Ballerina

When this film came out I was mildly interested because I had somewhat enjoyed the John Wick universe. Keanu Reeves has long been one of my favorite actors and the action is, while completely predictable, always fun. I’m not unhappy that I waited till this movie was streaming because it was fun on a small screen and that’s all I was looking for. As a side note, the first Lionsgate produced film I ever saw was Amazons and Gladiators. If you ever try that as a drinking game, just get drunk first so you won’t actually experience the film. The story of that studio’s rise into genuinely good production would make a great documentary.

Set in the John Wick universe between the time of movies three and four, a girl and her father are attacked by a relentless group of assassins. On his death she is sent to the Ruska Roma, the group that trains ballerinas and high level assassins. She excels at both.

It took me a minute to realize the woman playing a ruthless assassin is the same woman who played an innocent in Knives Out who is so good she pukes every time she lies. I loved her in that role and think she did a great job in this one. Ana de Armas, like Keanu before her, did a lot of her own stunts. That’s not just a cool trivia thing, but a tried and true way to deepen the viewing experience. A director who has a star doing the dirty work can make sure to show the actor’s face. This creates a stronger bond for the viewer and just makes everything better. Also, in this weird age we’re living in now, making sure the dude bros know they’re watching a fearless, athletic actress doing “man stuff” is a plus. I knew de Armas would be good as soon as I saw her working a heavy bag. No embarrassing girl hits like Sarah Michelle Gellar.

For a while I was wondering if they would have Ana doing WickSpeak, aka, twenty words per movie, but she had actual dialogue. I think even Wick, who shows up here, has more dialogue that the first film. The action sequences are every bit as good as in the canon films. They are frenetic, with lots of movement through great settings. The movie as a whole is just gorgeous, with strong lighting and cinematography, which doesn’t fade when the bad guys are being dispatched wholesale. Kills are frequent, of course, and they are varied and sometimes clever. One quick fight scene made me laugh because it was ridiculous and funny. The flamethrower ballet was jaw dropping in its unexpected beauty.

The final grand battle really, really wowed me. I thought the setting and participants was super clever. I’m not sure I’ve seen something like that before, and y’all know I’ve seen a lot of movies. I’ve read people say this film is rote and predictable, but you know, it’s a Wick film. How original is that even supposed to be? I didn’t get a deep story, but I wasn’t expecting one from this franchise. I was looking for well done fight sequences and seeing a lot of bad people losing. Some of the Wick movies are operatic in their scope, and this one did not reach that far. But I still enjoyed it.

If you’re like me, a shallow fan of great fight sequences and a fun protagonist, by all means watch this movie. It’s nice to look at, clever, with a compelling main actress. I would absolutely watch a sequel, even if Wick didn’t appear in it.

Triggers: lots and lots of violence

Available on: HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

LINKS:

• Ballerina – Official Site
• Ballerina – Better Official Looking Site
• Ballerina – IMDB
• Ballerina – Wikipedia

CFR: In Addition

Ok, I gotta admit, I have not yet seen this movie even though I want to. I think I turned it on last week, but due to LIFE I have fallen asleep the minute I get comfortable. I do want to see this movie.

Now I must respond to a few things Cranky wrote: “I’ve read people say this film is rote and predictable, but you know, it’s a Wick film. How original is that even supposed to be?” Well huh. My answer to that is if you want to be a misogynistic bot and just write silly slop because it is easy to write nasty things about women, then maybe you should get some therapy. Seriously. Therapy. Because misogynistic bots would never say that about a movie with a male lead as a way to brush the movie off and not go see it.

Ok. I will definitely watch this movie. Maybe when the semester ends and I have some time to myself. Yeah, right, LOL.

Or maybe tonight….