Amazing Movie but Fumbles in Originality

Graphic by Nicholas Latham

I truly didn’t expect “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” to be such an amazing addition to the “John Wick” series. But I was wrong — and I’m excited to share just how impressive this movie turned out to be.

Released in 2025 and directed by Len Wiseman, “Ballerina” follows Eve Macarro (played by Ana de Armas), a trained assassin for the Ruska Roma, as she seeks revenge for her father’s murder when she was young. The movie is a spinoff from the popular “John Wick” franchise — an amazing series well-known for its action scenes, lighting, and composition revolving around the namesake, trained assassin. After losing his wife, Wick seeks revenge and, through his violent spree, is forced back into the criminal underworld over the course of four films.

“Ballerina” was done amazingly well and lived up to the “John Wick” standard — and in some areas, it did even better. Unfortunately, like many long-running franchises, series fatigue is becoming a danger to the longevity of the story.

Casting
To start, the casting in “Ballerina” was spot-on. Thankfully, all returning characters were played by their original actors. Many fans agree it’s distracting when a series continues with a different person playing a familiar role, and no one could replace Winston (played by Ian McShane) or The Director (played by Anjelica Huston).

Set Design / Locations
As an illustrator and photographer, I couldn’t help but notice how carefully every moment of every frame was set up — especially the set design and locations. Out of the thousands of films I’ve seen, none matched this movie’s skill in choosing locations and creating sets like the Ruska Roma hideout and the Continental Hotel. Additionally, the shooting locations of Central Bohemia, the ruins of Belvedere Summer Castle, Prague, and Budapest absolutely blew me away.

Lighting
The lighting followed the iconic blue and pink theme that’s a staple of “John Wick,” helping you feel grounded in the same universe. If you’ve worked with social media or recorded anything, you know how crucial lighting is — and here, it was done to perfection.

Special Effects, Choreography, and Stunts
My favorite part of the film was the choreography and special effects. The entire movie relied heavily on practical effects, which absolutely blew me away. The man who’s on fire? Actually on fire. And that grenade she throws — while fake — caused a very real explosion. It’s practical effects like these that help a franchise stand the test of time. In addition, the choreography stood out and worked perfectly with the effects. Every movement, hit, and gunshot felt real and believable. Not to mention, Ana de Armas dedicatedly trained and performed a staggering number of her own stunts.

Story
That said, while the film succeeded in so many areas, it sadly fell short where it matters most: the story. It felt like they copied John Wick’s life and pasted it onto Eve Macarro: “You killed someone I cared about, so now I’ll kill everyone who stands in my way.” This is a big reason why the Wick series is starting to suffer from fatigue — if you keep repeating the same plot, people lose interest. But if you take “Ballerina” at face value, without comparing it too much to the other films, it’s an amazing movie that truly impressed me.

Despite the lack of a fresh plot, viewers will be blown away by the visuals and the dedication put into this movie. Honestly, it’s a film worth seeing— but keep in mind that the series will only decline if there isn’t a shift in the plot moving forward