From the World of John Wick: Ballerinaunites both new and returning characters from theJohn Wickfranchise. The cast is led by Ana de Armas in the role of Eve, an assassin trained in the Ruska Roma tradition who is seeking vengeance for her father’s death. Along the way, she meets John Wick himself, asKeanu Reeves reprisesthe role for the first time sinceJohn Wick: Chapter 4.De Armas and Reeves are joined by a cast that includes Ian McShane, Angelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Juliet Doherty.
Though it is not the highest-ranked movie in theJohn Wickseries,Ballerinais getting positive reviews thus far. At the time of writing, the film holds a Certified Fresh 72% on Rotten Tomatoes with 144 reviews.ScreenRant’s Rachel Labonte gave the movie 6 out of 10 stars, praising de Armas' work in the lead while noting that the film is sometimes overly ambitious. Though it just came out, the first audiences liked the film as well, giving it a 93% Popcornmeter.This is a good sign for a collaboration between de Armas and Reeves, as their history has not been consistent.
Ballerina Isn’t Keanu Reeves & Ana De Armas' First Movie Together
They Have Been In Two Others Movies Together
De Armas and Reeves have actually worked together twice before. The first film they worked on was theEli Roth-helmedpsychological thrillerKnock Knock. This movie focuses on a husband and father, Evan (Reeves), whose life takes a turn when he elects to help two stranded women who come to his door, only for things to turn dangerous. The movie came out one year after Reeves made hisJohn Wickdebut, but beforede Armas was catapulted into a greater level of stardom withKnivesOutin 2019.
The pair thenworked together again on the movieExposedin 2016. This movie was a whodunnit crime thriller centering around a detective investigating the death of his partner. Things take a turn when the investigation reveals police corruption and a secret involving a young woman (de Armas). De Armas was still not incredibly well-known in her career at that point, but she was on the radar as she would play Joi inBlade Runner 2049the following years.Exposedstill came out before Reeves reprised his assassin role inJohn Wick: Chapter 2.
This makesBallerinaa return for de Armas and Reeves, who had not worked together in almost a full decade before this. It also sees them come back together after they have each gone through immense career growth.De Armas is now an Oscar nominee(forBlonde) and a seasoned blockbuster star. Reeves has been in fourJohn Wickmovies in the mainline series, and now a fifth withBallerina.
Ballerina Is Easily The Highest-Rated Ana De Armas & Keanu Reeves Movie On Rotten Tomatoes
And It’s Not Close
Ballerinais Reeves and de Armas' highest-rated movie together, and it’s not even close.Knock Knockgot a 37% Tomatometer among critics,putting it in the “rotten” category. The score from audiences was even lower, coming at 19%.Exposedfared even worse review-wise, getting just an 8% Tomatometer and a 16% Popcornmeter. This makes the movie the lowest-rated film in de Armas' career and the second-lowest for Reeves, with a score ranking above his 0% 2012 movie,Generation Um.
37%
19%
8%
16%
72%
93%
Even if theJohn Wickfilmwere to fluctuate a little bit as more reviews come in over the opening weekend, it would be the only movie among the actors' collaborations to get in the fresh zone on Rotten Tomatoes. Its strong start means that the movie’s score will probably stay in the 70s, representing decent review trends overall.
Why Ballerina Got Good Reviews But Ana De Armas & Keanu Reeves' Other Movies Didn’t
There are several driving factors behind the differential reviews for these three movies.Knock Knockcomes from Roth, who, while prolific in the horror genre, has a notoriously shaky track record when it comes to critical reviews. He has many movies with rotten scores, including a 0% film forCabin Fever, which he wrote and executive produced.Knock Knock’s 37% score is actually not too bad within his oeuvre. Critics took issue with the film’s plotting and inelegant use of humor.Vulture’s Bilge Ebirinoted that “the characters are driven by convenience.”
In addition to its terrible reviews,Exposedwas a massive box office bomb, making under $300,000 on an estimated $6 million budget. As such, fewer people saw the film overall, but the critics who did see it largely criticized it.Mark Kermode fromObserversaid it was “incomprehensibly disjointed and stunningly dull.“Guardian’s Peter Bradshawcalled it “a strange and frustrating mess.” The overall consensus seemed to be thatExposedfelt haphazardly thrown together, lacking the kind of narrative clarity necessary for a thriller like it.
While some took issue with aspects of the storytelling, critics seemed to like de Armas as Eve and felt that the movie’s goofy qualities worked in its favor.
Ballerina, on the other hand, has received praise from the majority of those who have watched it. While some took issue with aspects of the storytelling, critics seemed to like de Armas as Eve and felt that the movie’s goofy qualities worked in its favor. In comparison to the other two titles,Ballerinais also aided by the fact that it is a spinoff of an existing franchise. It will already have a built-in audience for those who like Reeves in the otherJohn Wickmovies. It also has a higher budget and a strong team behind it, giving it more resources to succeed.
Ballerina’s Rotten Tomatoes Record For Keanu Reeves & Ana De Armas Is Good News For The Future
They Could Work Together Again
The fact thatBallerinahas set the record as the highest-rated movie for Reeves and de Armas together is good news for the pair’s future collaborations. As seasoned action stars, it seems likely that the two might cross paths again. This re-teaming would be welcome, as both are electric performers who bring a lot to the roles they inhabit. The positive Rotten Tomatoes score forBallerinamight further cue studios to get them to work together again, which could continue a streak after their first two movies together set a bad precedent.
