From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: Ana de Armas dazzles in Wick spin-off – but the plot is a little thin

FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA

(15) 125mins

★★☆☆☆

THERE’S been a pirouette in proceedings for the latest John Wick action movie – seeing ballerina-turned-assassin Eve Macarro as chief protagonist. 

Eve — played by Bond girl Ana de Armas, of No Time To Die fame — is a killer-in-training clad in tutu and ballet shoes, for this fifth film in the John Wick franchise. 

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Clutching a Glock, the now-orphaned young dancer is out to seek revenge for the death of her dad who was gunned down beside her when she was a child. 

Cigar-chomping 

Returning characters from earlier films add spice to the plot, as Eve trains with the secretive Russian crime syndicate Ruska Roma that operates a ballet school teaching young women to be both dancers and killers. 

Smoothie Ian McShane is back as Wick’s hotelier pal Winston Scott, who already knows there was much more to the murder Eva witnessed than meets the eye. 

He delivers her into the questionable care of the bejewelled, beetle-browed and cigar-chomping Director of the Ruska Roma, played by Angelica Huston reprising her role from John Wick: Chapter 4. 

Under The Director’s tutelage, Eva is learning the art of an Arabesque assassin, mastering both pliés and lethal weapons. Finally, she is tattooed and sent out to work in the underworld as a Ruska Roma slayer. 

Directed by Len Wiseman (the Total Recall remake) and written by Shay Hatten, who contributed to the Wick prequels Chapter 3 and 4, Ballerina’s story sits chronologically between the two. 

This handily sets up a reappearance of veteran hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) as the franchise’s sharp-suited namesake. 

If you were wondering about his fate at the end of Chapter 4, you won’t get clarity here — as Ballerina is set beforehand, at this point he’s still alive and on the run.

Despite getting decent screen time let’s just say it probably didn’t take Keanu long to learn his lines.

But it’s a welcome cameo from the puppy-loving, heavily inked hitman when elsewhere the plot feels flimsy. 

The movie’s kick-ass chat about fighting like a girl fails to land with impact despite ceaseless graphic fight scenes. 

Thankfully, the choreography is spectacular — but the rest isn’t quite so en pointe. 

DANGEROUS ANIMALS 

(15) 98mins

★★☆☆☆

THIS blood-soaked horror-thriller set on Australia’s sun-soaked Gold Coast leans heavily into relentless violence – but rarely rises above the usual slasher formula. 

Directed by Aussie Sean Byrne, the story follows Zephyr, played by Hassie Harrison, who is an American roaming Australia in her van while chasing waves and escaping a painful past. 

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After a brief encounter with the nerdy Moses (Josh Heuston), Zephyr then falls into the hands of Tucker (Jai Courtney), a muscle-bound shark-tour operator with disturbing secrets. 

Tucker lures tourists out to sea under the guise of offering up-close shark experiences – but his true intentions are far more sinister. 

Courtney is unsettling enough in the role, but sadly the character remains cartoonish. 

Harrison is engaging as Zephyr but the plot leans heavily on horror clichés and is further spoiled by a series of implausible moments.

Dangerous Animals delivers carnage and chaos aplenty but lacks the originality and depth to stand out in the horror landscape. 

FALLING INTO PLACE 

(15) 113mins

★★★☆☆

THIS is the directorial debut of German actress Aylin Tezel, who also writes and stars in this melancholic yet tender romantic film. 

What begins as a breezy chance meeting between two lost souls transforms into a love story that reflects on emotional wounds and the work needed to heal before love can truly flourish. 

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Set against the stark beauty of the Isle of Skye, Tezel plays Kira, a theatre-set designer escaping a failed relationship who finds a flirtatious chemistry with musician Ian (Chris Fulton). 

This is captured with handheld camerawork reminiscent of films such as the much-loved Before Sunrise series. 

But as reality creeps in, Ian’s existing relationship and Kira’s unresolved past throw a spanner in the works for the star-crossed lovers.

The story shifts to a grittier London backdrop, trading sprawling vistas for grey mornings that reflect the pressures of urban life. 

While the supporting characters remain mostly underdeveloped, Fulton and Tezel shine in two beautifully layered performances. A poignant meditation on modern love.