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Come on! You knew this was coming. I’m just surprised it took this long to get here but I’m sure The Asylum scheduled this one to hit close to the release of the much more larger assassin film launching next week.
That’s right! The indie film company that infamously specializes in producing and distributing their own low-budget, DTV mockbusters based off larger box office releases strikes again with their version of Ballerina (AKA From the World of John Wick: Ballerina) which stars Ana de Armas & Keanu Reeves in the highly anticipated spin-off of the blockbuster action franchise.
Titled…wait for it…Ballerina Assassin (clever,clever), this newest unapologetic rip off of a bigger IP stars Preet Kaur as the femme fatale with sick skills who is hired to eliminate a ruthless drug cartel but is set up by those she works with (stop me if you’ve heard this before) and must take on a well trained army of killers to survive.
What follows is low grade theatrics, action design, special effects and stunt work for those looking desperately for something to watch on a Saturday night. Scroll below for all the highlights (or lowlights).
Official Synopsis: After a devastating betrayal wipes out her entire spy network, an elite female assassin embarks on a relentless mission to dismantle the syndicate responsible,” the official synopsis reads. “As she hunts down their top killers one by one, she becomes the ultimate target, forced to outsmart and outgun those who want her dead before they erase her for good.
Am I going to watch this you ask? Of course I am and my expectation meter is officially set for low so maybe I’ll find a nugget of positivity here. If anything, Kaur looks amazing and is certainly channeling a little Ana here so let’s give it a shot.
Kaur stars along with Dominic Keating and G. Anthony Joseph who starred in some serious low budget actioners in the early 2000’s like Backlash and The Vault. The latter featured knife fighting and martial arts expert Laci Szabo who made a bid for DTV action star status.
Michael Su helms the pic, with the screenplay hailing from Jacob David Smith. Su is a regular director for The Asylum having also helmed several other films like Alien: Rubicon, The Twisters and my personal favorite Snow White and the Seven Samurai. The last one was probably a bigger hit than the live action one Disney just put out which tanked with audiences and critics alike.
Ballerina Assassin is now available on Digital Platforms as well as a few theaters on the big screen so by all means, check it out before the real Ballerina hits next week!
[…] Critical coverage is light but telling. Action-Flix dubs it “John Wick on a budget” and notes the limited theatrical + digital rollout, nudging viewers to catch it before the “real” Ballerina hit the following week; Girls With Guns praises Kaur’s commitment while poking fun at the laser-corridor flourish. Rotten Tomatoes has a title page with minimal critic traction to date, and Letterboxd activity suggests a split between tolerant DTV enjoyers and franchise-grade action seekers. (ACTION-FLIX.COM) […]