'Ballerina', a new installment in the John Wick franchise, contrasts sharply with 'Mission: Impossible' by prioritizing story over action. Though it expands the established John Wick universe, its narrative may feel stretched too thin at times. The film conveys a rich world of organized crime through the lens of its protagonist, Eve Macarro, who witnesses her father's murder. This complexity gives the Wickiverse emotional weight, unlike typical comic-book narratives, enhancing the overall engagement of the viewer.
In contrast, 'Ballerina'—like the four John Wick films it’s spun off from—is, strangely, far better at story than at action.
'Ballerina' extends that legend into new territory, but, in so doing, stretches the matter thin. The new film's Wick-ed connection is suggested from the start.
The world thus built centers on an international organized-crime and contract-killing syndicate called the Ruska Roma, which has its own complex bureaucracy, elaborate rules.
Its stakes aren't asserted but felt. This world-building energizes the films because, unlike comic-book universes, the Wickiverse has chillingly plausible points of contact with ordinary experience.
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