Summary

Ballerina successfully embraces John Wick's legacy, delivering the action thrills fans expect with new character Eve Macarro.
The Continental falls short by focusing on lore over action, lacking the elements that make John Wick work.
John Wick spinoffs should prioritize theatrical releases and budgets to deliver the stunts and action fans desire.

Ballerina and The Continental prove one crucial thing about the John Wick spinoffs that the franchise needs to remember. With the success of the Keanu Reeves-led action series, various John Wick spinoffs were announced. The first spinoff to manifest was the TV miniseries The Continental, which told the story of how Winston came to run the titular assassin hotel seen throughout the franchise.

The subsequent follow-up is in theaters, with From the World of John Wick: Ballerina continuing to flesh out the universe with a new protagonist in Ana de Armas' Eve Macarro. The latest movie brings back several actors from the central film series, and the plot takes place parallel to Wick's revenge-laden mission. More spinoffs and a potential fifth film are planned for the John Wick universe. However, as their plans move forward, a valuable lesson could be learned from the reception of Ballerina and The Continental.

Where Does Ballerina Fall In The John Wick Timeline, And How Big Is Keanu Reeves' Role?

With John Wick's fate in the last sequel, when does Ballerina occur, and is Keanu Reeves' role just a gimmicky cameo to draw people in?

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By Timothy McClelland

Ballerina Proudly Carries On John Wick's Legacy Of Frantic, Violent Action

Ballerina is directed by Len Wiseman, the man behind the Underworld franchise and Live Free or Die Hard. The cast includes de Armas in the lead, with Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, and Keanu Reeves reprising his iconic assassin role. The story centers on Eve, raised by the Ruska Roma following her father's death, with her eyes set on revenge against the group responsible. Ballerina has seen box office success over its opening weekend, earning positive reviews from critics and audiences enjoying the action outing.

Ballerina successfully embraces what John Wick does best with a new character who can hold her own against the universe-spawning assassin. Fans of the franchise have returned for each new installment, eager to see how the action and stunts will continue to push the envelope and audience expectations. Ballerina perfectly delivers the same fluid martial arts and gunplay with the ease seen in John Wick. Furthermore, it utilizes a simple revenge story, much like the setup in the original John Wick, to set the story in motion. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, it brings fresh elements, including a flamethrower battle and a unique use of ice skates.

The Continental Focused On The Wrong Elements Of John Wick's World

The Continental, set in the 1970s, stars Colin Woodell as Winston and Ayo Adegun as a young Charon. The cast also includes Jessica Allain, Katie McGrath, Mishel Prada, and Mel Gibson. The story delves deeper into the lore established in the John Wick films, highlighting Winston's early years in the unique criminal underworld and how he came to run the New York Continental hotel.

The Continental received average reviews, as critics and audiences found many of the show's elements to be lackluster. While the series embraced the John Wick lore, fleshing out the underworld via Winston's story, it didn't deliver the same action as the movies. The Continental still featured its own take on stylish fight scenes and gunfights, but it often felt muted by a TV series' hindrances and scope. Hardcore John Wick fans can find enjoyment in the world-building, but it doesn't feature the same level of action most expected. By focusing on the lore over action, The Continental failed to capture what makes John Wick truly work.

Why John Wick's Future Spinoffs Should Be Exclusively In Movie Theaters

Ballerina succeeds by building on John Wick's lore and delivering the same level of action that the core franchise is known for. While Reeves' screen time helps the movie put its stamp on the universe, it also leaves the film open for a sequel without the John Wick actor, which solely focuses on de Armas' Eve. Thanks to the budget for a feature film, with Ballerina reportedly made for $90 million, the action set pieces deliver on a scale that a TV series cannot.

The Continental was reportedly made for $20 million per episode, which shows how far their budget was stretched. Each episode was essentially a 90-minute movie, working with a fraction of Ballerina's budget, yet expected to deliver similar thrills. While the series did a great job with John Wick's lore, it couldn't deliver what fans wanted, marking a spinoff that lacked essential elements and left audiences worried about the franchise's future. Ballerina further succeeded by keeping its story relatively simple, with The Continental embracing a more complex tale, especially within the John Wick franchise.

For the John Wick spinoffs to succeed, they need a budget to embrace the stunts and action fans have come to love. While each spinoff can still flesh out the underworld's lore, the constraints of TV don't allow for the needed stuntwork. The future of John Wick needs to be in theaters, as there are still plans for a spinoff focusing on Donnie Yen's Caine, who was introduced in John Wick: Chapter 4. Ballerina and The Continental have expanded the John Wick franchise with varying degrees of success, proving that bigger budgets and theatrical releases are what the series needs.