"Ballerina" is a pretty solid spin-off.

John Wick is a rather unique franchise, since even though I feel it wasn't necessary to have more than one film, I've always found it quite rewarding to revisit its universe.

Ballerina is a rather peculiar experiment, presenting itself as a sort of spin-off that takes place between the events of Parabellum and Part IV, a creative decision justified by the fact that Wick himself makes a cameo appearance in the film.

In this case, we follow a character named Eve Macarro, played by Ana de Armas, the daughter of two assassins who decides to avenge her father's death at the hands of a mysterious group characterized by the presence of an X on their hands.

However, as with the tetralogy directed by Chad Stahelski, this premise is nothing more than an excuse to watch impressive action sequences that, utilizing this world full of skilled assassins, overflow with creativity and violence in excessive quantities, but characterized by an indescribable elegance.

And while it's pretty obvious that the quality standard doesn't reach the standards of John Wick (at least not at its best), I personally consider "Ballerina" a very digestible entry in the franchise, with an equally effective pace and a percentage of "fast-paced" moments that make its nearly two-hour runtime pass very easily.

Likewise, it not only organically expands this world (much like the Amazon Prime exclusive series: The Continental), but also boasts several of the saga's most interesting additions, especially when it comes to the character played by Norman Reedus, or the entire concept of Ruska Roma.

It shares the aesthetic flavor of John Wick, but at the same time, it has a unique identity, partially enhanced by the femininity of the character played by Ana De Armas, who, along with the excellent team of stunt doubles, does an impeccable job in those physically demanding sequences.

Ballerina is forgettable, but I don't feel like it has many ambitions beyond being another entry in the John Wick universe, one that organically expands on what we've seen in the other four films, and that knows how to keep us entertained.

Honestly, I don't mind the idea of more of these movies, especially if they take the opportunity to tell new stories that loosely connect to what's already agreed upon.

This score was taken from my Letterboxd account.