Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Ballerina slots neatly into the John Wick universe with a revenge-driven narrative that is competent but unsurprising — a female assassin origin story following familiar beats of loss, training, and retribution. The cinematography carries the franchise's signature neon-drenched, meticulously choreographed action aesthetic to a high standard, with crisp fight staging and strong visual identity. Acting is serviceable with solid support from returning franchise players, though the lead hasn't fully distinguished herself yet. Novelty is limited by design — this is a spin-off expanding an established world rather than introducing genuinely new ideas, and the plot template (grief, mentorship, vengeance) is well-worn even within this franchise. The ending delivers satisfying action closure but lacks the mythological weight of the main series' conclusions.