Carson Kelly Blogs

Ballerina (2025) is a film I was incredibly excited about. As a fan of the John Wick universe and especially Ana de Armas, my hopes were high. Having admired her in past performances across genres from thrillers to action to drama, I was all in on the idea of her leading a stylish assassin spin-off set in the shadow of Wick’s chaos. But after watching it… I’ll be honest, my initial reaction was heavy disappointment. Let me start with what did work. The action scenes were explosive, tightly choreographed, and definitely held the DNA of the franchise. The ballet-meets-bloodshed visual aesthetic remained strong throughout, and Ana de Armas delivers an intensely physical and emotionally charged performance, especially in the final act. She’s believable, fierce, and commands the screen with undeniable presence. That said, for a large chunk of the film’s runtime, I felt disconnected. The pacing dragged in the middle. The emotional core felt undercooked. And despite the world-building po...