There’s something immediately appealing about the gleefully ridiculous premise of Pretty Lethal: take a troupe of young ballet dancers, strand them in the middle of nowhere after witnessing a violent crime, and then let them fight their way out using a very particular set of skills. It’s the kind of concept that sounds like a late-night streaming pitch (well, it is heading to Prime Video) – and yet, under the direction of Vicky Jewson, the film turns that pulpy setup into a surprisingly energetic and often very entertaining action romp.
The setup is refreshingly uncomplicated. A dysfunctional dance troupe on the way to a European competition ends up stranded after their bus breaks down. Wrong place, wrong time: they witness something they absolutely shouldn’t, and suddenly their competition becomes less about pirouettes and more about survival. What follows is a scrappy, increasingly violent battle in which ballet discipline – balance, flexibility, timing – becomes a set of deadly tools.
Jewson clearly understands the assignment. The action scenes are choreographed with the same rhythm and physical precision you’d expect from a dance film, but with considerably more blood involved. Bodies twist, leap and spin not for artistic expression but to dodge knives, break bones and occasionally dispatch enemies. The film weaponizes the dancers’ training with the same gritty enthusiasm action movies usually reserve for stoic assassins in tailored suits.
If anything, the violence is more graphic than the bubbly premise suggests. Limbs bend the wrong way, blood sprays liberally, and the film occasionally veers into outright grotesque territory. But Pretty Lethal never becomes grim. There’s a mischievous sense of showmanship to the carnage – an almost cheeky “can you believe we’re doing this?” tone that keeps things buoyant rather than oppressive.
The ensemble cast carries much of the film’s charm. Iris Apatow and Millicent Simmonds, as sisters Zoe and Chloe, are easily the emotional center of the group. Chloe, like Simmonds herself, is hearing-impaired, and their bond provides a welcome touch of sincerity amid the chaos. They’re the characters you actually root for when the bodies start piling up.
Elsewhere in the troupe, personalities are… broader. Lana Condor leans hard into vapid entitlement as Princess, a dancer who absolutely lives up to her name. Condor plays the role with such unapologetic selfishness that it becomes weirdly delightful. Avantika’s Grace doesn’t get quite as much to do – aside from a memorable hallucinatory episode after being drugged – but she still fits neatly into the group dynamic. And Maddie Ziegler, unsurprisingly, emerges as the troupe’s unofficial leader. As Bones, she’s both the most capable dancer and the most decisive when the situation collapses into chaos, bringing a natural physical authority to the role.
Hovering over it all is Uma Thurman, who seems to be having a terrific time as the villainous Devora Kasimer. Her performance is gloriously theatrical, complete with a deliberately overcooked accent and a sense of camp menace that feels almost cartoonish – in the best way. She plays the role like a Bond villain who wandered into a ballet recital and decided to stay.
If there’s a real weakness here, it’s the writing. The script by Kate Freund doesn’t dig very deeply beyond the central gimmick. Character motivations are thin, dialogue often feels like connective tissue between fight scenes, and several story threads seem to exist purely to keep the momentum going. The film ultimately resembles the kind of “geezer-teaser” action movie often built around aging action stars – only here the novelty lies in swapping them out for a group of talented young dancers.
The comparison that inevitably comes to mind is From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, another action movie that turns ballet training into combat choreography. Like that film, Pretty Lethal lives or dies on its action sequences – and fortunately, those sequences deliver. What the film lacks in narrative depth, it makes up for with velocity, attitude, and an infectious sense of fun. It’s brisk, occasionally ridiculous, frequently violent, and clearly aware of exactly what kind of movie it wants to be.
No, Pretty Lethal isn’t reinventing the genre. But it is a lively, blood-splattered little thrill ride – and further evidence that Jewson is a director worth keeping an eye on. Sometimes all you really need from a movie is a few pirouettes, a well-timed kick to the face, and the willingness to embrace the chaos.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Pretty Lethal is streaming on Prime Video from March 25th, 2026.
