This feels like a Marvel movie now. Completely silly. Doesn't come close to John Wick.

Tchaikovsky is redeemed, no longer associated just with Harry's universe. Ballerina is Wick's universe. A really great action movie, full of great fight scenes, and gruesome/awesome kills. To rewatch again.

I loved it. In my opinion it fits John Wick universe well and I hope they will make a sequel for this spin-off.

TWO STARS A limp pirouette in the shadow of Baba Yaga Concept & Tone – Failed Elegy • Girl-power potential collapses under the weight of cliché. • Broods where it should burn; aches where it should snap. • Misguided tone: half mourning song, half fever dream, all drag. Lead Performance – Eve in a Wickless Garden • Ana de Armas (as Rooney, a.k.a. Eve) floats through the role with no ballast. • The name ‘ballerina’ is never earned. There is no grace, no style, no pointe, no point. • Attempts at pathos are smothered under bad lighting and worse pacing. Choreography – No Poetry, Just Punches • Fights resemble rehearsals, not performances. • Stuntmen clearly pulling punches, wide kicks whiffing like stage fog. • Flamethrower gimmick: novel for 90 seconds, deadweight thereafter. Keanu’s Cameo – Too Little, Too Late • Every time he graces the screen, the film momentarily awakens. • Then dies again, like a candle snuffed mid-sentence. Supporting Cast – Ghosts of Films Past • Ian McShane’s Winston looks embalmed. His baritone remains, but his presence flickers. • Anjelica Huston tries to conjure gravitas through prosthetics and perukes. • Neither seems aware—or perhaps they are too aware—that this franchise should have ended with dignity. Lore & Production Design – Outdated & Underpowered • The High Table infrastructure (Operators, IBM keyboards, paper files) now reads as cosplay of itself. • Gothic-noir excess without the blood to back it. Needs not more lore, but a reckoning. Directorial Vision – Blurred & Barely Breathing • This spin-off lingers like a perfume worn too long. • Lacks the operatic punch of John Wick 3 & 4; instead, this is John Wick: The Waiting Room. Comparison – Pale Reflection • Think Atomic Blonde without the editing, Red Sparrow without the fire, and Black Swan with no dance. • Not a match, not a muse—just a memory of what once was. Verdict: A slow, soggy pirouette into franchise fatigue. What was once balletic brutality has become stale spectacle. Unless the next act introduces a fresh assassin with charisma, choreography, and consequence, it’s time to lower the curtain on this world. ⸻ Crafted with Hudson—an AI collaborator for creativity, innovation, and human potential. Explore what’s possible at OpenAI.

As an Austrian I know that Hallstatt is known for its mushroom therapy (Nine Perfect Strangers) and their flamethrower wilding inhabitants. Speaking about flamethrowers: Flamethrowers! Who needs a reasonable story when you got flamethrowers! Freaking awesome! Beautiful. And I hear you: Why only 7 stars when a John Wick movie always gets 10? Simply because the Baba Yaga had only a small part and they could have made lots more out of it. The sister storyline ended too apruptly - why even bother bringing this in? And the end boss fight...wasn't one. It felt unsatisfying and anti-climax. So very generous 7 stars because of flamethrowers, right? F-ing flamethrowers...