Gladiator 2 and Ballerina

Action movies where people make poor choices.

Gladiator 2

This sequel depicts a Rome still in the grip of corruption, this time with a pair of twin Emperors holding bloody games in the arena. Paul Mescal portrays the enslaved protagonist this time around, and the acting and combat is pretty decent. The story goes really well too, until the last third or so where it feels the writers were suddenly told that the run time is too long, and that characters need to make stupid decisions to simplify and shorten it. Such a shame because it was suddenly on track to being better than the original but... nope. That is not the case here. 

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Ana de Armas plays the main protagonist in this action flick driven by vengeance for her murdered -dog- father. No, she isn't as physical nor as convincing in combat as John Wick (Keanu Reeves) - but at least they address that story wise. While its definitely her story I'm surprised at the amount of John Wick in it as well, which is a great bonus! While the plot is mainly predictable, it's disappointing that the plot armor is thick and combat decisions are at times incredibly stupid all in the effort to get a "cool visual". Only recommended for true John Wick fans, or action fans who don't really care about plot.