by: Lydia Liu
Public Relations Manager

Pretty Lethal, Prime Video’s latest action thriller, directed by Vicky Jewson and written by Kate Freund, made its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film and TV Festival on Mar. 12, before becoming available to audiences on March 25. Despite its unconventional story, the release has drawn praise from viewers as it blends competitive ballet with action, making for a unique watch.

The film centers on five Los Angeles ballet dancers chosen for an international competition in Budapest with their instructor, Thorna Davenport. The early excitement of the opportunity quickly sets up the pressure and stakes they’re carrying. That shifts when their bus breaks down in the woods, cutting them off from help and forcing them into a situation where control disappears and fear heightens. They take shelter at a roadside inn run by a former ballet prodigy named Devora Kasimer, which marks a clear turn in the story as the setting becomes isolated and uneasy, building tension through how unfamiliar and unsafe everything feels. She is polite enough when she opens the door, but there is something off about her that none of the girls can quite put a finger on.

The action sequences are the heart of this film and, honestly, one of the biggest reasons to watch it. Unlike many other ballet action movies, Pretty Lethal takes the idea of ballet and incorporates it into battle scenes. The stunt team builds each sequence around what trained ballet bodies do well: absorb impact, flexibility, move in precise synchronization, and person under pressure without breaking form. Those ballet sequences hit differently than a typical action scene because the movement behind them actually means something. The cast brings a physical believability to those moments that most action films simply do not have, and the choreography reflects that. Maddie Ziegler, who first gained attention on Dance Moms as a child, carries the action sequence boldly. Her years of training are visible in every movement, especially in the group brawl against the Hungarian thugs where her discipline separates her from the chaos around her. It is one of those rare cases where the concept of a film and the execution of it actually line up, and audiences have noticed that.

The reception to the film has been a mixed bag since its release on Prime Video. Pretty Lethal sits at 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics giving credit to the action while taking issue with certain parts of the story that slow things down. Though viewers’ perceptions of the film have varied, audience responses have generally been more enthusiastic than expected. Pretty Lethal has climbed to become the second most-streamed film on Prime Video in the United States and third worldwide, not long after its premiere. The film is worth a watch for anyone looking for something that does not follow the usual action movie playbook.

(Sources: Amazon Prime Video, Common Sense Media, Rotten Tomatoes, SXSW Film Festival)