Ballerina is on HBO Max, John Wick fans need to give it the chance it deserves

I can’t imagine directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, writer Derek Kolstad, and legendary actor Keanu Reeves knew they were kicking off one of the 21st century’s best action franchises with 2014’s John Wick, but that’s exactly what they did. In the 12 years since John Wick, the franchise has seen three sequels, a comic series, an indie game, and an upcoming AAA video game, among other future projects. The John Wick cinematic universe also expanded with the 2025 spinoff film Ballerina, the overlooked black sheep of the series that’s way better than its so-so Metacritic score or meager box office returns would have you believe.