Pretty Lethal Review: Entertaining, but...

The film's premise is solid, though not entirely original if we recall Abigail. Still, watching ballerinas, typically so lithe and delicate, beating down brutes will always be a delight.

Pretty Lethal, an Amazon Prime Video original directed by Vicky Jewson, is a survival thriller that mixes ballet with physical violence. The script is handled by Kate Freund, and the young cast features Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, and Maddie Ziegler, alongside the legendary Uma Thurman.

Synopsis

The story follows a group of young ballerinas who, while traveling to a competition, face an unexpected breakdown on the road. Stranded in a Hungarian forest, they find an inn that quickly reveals a dark side. Trapped after witnessing a murder, they must fight to survive against criminals, transforming their discipline, rhythm, and body control into weapons. Ballet effectively becomes a martial art.

Review

International reception suggests the idea is better than the execution.

The Guardian highlights the creativity of the action sequences, especially how the choreography blends with physical combat, yet this strength lacks the same level of depth in narrative development.

Other critics noted that the film suffers from predictable dramatic progression. There is also mention of the failure to fully utilize an actress of Uma Thurman's caliber, whose presence the script cannot quite sustain.

Ultimately, while audiences may not see it as a masterpiece, they generally agree it is a fun movie.

It is impossible not to compare Pretty Lethal with other genre films like Abigail, which also uses ballet to give a false impression of fragility to its lead, or Ready or Not, whose success even secured a sequel.

Unfortunately, both of those films were much more successful in their execution.

Abigail finds its strength in the fact that the ballerina is a child, making the action even more absurd. This is not to mention the character development. In that film, every character gets enough screen time to show who they are and where they come from, with the exception of the marine, who was the shallowest of the bunch.

In Abigail, even the dim-witted brute makes us feel empathy because of his good heart. I am not sure about others, but I felt the weight of his death and the hacker’s death.

There is also something very dangerous about the presence of the vampire ballerina's father, even though he is absent. Despite never being on screen, we understand the danger he represents through what the characters feel and say about him.

In Pretty Lethal, there is an attempt to replicate this feat by mentioning Lothar Markovic, yet it fails miserably. The reason is that we never learn what Markovic has actually done to be so feared or to serve as a real threat. He is just a name floating in the plot, and although he has a direct connection to Uma’s character, he fails to spark the slightest interest.

Comparing the work to Ready or Not, it also fails where the latter succeeds: humor.

Ready or Not makes us laugh, whether from the tension of the gore, moments of total disconnection from reality, or poorly timed quips. They balance the nuances of action, suspense, and comedy so well that the sense of danger remains present even while you laugh. We know the bride could die and we feel tense for her because she earns our empathy.

In Pretty Lethal, the characters fail to generate any empathy. Aside from Bones, whom we know comes from a humble background and is therefore more aggressive, and Princess, the insufferable rich girl with a very obvious redemption arc, almost none of them have enough depth to make us root for or fear for their lives.

The humorous situations are weak and rarely elicit more than a slight smirk. I can point out only one moment, a drugged ballerina’s adaptation of a biblical text, that actually made me laugh out loud.

The villains are unremarkable, appearing weak and stereotypical.

Even Uma Thurman's Devora Kasimer, who could have evoked more emotion due to her more developed background, falls short. We might understand her motives, but we don't truly care about her.

The action is undoubtedly the highlight of the film.

It is fun to see the girls using ballet moves to attack and defend. Since it is completely illogical, it has a certain charm.

One must also recognize the strong choreographic work required to transform a delicate art into strikes that literally take lives.

It is also important to note how often they fail during the fights. This is crucial for adding a sense of realism to the plot, as they are young ballerinas and not street fighters, despite being survivors.

If you want to turn off your brain and enjoy some completely over-the-top situations, then yes, it is worth it.

Ignore the loose ends and plot points that lead nowhere, such as Devora's younger son who runs away and is never mentioned again, or the deaf son who serves no purpose in the story despite the film making his condition so evident. If you can do that, I guarantee about an hour and a half of laughs and the satisfaction of watching ballerinas crush some thugs.

Rating: 3.3 out of 5

What about you? Do you enjoy this type of action mixed with suspense and humor where development doesn't matter much, or do you prefer a more well-crafted script?