Ballerina

Ballerina

written by

yadar_13

Don’t get me wrong, I’m in love with Ana de Armas but I’m so glad they didn’t fall for the easy thirst trap in this movie. Still, this picture is far from perfect. Every major topic feels like it has an issue you’ll definitely spot. The combat, which is quickly emphasized as being about a woman using feminine strengths, becomes a struggle in itself, as the movie tries not to forget this rule — yet ends up breaking it half the time. It becomes especially visible when you get a John Wick-type action scene… but way slower than anything with John. The story has some pretty huge question-mark moments. The biggest one is Eve’s sister: they’re having a family moment even though it’s the very first time they’ve met — at least from Eve’s point of view. It feels totally out of place, considering what we were told and shown by the writers. The choreography at the very end of the movie is a letdown, and the resolution feels like an easy way out compared to what was promised at the beginning. But the biggest issue this movie has is its lack of novelty. It’s not an Ana de Armas movie in the John Wick world. It’s a John Wick movie with Ana de Armas in it. It takes what already exists and just runs with it, without ever risking something new. That said, the choreography is really good, and when it hits, it hits hard — wave after wave in your face. A few ideas are absolutely insane, like the whole flamethrower scene, which is genuinely brilliant. But the rest? As I said — it's mostly John Wick-average action, with a few cool sparks here and there. One last thing that adds to the movie’s lack of guts: the lighting. That purple neon-style look you see on every poster? It’s almost non-existent in the actual film. Again, what’s so frustrating about this picture is that it refuses to take risks, and ends up falling on its own face trying to ride its past successes. To sum it up — like I said earlier — I wanted an Ana de Armas gun-fu movie set in the world of John Wick. Not a John Wick gun-fu movie starring Ana de Armas. Still, this is a really cool movie to watch. You’ll be entertained, and you’ll definitely enjoy seeing Ana de Armas rise as a true killing machine.