brutality can indeed coexist.
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