Ballerinais a brilliant spinoff property from the universe ofJohn Wickthat immediately surpassed my expectations, and the film has already spawned discussions of future sequels for Ana de Armas’ fan-favorite character.The ending ofBallerinaseems perfectly poised to push this franchise into the future, and the possibilities for this inspired spinoff are much more exciting than the upcomingJohn Wick 5.
The idea of theconfirmedJohn Wick 5is an undeniably polarizing one, with many fans claiming that it doesn’t need to be made at all. As the fifth movie in the series,it naturally runs the risk of tiring out this franchiseinstead of letting it stop while it’s ahead. It’s for this reason that I’m much more excited to see what happens withBallerinathan if Keanu Reeves’ protagonist manages to come back from the dead.
8Ballerina Clearly Sets Up A Sequel (And John Wick 4 Doesn’t)
There’s No Immediate Need For John Wick 5
Perhaps the main criticism ofJohn Wick 5is that it retroactively ruins theending ofJohn Wick 4. The previous installment seemingly killed Reeves’ protagonist for good, proving that he needed to die to sever his ties with the High Table while protecting Caine at the same time.It’s a very potent ending that fits naturally withJohn Wick’s themes of sacrifice and vengeance, but the confirmation ofJohn Wick 5seemingly undoes all this great storytelling.
None of these problems exist withBallerina 2. The spinoff was clearly written with the concept of a sequel in mind, asBallerinadirectly sets up the next moviein its ending. Much like Wick’s fate in the second main series movie, Eve Macarro has become an enemy of the High Table and a bounty has been placed on her head. This clearly establishes the stakes ofBallerina 2,proving that there’s plenty of room for this spinoff franchise to head in the same direction asJohn Wick.
7Ana De Armas Is Becoming A Total Action Star
The Actress Is John Wick’s Most Compelling Star
Reeves was a huge selling point of the originalJohn Wickmovies, and his magnetic screen presence is much of the reason that nobody has managed to replace him within the franchise – until now.Ana de Armas displays much of the same charisma and physical aptitudeinBallerinathat made Reeves such a beloved star, meaning she could easily carry the torch of this franchise into the future.
Reeves’ return inJohn Wick 5initially seemed necessary for the franchise to get audiences back on board, as the sequel never could have worked without him. But now that de Armas has made such an impressive splash, there’s no reason that Reeves needs to come back when she’s available to take the reins from him. HavingJohn Wick 5andBallerina 2run parallel to each other could simply confuse audiences, especially if their stories cross over.
6Ballerina 2 Could Give Another Filmmaker A Shot
Ballerina Already Proved That New Directors Are Key
One more area whereBallerina 2surpassed expectations was in Len Wiseman’s directorial talent. It had previously been implied that only Chad Stahelski could make a successfulJohn Wickmovie, but Wiseman immediately proved that isn’t the case. While his direction certainly isn’t quite as staggering as Stahelski’s accomplishments, the spinoff effectively proves thatJohn Wickdoesn’t have to solely be the work of Stahelski and Reeves.
Though Stahelski was responsible for all ofJohn Wick’s best action sequences, Wiseman offers some equally impressive work inBallerina. From the flamethrower duels to the grenade stunt work, there are plenty of brilliant set pieces in this spinoff that prove just how much creativity is possible when a new filmmaker is given complete control of this action-packed franchise.
5Ballerina 2 Has Fewer Expectations To Live Up To
There’s No Pressure Riding On The Spinoff’s Sequel
Ballerina 2feels like a much safer and more natural progression for theJohn Wickfranchise, primarily becauseJohn Wick 5simply has so much pressure riding on its shoulders. It feels like Stahelski has already done everything he could possibly think of in this franchise, and audiences would simply expect more in the fifth installment. Meanwhile,it doesn’t feel likeBallerinahas peaked yet.TheJohn Wickmovies continually got better with each passing installment, so there’s still room forBallerinato do the same.
Conversely, it doesn’t really feel likeBallerinahas reached its full potential yet, andBallerina 2is a necessary next step for that to happen.
John Wick 5doesn’t need to happenfor the franchise to be a huge success – it’s already there, both commercially and critically. It’s very unlikely that Stahelski will manage to outdo himselfagainwith the fifth movie, which means thatJohn Wickmay end up going out on a fairly underwhelming note. Conversely, it doesn’t really feel likeBallerinahas reached its full potential yet, andBallerina 2is a necessary next step for that to happen.
4Ballerina Needs More Time To Be As Good As John Wick
Even John Wick Didn’t Get It Totally Right The First Time Around
There are plenty of great fight scenes and dark character moments in 2014’sJohn Wick,but it feels safe to say that the franchise didn’t peak until the fourth entry.John Wick 2is a huge improvement over the first movie, as the crew got even more ambitious with their stunt work and fell into a natural storytelling rhythm. It feels unfair to depriveBallerinaof this same progression, because otherwise it will always be lingering in the shadow of the main series.
3Ballerina 2 Would Have More Room To Experiment
John Wickhas already experimented with so many different kinds of action filmmaking; the first movie was a more centralized exhibition of “gun-fu” combat, whereas the second and third movies attempt some riskier, larger-scale set pieces with different weapons and even animals at times. There have been so many interesting ideas explored in these movies, and it would be much more exciting to see how a new filmmaker could handle these action tropes inBallerina 2instead of pushingJohn Wick 5to go even bigger and bolder once again.
2Ballerina Can Build On The High Table Storyline
The John Wick Villains Won’t Be Back In The Fifth Movie
It’s already been confirmed thatthe High Table will not play a role inJohn Wick 5, which is both good and bad news. While it allows the movie to distance itself from the existing sequels and try something new, it also means that much ofJohn Wick’s lore remains unresolved.
There are somelingering questions about the High Table’s Eldersthat reportedly won’t be explained inJohn Wick5, so it only makes sense for theBallerinauniverse to take over this narrative thread and weave it into Eve’s story. This seems like a natural progression anyway, asher bounty now means that she’s caught the attention of the High Tableand will likely have to face some major consequences.
1A Female-Led Action Franchise Is More Exciting And Subversive
Ana De Armas Deserves To Be The New Face Of This Saga
Ultimately, the biggest reason forBallerina2being a more exciting prospect thanJohn Wick 5comes down to the fact thatAna de Armas’ female-led action franchise is a lot more refreshing and uniquethan a fifth installment ofJohn Wick. The latter has already been given four movies to explore some brilliant storylines and ambitious stunt work, butBallerinahas much more potential right now because of how new and fresh it is. There aren’t many popular action franchises led by women in today’s cinematic climate, so it feels unfair to prioritize another male-led series over this innovative spinoff.
