Ballerina: From the World of John Wick - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

While Hollywood grapples with the notion of “Superhero Fatigue,” there’s another, more prescient notion to be aware of - “Franchise Fatigue.” When Tinseltown has a hit, it’s understandable they want to milk it for all its worth and then glue on side projects and spinoffs to keep mining that box office gold. After four Keanu Reeves-fronted John Wick films and a clunky three-episode TV series, we’re here now with Ballerina starring Ana de Armas as another lethal assassin with a tortured past out for revenge against those who wronged her. 

It’s around here that I would normally be giving my costmary plot breakdown, but then I realized the last sentence of the above paragraph was basically it. Sure, there are little character pieces and plot machinations and Norman Reedus to elaborate upon, but that sentence is still the nuts and bolts of the whole affair. Now, to be fair to Ana de Armas, she’s terrific as Eve. She’s beautiful, elegant, and deadly, and as we also saw with her brief appearance in the Bond franchise, she can stand up to a fight. She deserved a seat at this franchise's league of badass assassins.

My problem with Ballerina is that, as much as this film tries to be a standalone experience, it is entirely beholden to the other John Wick films. From Angelica Huston's Director as the head of the assassin dance school to Ian McShane’s Winston with the late great Lance Reddick as Charon to the intensely unnecessary cameo appearances from Keanu Reeves, this film isn’t brave enough to be its own machine. Even the constant marketing campaign, “From the World of John Wick…” practically screamed they didn’t have faith in the project. 

Which is a shame because Ballerina, when it is doing its own bullet-filled dance, is actually pretty damned good. Some of the world-building beyond the “High Table” and the introduction of other groups like our principal evil organization, “The Cult,” is exciting. It’s a slick twist, giving this story its own vibe. As the leader of this evil group, The Chancellor, Gabriel Byrne gets to sink his teeth into a meaty, villainous role. While the A Plot is a standard, thinly drawn revenge thriller moving de Armas from Point A to Point B to kill Bad Guy C, the performances give the movie energy and a purpose, complete with some terrific action sequences and the sort of balletic fight sequences we’d expect from this franchise. A flamethrower fight? More of that, please! All of that was entertaining all on its own. This film did not need or benefit by so many direct ties to other films and characters. The filmmakers should have had the confidence and bravery to let this story truly stand apart. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Ballerina comes to 4K UHD as a two-disc 4K + Blu-ray + Digital set from Lionsgate. The 4K is pressed on a BD100 disc with a BD50 serving up 1080p. Bonus features are on both discs. The included digital slip is not Movies Anywhere compatible. The discs are housed in a standard black two-disc case with identical slipcover artwork. The discs load to animated main menus with basic navigation functions.

If one can say nothing else of the John Wick franchise, it’s that they make for some pretty damned beautiful 4K Dolby Vision discs. That trend continues with Ballerina. Offering up beautifully moody, shadowy lighting schemes for various locations. Depth is impressive throughout; one of my favorite shots is after Eve blasts her way out of a slick and slippery ice-themed nightclub, she gets into a car and drives off, only to be hit by another car and pushed back into frame. Certainly CG-enhanced, but it’s a wild shot, and that sense of depth and distance looks great on this disc. Black levels and contrast never falter. Details are sharp and crisp throughout, regardless of daylight or lighting scheme. Colors can be a tad subdued, leaning more toward cooler tones, but there are some stylishly distinct moments for primaries to pop. Skin tones are healthy and human. Didn’t spot any kind of compression issues or any other problems to ding this transfer over.

Matching the video beat for beat is a terrific Atmos track. In keeping with previous Wick World entries, the barrage of punches, slaps, falls, gunshots, car crashes, and explosions lends to a nice thick, impactful slab of LFE to the soundscape. Right from the jump, this is a very active and fluid film, so there’s very little room for downtime or quiet spots. The mix is constantly engaging those side, rear, and height channels. Very rarely does the mix slow down for any long period of Front/Center focused activity and nothing else. Throughout all of those flips, slaps, grunts, and groans, the dialogue is clean and clear without issue. Front to back a great Atmos mix.

On the bonus features front, we have a solid, respectable hour of content to dive into. Of note, fans will likely see more value in the nearly half-hour of extended/deleted scenes. I’m not 100% how much of a difference these moments would have made in the final edit, but seeing how some of the extensions flowed with their original scenes, the film could have benefited from that rhythm instead of feeling like it was always hurrying from Point A to Point C, skipping Point B. As for making of, it’s all pretty basic EPK material that doesn’t really go deep or too detailed. Depending on the rumors you read, this sounded like a fraught production to some degree, but that’s not clarified here. 

• The Making of Ballerina (HD 10:54)
• Building a Frozen Underground (HD 6:09)
• The Art of Action (HD 11:09)
• Deleted/Extended Scenes (HD 29:49)
• Theatrical Trailer

I love Keanu Reeves and I love the John Wick movies, but his presence is the stone that weighs down Ballerina. While this film aims to introduce a new hero and establish her own story, it’s also constantly reminding us whose franchise this world of badass assassins belongs to, and it’s not the otherwise spritely and capable Ana de Armas. She has the chops for an action film leading lady and deserves that kind of franchise attention. If there is to be a Ballerina 2: Pavlova Boogaloo, I hope it’s rigged up in such a way that it’s allowed to truly be its own machine. As is, a moderately entertaining film comes home with a great 4K experience. The Dolby Vision transfer is a beauty, and the Atmos mix is kickass. Bonus features are on the slim side. If you were a fan, it’s certainly for the collection. If you weren’t really into the Wick films, this might not change your mind. Worth A Look