Ana de Armas stars as Eve in “Ballerina” (Photo Credit: Larry D. Horricks/Lionsgate).
(“From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” trailer courtesy of Lionsgate Movies)
RegalMag.com can sometimes sound like a broken record because the publication often says that a person never wants to follow a legend.
A person should want to follow the person who directly followed the legend.
Actor Keanu Reeves’ performances in the “John Wick” franchise have become legendary over the years.
And although “From The World of John Wick: Ballerina” could use more of Reeves’ star power, Ana de Armas does her thing in the next iteration of the popular killer movie franchise.
In “The Godfather: II,” the gangster who killed Vito Corleone’s father wanted the scrawny and sickly little boy killed because he knew that one day that little boy could come back seeking vengeance.
Over 50 years later, in “From The World of John Wick: Ballerina,” the killers of Javier (David Castaneda) do not want to let Eve escape after the murder of her father and mother.
However, they want to apprehend Eve for a different reason.
Nevertheless, the killers never get their wish as Eve escapes and finds refuge with Javier’s “family.”
Eve has a fascination with ballerinas, which is ironic because The Director (Anjelica Huston) of the organization offers dance lessons for young girls like her.
But the family offers more training than just ballet.
It offers training that could save lives or take lives, whichever side of the coin a person is on.
Although Eve comes to the family as innocent as a dove, with no knowledge of what her parents did for a living, ignorance does not change a person’s bloodlines.
If a person has athletic parents, they might have athletic talent.
If a person has parents in the ministry, they might find themselves in the pulpit one day.
And if a person has killer parents, they might find themselves responsible for several bodies when it is all said and done.
So, under the guidance of Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), Eve (de Armas) begins learning the ways of the Ruska Roma organization.
In “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” Eve is not the biggest or the strongest.
As a woman, she must even fight men twice her size.
But that is no excuse in the mind of Nogi.
If Eve is smaller and weaker than her opponents and cannot beat a man fair and square, Nogi advises her to break the rules.
Eve must be prepared to do whatever it takes to defeat her opponent if she wants to earn praise from the Ruska Roma organization.
In “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” Eve gives everything 100 percent.
When she practices ballet, she constantly falls.
However, she never stays down.
She works so hard at ballet that she develops wounds on her toes that become so bad that The Director urges her to care for her injuries before they become septic, and they must amputate her foot.
Eve’s friend Tatiana (Juliet Doherty) cannot even understand why Eve goes so hard in the paint.
It is as if she has past trauma that is pushing her forward towards a specific goal.
While the Ruska Roma organization sees great potential in Eve, they do not see the same possibilities in all her peers.
They do not see potential in Tatiana.
The difference they see in Eve is that Eve has madness in her heart and an angry streak.
On the contrary, Tatiana just has sadness in her heart.
Sadness and madness are two different things.
That anger in a person’s heart can turn them into a heartless killer, which is required if Eve is to follow in her parents’ occupational footsteps.
When Eve finally gets permission from the Ruska Roma organization to work in the field, she does not disappoint.
But when she sees a mark on one of her bodies, she might finally have the answers to what happened to her parents years earlier.
If Eve finally has the answer to who murdered her parents, she will definitely want revenge.
But if she does not get approval for her kills, she will have the entire Ruska Roma organization to answer to if she goes rogue.
“From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” shines because it knows what it is.
Like its predecessors, it is a brutal film about killers.
It is a fighting movie.
And if fans do not believe the ladies can fight just as fiercely as the men, they have never seen Eve in action.
Despite the numerous fighting scenes, two stand out amongst the rest.
There is a remarkable fighting scene involving kitchen plates.
And there is a flame-thrower scene that is dope AF.
There are the dark hues that have become a trademark of the franchise.
And although action films can become predictable, a hospital scene towards the end of “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” gives this new installment to the franchise a nice twist.
More importantly, the action film illustrates the dangers of cults and cult-following at a time when people appear to be fascinated by charismatic leaders and controversial political movements.
Regardless, fans will become fascinated with de Armas’ portrayal of Eve.
But despite her skills, she does not have the star power of Reeves, who dips in and out of the movie.
The movie would have been better served with more of Reeves, without taking screentime away from de Armas.
An analogy would be New Edition records from 1988, when Johnny Gill got integrated into the supergroup after the departure of Bobby Brown.
Although Gill shone on “Can You Stand the Rain,” songwriters/producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did not diminish the proven lineup of Ralph Tresvant and Ricky Bell.
Once Gill was fully accepted, Jam and Lewis allowed him to shine on his own with the song, “Boys to Men.”
The “John Wick” franchise should have duplicated New Edition’s proven track record of phasing out one star and implementing his replacement.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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