Pretty Lethal Review
Director: Vicky Jewson
Date Created: 2026-03-25 16:24
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Pretty Lethal Review: Directed by Vicky Jewson and written by Kate Freund, the Prime Video movie stars Millicent Simmonds as Chloe, Iris Apatow as Zoe, Lana Condor as Princess, Avantika as Grace, and Maddie Ziegler as Bones, alongside Michael Culkin, Lydia Leonard, Uma Thurman and others. The film runs for a brisk 88 minutes and attempts to blend action, thriller, and dark comedy within a ballet-driven narrative.
Pretty Lethal Review
Prime Video movie Pretty Lethal follows a group of young ballerinas who are on their way to a prestigious performance in Budapest, but a detour takes them into a dangerous situation. When the girls are forced to wait out the situation at a remote inn, they are suddenly thrown into a violent confrontation with a group of mobsters in the area. As the situation goes from a difficult wait to a life-or-death situation, these ballerinas must use their training in a way that they never thought possible. This situation holds a lot of promise for a great story about artists-turned-fighters, but the story never quite reaches that level.
The idea of ballerinas, who represent grace and discipline, becoming fighters is a very intriguing idea. And, in a way, the movie does represent this idea. Some of the action scenes, especially the ones that involve some ballet moves in the action, are indeed fun to watch. There’s a certain degree of novelty in watching pirouettes and pointe work being translated into action choreography. Maddie Ziegler does have a certain physicality that makes her character slightly believable in the action scenes.
However, these moments are far too sparse to redeem Prime Video’s Pretty Lethal. The main problem here is the writing, which appears woefully underdeveloped. None of the characters is fleshed out enough for you to truly care about them beyond their superficial qualities. Each girl is only defined by a singular personality quirk, and the film does not venture beyond this. Their interactions, their competitive nature, and their alliance are all rushed and formulaic.
The performances, although genuine, are marred by substandard writing. Iris Apatow and Simmonds have a believable chemistry as sisters, which adds a bit of realism to the film. Avantika is a welcome addition, though her character is weirdly written and sometimes questionable. Lana Condor is all in on her role, though, once again, only so much can be done with the forced and awkward dialogue. It’s a shame, really, as this is a very talented cast, and they’re not given enough room to really shine.
And then, of course, there’s Uma Thurman, perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the entire Pretty Lethal movie. Having a person as talented as she is, in theory, would have significantly enhanced the entire story, but sadly, she seems to be almost directionless in the movie, as if she’s merely making a token appearance without the impact that would have been expected from a person of her calibre. It’s almost as if the filmmakers never utilised the opportunity to actually make the story interesting by incorporating her in the plot.
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The next significant issue with the Pretty Lethal film is its tone, which, sadly, cannot be classified as a certain genre of movie because it tries so hard to be everything at once. It wants to be a dark comedy with over-the-top villains who are almost cartoonish in their evilness, and it wants to be a real thriller, which, sadly, it does not achieve on either count. The villains in this movie are so boring and uninteresting that they never really pose a real threat, which makes the movie’s action and stakes fall flat.
Not even the pacing is right, even though Vicky Jewson’s Pretty Lethal movie is very short. It’s not a well-paced movie that’s exciting, but rather a movie that plods along in some parts and speeds through parts that really needed a bit more attention. It’s a very odd experience, where a movie that’s supposed to be short feels like it’s taking forever, even as it’s rushing through some scenes that really needed a bit more attention.
The film’s visually has some highlights, I suppose. The ballet scenes are done nicely, and there is a certain visual appeal in how the actors are positioned in the dance and action scenes. However, style is not enough for a movie, and even less so for a movie that tries to combine several different genres.
Prime Video Pretty Lethal Review: Summing Up
All in all, Pretty Lethal was not a success like I thought it would be. It’s got a great idea, a talented cast, and an interesting take, but it never really tries to make any of those things work. It is content with being somewhat enjoyable at times, but ultimately forgettable. I was hoping to find a fun, exciting thriller with a new twist, but what I got was something that was never fully cooked, so to speak.
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