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proves that her character, Eve Macarro, can definitely hold her own in the Baba Yaga’s (Keanu Reeves) universe, but except for the poorly received Peacock series The Continental, registers the lowest score of the entire action franchise. While most of the reviews posted on RT by the critics praise de Armas and appreciate Reeves’ return as the Boogeyman, the Tomatometer currently sits at 78% against 80 reviews. MovieWeb’s 3.5/5-star assessment, which praises de Armas’ physicality and performance, reads as follows:

"Armas is in peak physical form in the wicked fight scenes. Although she's not tall or strong enough to overpower bigger opponents, Eve shreds her enemies with tactical precision, and guns are her weapon of choice. As in John Wick, a bullet through the head is the quickest way to take down a target, and Eve rarely misses. She also knows the body's pain points, and those who survive the bullet barrage are met with disabling blows. There was obvious thought given to her fighting methodology: Chauvinists who complain about smaller women delivering beatdowns can't utter a peep here. But they will wince as she dislocates knees and slices jugulars."

Kaitlyn Booth adds in Bleeding Cool’s 8/10-star review:

"Ballerina can't elevate itself from 'pretty good' to 'great' the same way previous entries in the John Wick franchise have, but it's an enjoyable time at the movies with some fantastic action scenes and one badass leading lady."

Prior to Ballerina’s reviews hitting Rotten Tomatoes, 2014’s John Wick held the lowest Tomatometer of the big-screen installments with a "Certified Fresh" 86%. However, despite Reeves only participating in a smaller role, Ballerina’s box office forecast predicts that the latest Boogeyman spinoff will outperform both the original John Wick ($14.4 million) and John Wick: Chapter 2’s $30.4 million with an estimated domestic take of $35 million to $45 million. Sadly, though, de Armas' first go-round in the Baba Yaga’s sacred world will fare far worse during its debut than John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum ($56.8 million) and John Wick: Chapter 4 ($73.8 million). Grace Randolph of Beyond the Trailer fame wrote in her critique:

"An honest to goodness John Wick movie, in fact, one of the best in the franchise. Ana de Armas does a great job with the action as Keanu Reeves transitions quite well to more of a mentor role. Amazing fight sequences and glamorous locations. Lots of fun!"

Clearly, Eve Macarro (de Armas) is a much more appealing character than any of those offered up in Peacock’s The Continental spinoff, which did not feature Reeves. That, along with a shoddy story arc, resulted in the lowest Tomatometer rating of the entire franchise at a disappointing 63%. Unlike The Continental, though, Ballerina doesn’t get bogged down in boredom. Rather, it overcomes a "slow start" according to IGN’s review, which reads as follows:

"In spite of a slow start, Ballerina proves she belongs in The World of John Wick with fight choreography that’s every bit as creative (and fun) as anything else the series has given us and a story and character that stand on their own."

Ana de Armas "brings a new level of action" to the world of John Wick, and the film was clever enough to involve Keanu Reeves' badass Baba Yaga in a very real way, which still allows Eve Macarro to shine throughout the movie’s 125-minute runtime. Rafer Guzman of Newsday was enthralled by the franchise’s latest heroine, and praised the action flick by saying the following in his 3/4-star review:

"It was a John Wick creator, David Leitch, who convinced the Oscars to create an award for Best Stunt Design, though it won’t be given out until the 2028 ceremony. Too bad -- Ballerina would have been a shoo-in."

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune was less impressed with the movie, as his critique suggests, but the writer was particularly taken with one of Ballerina’s other cast members, the incomparable Anjelica Huston. Phillips says:

"The new John Wick spinoff Ballerina is recommendable, -ish, primarily for the way Anjelica Huston, as the Russian mob boss, makes a meal out of a single-syllable word near the end."

Unfortunately, not all the critics found Ballerina worth dancing with for two hours. In fact, Carla Hay of Culture Mix inexplicably calls the John Wick spinoff both "soulless and disjointed." An excerpt from the review reads as follows:

"This soulless and disjointed John Wick spinoff movie will keep viewers guessing on when action hero John Wick is going to show up, instead of feeling completely invested and interested in Ballerina title character Eve Macarro."

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina opens in theaters on June 6. Fans of the Baba Yaga are sure to visit theaters to witness the return of the Boogeyman (Reeves), if for no other reason, but they’re also in store for a hell of a good time, especially when Eve wields her fearsome flamethrower — that’s not to be missed! Ballerina also appears to be on pace to finally give Lilo & Stitch a legitimate run for its money at the weekend box office.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo, Beyond the Trailer, IGN, Bleeding Cool, Newsday, Chicago Tribune, Culture Mix