Five ballerinas find themselves fighting for their lives after seeking shelter at a mysterious roadside inn run by a former ballet prodigy with deadly secrets. A film by Vicky Jewson, starring Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Michael Culkin, Lydia Leonard, Tamás Hagyó, Julian Krenn, Miklós Béres, Péter Végh, Ádám Boncz, Krisztián Csákvári, Kate Freund, Tamás Szabó Sipos, Béla Orsányi, Dávid Benkő, Balázs Megyeri, Gary Cothenet, Teddy Masson, Gábor Nagypál, Klára Spilák, and Uma Thurman.

Directed by English filmmaker Vicky Jewson from a screenplay by Kate Freund, PRETTY LETHAL is an action thriller following an American ballet troupe whose journey to a prestigious Budapest competition takes a sinister turn when a broken-down bus forces them to take shelter at Teremok Inn, unaware that the former prima ballerina running the inn has a far darker agenda.

The film delivers on its promise of action and thrills, with some genuinely memorable fight choreography that is entertaining to watch. But there’s little beyond the spectacle.

I felt zero connection to the characters. The main ballerinas are given virtually no backstory, other than a quick setup showing that Princess (Lana Condor) and Bones (Maddie Ziegler) don’t like each other.

Devora Kasimer (Uma Thurman) is the one exception. She has an interesting backstory that explains why she does what she does, but the script completely glosses over why she’s choosing to act now. What triggered everything at this particular moment?

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@pradt

PRETTY LETHAL 🩰
Blood. Sweat. Tutus.
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A film by Vicky Jewson, starring Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Michael Culkin, Lydia Leonard, Tamás Hagyó, Julian Krenn, Miklós Béres, Péter Végh, Ádám Boncz, Krisztián Csákvári, Kate Freund, Tamás Szabó Sipos, Béla Orsányi, Dávid Benkő, Balázs Megyeri, Gary Cothenet, Teddy Masson, Gábor Nagypál, Klára Spilák, and Uma Thurman.

It’s difficult to get invested in their survival because there’s no solid world-building around PRETTY LETHAL. Compare that to the JOHN WICK franchise, whose spin-off BALLERINA worked precisely because that universe is so richly and convincingly populated. When it expands on a character from within that world, it feels believable. PRETTY LETHAL never achieves that sense of depth.

Uma Thurman and Maddie Ziegler are bright spots, and their presence alone earns some goodwill. I’m giving it 2.5 stars for the story, plus an extra star for the two of them.

PRETTY LETHAL premiered at SXSW on 13 March 2026. The film was released on Amazon Prime Video on 25 March.