Pretty Lethal Review
Pretty Lethal is the ballerina action flick you didn’t know you needed, but once it starts, you won’t want it to stop. Director Vicky Jewson delivers a wildly entertaining genre mashup that fuses brutal action with balletic precision, turning pointe shoes into weapons and pirouettes into fight choreography. Clocking in at a lean 88 minutes and written by Kate Freund, the film wastes little time throwing its characters into chaos and once the blood starts flying, it never lets up. What begins as a career-defining ballet trip quickly spirals into a brutal fight for survival, forcing a group of elite dancers to weaponize the very skills they’ve spent their entire lives perfecting.
The film opens with our stars preparing for a major ballet recital ahead of a career-defining trip to Budapest. The five Los Angeles–based prima ballerinas played by Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Avantika, Millicent Simmonds, and Iris Apatow have trained their entire lives for the chance to debut at the National Theatre in Budapest, a performance that could change their careers forever.
But it quickly becomes clear that this group is anything but harmonious. Personalities clash almost immediately, particularly between Condor’s pampered Princess and Ziegler’s rough-around-the-edges Bones. It’s a dysfunctional group that seems barely capable of surviving a bus ride together let alone the nightmare waiting for them. And that nightmare arrives sooner than expected.
When their bus breaks down in rural Romania, the dancers seek refuge at a local inn populated with a cast of deeply unsavory characters, led by its mysterious owner, Devora Kasimer, played with icy menace by Uma Thurman. What begins as an inconvenient detour quickly spirals into chaos, and before long tragedy strikes, forcing the ballerinas into a brutal fight for survival. This is where Pretty Lethal really comes alive.
Ballet dancers are no strangers to pain, discipline, or pushing their bodies to the limit, and the film cleverly turns those skills into weapons. The action choreography here would make even John Wick proud. The dancers twist, spin, and strike with balletic precision, using every inch of their bodies—and their surroundings—to fend off their attackers. One standout sequence unfolds to the music of “The Nutcracker,” as pointe shoes modified with blades slice through enemies in a beautifully brutal display of violence. It’s absurd, inventive, and wildly entertaining all at once.
While the script itself is admittedly a bit thin, it hardly matters when the film delivers action this exhilarating. The fight scenes are bloody, kinetic, and endlessly creative. I’ve never seen ballet technique weaponized quite like this before, and watching it unfold is an absolute blast.
The cast also proves to be far more than just action props. Their chemistry carries the film between set pieces, with each performer carving out a memorable role. Ziegler anchors the story as Bones, whose rough upbringing and tough exterior slowly evolve into leadership as the group fights against impossible odds. Condor provides plenty of comedic bite, but the biggest scene-stealer is Avantika, whose deeply religious, blissfully oblivious character delivers some of the film’s funniest moments.
By the end, Pretty Lethal had me grinning from ear to ear. Sure, it leans on a few familiar genre tropes, but the way these ballerinas weaponize their art makes the ride feel fresh and wildly fun. Add in a killer score and soundtrack that accompany the dancers as they fight their way through wave after wave of enemies, and you’ve got one of the most entertaining action films I’ve seen in a while.
Rating: ★★★★
Pretty Lethal had its world premiere at SXSW on March 13 and will release on Prime Video on March 25.
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Seth Fox, widely known online as AccordingtoSeth, is a pop culture commentator and entertainment writer with a passion for movies, television, and gaming. Long regarded as the go-to source for recommendations among friends and followers, he’s now turning that lifelong enthusiasm into a professional career in entertainment media. A fan of all genres with a special love for horror, Seth enjoys spotlighting everything from spine-tingling scares and edge-of-your-seat thrillers to underrated hidden gems. Through thoughtful commentary, exclusive interviews with actors and directors, and coverage of the latest entertainment news, he aims to help audiences discover their next favorite watch.