Ballerina
Lionsgate | Release Date: June 6, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 49 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
24
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
USA TodayBrian TruittJun 4, 2025
There’s no need to yearn for a female 007 or a woman Wick anymore – just hope for another film that’s all about Eve. Read full review
80
Film ThreatBradley GibsonJun 9, 2025
Of course, Ballerina is not deeply cerebral cinema; rather, it’s goofy fun, but the filmmakers have elevated violence to a fine art, and it does play like a ballet in the elegant precision and breathtaking physicality of the performances. Enjoy it for what it is, and buckle up for an intense thrill ride. Read full review
80
iFrancesca SteeleJun 4, 2025
Ballerina is actually great fun, a propulsive, pulpy gun-fu joy that revels in the things the early John Wick did so well: stunts and absurd world-building. Read full review
80
IGNClint GageJun 4, 2025
It’s a spinoff that knows why the John Wick series has been so successful, and both effectively follows the rules while adding to the ever expanding world. While it takes a good portion of its screentime to find confident footing, when the second half gets moving, the energy is undeniable as Ballerina becomes one funny, bloody and creative fight scene after another. I’m hoping for an encore. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJun 4, 2025
The most lethal weapon is de Armas herself. She twirls through “Ballerina” with a bone-crunching tenacity. Her and the stunt team more than earned their pay with every kick, chop, punch and glass-smashing body hurl. Read full review
75
Original-CinJim SlotekJun 4, 2025
In short, Ballerina is as close to a John Wick 5 as you are going to get without calling it that. Read full review
75
Washington PostTy BurrJun 4, 2025
De Armas simply doesn’t have a purchase on the cultural affection that Reeves has built over four decades of stardom, and that lack keeps “Ballerina” firmly in the minor leagues for about two-thirds of its running time. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerJun 4, 2025
Yet none of this stuff, largely but not exclusively confined to a rote opening 30 minutes or so, works as well as the seemingly lower-stakes but far more evocatively handled saga of John Wick’s dog. Read full review
73
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJun 4, 2025
A cluttered mess with a boring storyline but the action is often amazing, and there’s a genuine sense of humor to all its weird duels to the death. That’s something that’s been absent from the self-serious John Wick movies for far too long — an acknowledgement of their own wackiness. Read full review
71
PolygonTasha RobinsonJun 4, 2025
Ballerina may not satisfy all the John Wick stalwarts, but the movie does have its own satisfying angles, thanks to two things the filmmakers do radically differently from the rest of the franchise — and one thing they take straight from the series’ heart. Read full review
70
Vanity FairRichard LawsonJun 4, 2025
One happily trots along with Ballerina as it ventures into absurdity. Its silliness is, at least, compellingly rendered. It helps immensely that de Armas is such a limber, confident action performer. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreJun 4, 2025
While Ballerina doesn’t start off as a real John Wick movie, it sure ends as one. Read full review
70
ColliderRoss BonaimeJun 4, 2025
Ballerina gets off to a shaky start that almost feels like it misunderstands what has made the John Wick series so much fun for so long. Yet once the absurdity of the action takes hold, and Ana de Armas gets to prove herself as a fitting potential heir to this franchise, Ballerina captures the blunt, chaotic action that this series thrives on. Read full review
70
Total FilmJack ShepherdJun 4, 2025
It makes for a tonally consistent movie, though one that fails to deliver on a deeper emotional level – arguably the element that elevated the franchise above its many clones. It's a shame, because the action really is brilliant, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu. Whoa. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 4, 2025
If the dizzying crescendo of intricately choreographed fight scenes is the main attraction in Ballerina, it’s those occasional moments of dry humor that make it a welcome extension of the John Wick universe. Read full review
68
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeJun 4, 2025
One imagines screenwriter Shay Hatten (Rebel Moon) spinning a big Wheel of Weapons that would land on “hand grenades” or “flame-thrower” or “dishware,” leading him to craft novel ways for de Armas to implement these deadly items. The fight scenes are all Ballerina has going for it, but they’re frequent, varied, and clever enough to make watching the film a worthy summer pastime. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJun 4, 2025
A bigger, more confident sequel might be just what this franchise needs to enjoy a peaceful transition of power — and to make good on the full potential of a Hollywood action movie that meaningfully tries to iterate on John Wick instead of just copying his moves. Read full review
67
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJun 4, 2025
Exploiting a mere sliver of story from John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Ballerina concocts an especially dull origin story for an ancillary piece of Wickian lore.
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 9, 2025
The concept of expanding the John Wick “world” by adding a worthy female counterpoint isn’t an inherently bad idea. The flaw is in the execution. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 5, 2025
The new “John Wick” spinoff Ballerina is recommendable, -ish, primarily for the way Anjelica Huston, as the Russian mob boss, makes a meal out of a single-syllable word near the end, delivered after a pause so unerringly timed it’s almost too good for this world. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJun 5, 2025
As a big fan of the franchise, I admit I had a good amount of fun watching “Ballerina.” Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoJun 4, 2025
Ballerina is a halfway decent action movie that will suffer because it lives in the massive shadow of John Wick, one of the best modern franchises. Read full review
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