Ballerina

It would take a lot for a film “From the World of John Wick” to be truly awful. 

Over the course of 11 years and four features, director Chad Stahelski, writer Derek Kolstad, and star Keanu Reeves have built one of the coolest, mythology-rich universes in modern movies, pushing stunt work to exciting extremes with each new installment.

While the spinoff film Ballerina isn’t quite on that level, director Len Wiseman and writer Shay Hatten poach enough dependable elements from this familiar milieu and, with Ana de Armas running point instead of Reeves, put enough of a spin on them to successfully walk the line between retread and remix.

However, getting there takes a minute as the film gets off to a sluggish start, relying too much on the acting skills of preteen Eve Macarro (Victoria Comte) as she begins her new life with the Ruska Roma and its Director (Anjelica Huston, again relishing the character’s Eastern Bloc accent). Writing remains Ballerina’s Achilles tendonitis (?) as the now teenage Eve (de Armas) balances dancing with assassin training, and while her revenge-fueled mission isn’t exactly new, the thrilling action set-pieces it inspires deliver steady entertainment.

As this series is wont to do, there are showdowns with devices that may never have been used to this degree in a production this large, and the elite-level resilience of our hero results in long, complex battles that sustain viewer engagement. But most of all, it’s simply a treat to be back in this world.

Along with Huston, such familiar faces as Ian McShane’s New York Continental owner Winston and the late, great Lance Reddick’s concierge Charon enhance each scene. Yet it’s the inevitable shared moments between John Wick and Eve that temporarily elevate Ballerina to the highs of the official Wick installments.

Grade: B. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)