Even though it has the lowest review scores in the series, Ballerina handles one specific aspect of the franchise better than any of the John Wick sequels. Ballerina is the first spinoff movie in the John Wick franchise. Since it only features Keanu Reeves’ John Wick in a supporting role, it’s not necessarily a surprise that reviews for the film are lower than the other movies in the franchise. Reviews for Ballerina have still been quite solid, but expectations were very high since all the John Wick movies are arguably some of the best action films ever.
Ballerina may not be as good as some of the other movies in the franchise, but it is still a very entertaining action film. Additionally, as the first spinoff movie, it successfully expands the world of the franchise. After the ending of Ballerina, I definitely want to learn more about Ana de Armas’ Eve Macarro and possibly even see the Cult return in a potential sequel. Overall, Ballerina is a great action movie, and it also emphasizes one detail that was present in the first John Wick movie but then mostly ignored by the sequels.
The First John Wick Movie Set Up The Whole Idea About The Baba Yaga AKA The Boogeyman
Once A Character Heard His Name, They Visibly Looked Afraid
In the first John Wick movie, Reeves’ character decides to come out of retirement and go on a killing spree after his dog is murdered by Iosef Tarasov and some of his friends. John Wick’s return is not taken lightly by prominent ᴀssᴀssins and criminals, such as Viggo Tarasov, Iosef’s father. In a montage near the beginning of the first film, Viggo refers to John Wick as the “Baba Yaga.” According to him, this translates to “the boogeyman.“
Even though this translation is accepted and acknowledged by practically every character in the franchise, it is actually wrong. Instead of referring to the boogeyman, the nickname Baba Yaga refers to a witch from Russian folklore who lures children into her home to devour them. Despite this mistake, John Wick’s reputation as the Baba Yaga makes practically all the other characters in the first movie terrified of him. John Wick was immediately such a compelling character in the first film since he intimidates others, even powerful leaders of crime families, so much.
The John Wick Sequels Completely Forgot The Whole Baba Yaga Idea
People Started Fighting Against John Wick With No Hesitancy
Even though John Wick kills both Iosef and Viggo at the end of the first movie, he gets sucked back into the world of ᴀssᴀssins and is hunted by others who have to abide by the rules of the High Table. Therefore, the John Wick sequels consistently show that it will be extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, for Reeves’ character to go back into retirement and live a peaceful life. Since John Wick is constantly being hunted by other ᴀssᴀssins in the second, third, and fourth movies, they include much more action than the first film.
|
Every John Wick Movie |
RT Critics Score |
|---|---|
|
John Wick (2014) |
86% |
|
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) |
89% |
|
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) |
89% |
|
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) |
94% |
|
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) |
75% |
While they include a lot more elaborate and creative action sequences, the John Wick sequels basically disregard the idea that he is known as the Baba Yaga. John Wick is still referred to as the Baba Yaga on countless occasions, but the ᴀssᴀssins hunting him don’t seem nearly as scared of him as the people he fought in the first film were. It’s possible that the bounty on his head made the other ᴀssᴀssins more confident, but I still would’ve appreciated the characters in the sequels acknowledging just how dangerous fighting John Wick is.
Ballerina Remembered John Wick’s тιтle As The Baba Yaga
People From The Cult Were Noticeably Afraid When They Heard John Wick Was Present
The recently released Ballerina is set between the events of the third and fourth John Wick movies. In the spinoff film, the Director, who leads the Ruska Roma, sends John Wick to the Cult’s town to handle Eve Macarro. When he arrives and encounters Eve, he gives her a choice: she can either leave the town or he’ll have to kill her. However, John Wick doesn’t want to kill Eve. In their fight, it’s very clear that he is doing everything he can to avoid hurting her too much.
Ballerina honors the first film in the franchise since the Cult members are legitimately scared to face off against John Wick.
Eventually, John Wick disobeys his orders from the Director and lets Eve continue her hunt for the Chancellor, who leads the Cult. While she fights her way through the town, John Wick even decides to help Eve during the exciting climax of Ballerina. This allows John Wick to get some time in the spotlight, as well, as he also takes down several members of the Cult. Thankfully, Ballerina honors the first film in the franchise since the Cult members are legitimately scared to face off against John Wick.
During one fight scene, a Cult member yells out, “This is suicide, that’s f***ing John Wick,” before dying at the hands of the Baba Yaga. This line proves that fighting John Wick is the last thing that the members of the Cult want to do. Additionally, even the Chancellor shows that he is afraid of John Wick in Ballerina. The Chancellor initially refuses to leave the town, claiming that a leader of the Cult has never left the seat of power in thousands of years. However, after hearing they lost sight of John Wick, the Chancellor doesn’t hesitate to flee.
Ballerina Deserves Credit For Bringing Back A Forgotten John Wick Detail
Even Though Critical Reactions Are Not The Best In The Whole Franchise
The Chancellor being so afraid of John Wick and trying to drive out of the town actually leads him right to Eve. Therefore, if John Wick and his reputation as the Baba Yaga didn’t scare members of the Cult so much, then it’s possible that Eve wouldn’t have been able to get her revenge against the Chancellor. Because of this, Ballerina deserves credit for making sure this crucial aspect of John Wick’s character is once again recognized in the franchise.
Even though Ballerina is currently the lowest-rated movie in the franchise, its portrayal of John Wick is great. John Wick’s return in Ballerina, while perhaps not necessary, definitely helps establish Eve as a major character in the franchise. There’s probably no need for him to appear once again in a potential sequel to Ballerina, but I’m glad this movie handled him so well and showed how much the Baba Yaga terrifies other ᴀssᴀssins.
