Since the rise of #BalletCore in the early 2020s, ballet has kept popular culture in a chokehold. In light of the art form’s increased popularity in fashion and advertising, the entertainment industry has caught on with an uptick in ballet-focused movies and TV shows like From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Abigail, and “Étoile.” But bunheads, as ever, are hungry for more.
Enter Pretty Lethal, Amazon Prime’s bloody, campy killing spree starring Uma Thurman, Maddie Ziegler, Avantika Vandanapu, Millicent Simmonds, Lana Condor, and Iris Apatow. The movie, rated R for strong violence and language, features choreography by English choreographer Will Tuckett. It follows five feuding American ballet dancers en route to a prestigious competition in Hungary. After the girls’ bus breaks down, they take refuge at a nearby inn owned by a mysterious former dancer (Thurman). When their situation becomes life-threatening, they rely on their power and poise to make it out alive.
Read on for some of my unfiltered thoughts while watching Pretty Lethal. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)
1. We open with quite the dramatic voiceover about how dancers are warriors. It makes me want to howl at the moon or something.
2. Holy studio rivalry! Did Bones (Ziegler) just punch someone in the face during class? I’ve seen some toxic studio environments, but this takes it to another level.
3. Bones is the edgy ballerina of my tween-age dreams. Messy bun, ear cuffs, esoteric nickname—she’s got it all!
4. I’m loving the inclusion of Chloe as a Deaf dancer.
5. Did Bones just call ballet a sport? That’s an interesting perspective.
6. Uh-oh. The bus broke down, and my dance-competition anxiety is kicking in. If you’re not 30 minutes early, you’re late!
7. I refuse to believe any dancer would change into a pure white costume and pointe shoes to sit in a dingy lobby. They should’ve kept the wet clothes on! Ladies, the stains…
8. Now the lobby pianist is playing “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” (of course) and Zoe wants to dance on the stage without warming up. Don’t do it, Zoe…
9. Eek! Miss Thorna has been shot! That was sudden and upsetting. This movie is getting gory, and we’re only 17 minutes in.
10. Devora’s office is a den of stuffed animals (not the cute kind) and an insane number of old pointe shoes hanging from the ceiling. There’s no way those all belonged to her, right?
11. The fact that Grace finishes off Osip with a prop nutcrackerspear is pretty sweet. Poetic justice, anyone?
12. I agree with the sentiment of Bones’ pep talk about ballerina grit, but it’s becoming heavy-handed. Still, she’s resourceful. Who knew dance supplies could be so deadly?
13. This fight is seriously bloody, but full of teamwork! Why can’t they dance like this? (And did Bones just developpé a henchman to death with a boxcutter stuck in her pointe shoe? Genius.)
14. These dancers can contort themselves into some impressively creative hiding spots. Thank goodness for flexibility!
15. Princess’ character is an obvious representation of ballet’s elitism problem, but she’s growing on me. Let’s hope she redeems herself.
16. I can’t believe they’re opening this major fight scene with choreography to “The Waltz of the Flowers”—or that the girls are still in pointe shoes! Their feet must be killing them. (Shout-out to Grace for chaîné-ing with a hammer, bashing the bad guys, and still managing to spot.)
17. Devora is putting on her old tutu and pointe shoes for what she calls “one last dance.” That would be creepy enough, but she’s gone and painted her face white, too.
18. Ha! Don’t bother messing with a dancer’s toenails. Those things are falling off all the time anyway.
19. This final showdown is bringing the drama. Devora cut the lights, and her tutu is super-shimmery. But what is that headpiece?
20. So the teenage ballet dancers who know hand-to-hand combat can also ride European motorcycles? And route themselves to a ballet competition, in a foreign country, without phones? Right…
21. It’s hard to believe that the stage manager let them perform bloodstained and without a tech rehearsal, but they look great! (At least all the fighting kept them warm—I know those shoes are beyond dead.) Shout-out to the film’s dance doubles.
22. Final takeaway: That was fun! Gory, sassy, and not the most realistic, but an enjoyable watch for post-dance movie nights!
