In The World of John Wick: Ballerina Review

 

I have seen all The John Wick films. Something you can say about them is the action never disappoints, and the plot is not difficult to follow. Getting to explore the world of assassins and the rules that govern their lives is something that we as Christians may have pause over, for this world no doubt exists, and to whisper about it even feels dpangerious. That said when a Spin Off was announced, In The World of John Wick: Ballerina, which would focus on a woman assassin who is ever as badass as Mr. Wick, I had reservations that this was from same place that has tried to usurp men from their place in stories, for example Star Was with Kathleen Kennedy’s “The Force is Female!” And the clear retcons in the Star Wars Saga to make women seem superior as in Ahsoka, with Master Tano herself besting The Chosen One, and in The Acolyte, two twins who were created by the dark side, making Anakin’s immaculate conception seem trivial. This has been the agenda, to supplant Man and promote woman at his expense. I want to say I do like strong women character, Sarah Connor in the Terminator films, and Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise, but what was different about them is they rose in the stories not by the writers tearing down the male characters, but alongside the male characters, which allowed for men and women to have their sexes represented as cleaver and strong leads. 

Ballerina I can say with satisfaction does not attempt this agenda of supplanting the male lead of a franchise with “everything you can do, I can do better.” To my delightful surprise, when Eve Macarro, is training in Ruska Roma Assassin Family, the Trainer, an African Woman, tells her that the man she is fighting will always be physically stronger, that she must use her strengths, and fight dirty. That a film acknowledges there is advantages to males that women do not have, affirming science in regards to physique was a wonderful deviation from the agenda in Hollywood that has thin and small women taking down giant muscular men. 

The thing I appreciated most is that when Eve and John Wick face off, not only does she not defeat him, Wick beats her many times, and keeps sparing her. The Director makes it clear, this movie is not to undermine or dethrone Wick as consummate assassin, this is the story of Eve who has lost her Father as child and pledged revenge. When she begins hunting she goes to Winston, the esteemed Manager of Continental Hotel, a place where assassins are safe from being killed, there the Manager Winston, played by one of my favorite actors Ian McShane, has dialogue with her that I appreciate as Christian. She says she wants to know who this secretive people are that killed her father, and Winston says, “Needing to know is what got us kicked out of Paradise, Eve.” Indeed, that reference to Genesis Chapter Three, the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is neat to have in a movie that many people will see. For it was seeking the Knowledge of Good and Evil that made our ancestors fall, bringing death, decay, and chaos into the world, or as it is called Original Sin. 

The Action scenes are sublime in this film. The fight in the club, the great battle in German Wintry town where Eve battles a foe across it with a flamethrower was beyond anything I have seen in films in a while. The Choreography of the fights was brilliant, and best of all it was all easy to see! They did not use dark  lighting that makes most new films difficult to see! Everything was crystal clear, and the shaky camera was kept to minimum, so you could see clearly when a knife is thrown into a skull and a kick is thrown. I confess I had my jaw hanging during the Finale, with the fight in the German Secluded Town, I was on the edge of my seat and very invested in Eve’s quest to avenge her Father, only to discover it was her Grandfather who killed him, and that the town is full of Cultists who are Family. I appreciate they did not make this Assassin Cult Christian, though they use church bells, truthfully there is dark blots on our history like Jim Jones and his cult, where so many took their lives with poisonous Koolaid. So I did not find any jabs there. Eve even has Tattoo on her back of a Cross with wings, so there is no overt antichristian message as most Hollywood films are trending to do. 

Recommending The John Wick films is complicated. They are very violent, and depict a world of death. in one respect they may serve to help believers realize why getting involved in underground syndicates and wet work teams is not wise, to as Wick says, “you still have a choice, to walk away, the door is not yet locked.” When Eve asks, “what about you?” He responds, “I am working on it.” Sadly, anyone who watches John Wick 4 will know that he does not escape his Fate, and dies. I remember in that film when he is in a Church, praying with candles, another assassin asks him why he is doing that, and John Wick responds, “What if I am wrong, and there is more.” Its not exactly gospel, but it asked a question that secular audiences need to consider, what if you are wrong and we Christians are right. 

The end of Ballerina gives a set up for  a sequel like John Wick 2, where Eve is going to be hunted. I surmise it will get a sequel, and I confess I intend to see it because this film was so captivating, with its choreography, music, cinematography, lore, and seminal acting of Ian McShane. Ballerina has you on the tip of a toe spinning once the action starts, and I think it is the best Wick film of them all, even through he is only in it for probably twenty minutes tops. The fact it was inserted into the other films, particularly Parts One, Two, and even Three, with Eve’s overhearing conversations from those films was a nice touch for the lore. Making it blend into the tales. A Sequel will no doubt step into uncharted territory, for Baba Yaga (Wick) is no more, and it is Kikimora (Eve) that will now be kicking doors in and taking this franchise forward. Amen.