Pretty Lethal – Movie Review | Prime Video (3/5)

PRETTY LETHAL on Prime Video is a survival action movie featuring fierce ballerinas. It was originally titled Ballerina Overdrive, and both titles are equally accurate. This is the kind of movie that would never have been made when I was a teenager. It’s all about girl power and sticking together. Also, the fight sequences are WILD. Read our full Pretty Lethal movie review here!

PRETTY LETHAL is a Prime Video movie with a survival plot and brilliantly intense fight sequences. Sure, most characters are very stereotypical, but that’s the point. Not unlike many other action movies, where the villains are all very bad and pure evil, with little backstory. Also, the group of heroes may not always get along, but they are all essentially good – and still not with much backstory.

What I’m getting at is simply that this action thriller (with dark comedy and even some horror-adjacent moments) delivers exactly what it says. Nothing more, but certainly not anything less either. Plus, the cast is full of wonderful talents, many of whom you should recognize. If no one else, you will certainly know Uma Thurman, who also seems to be having a blast in this!

Continue reading our Pretty Lethal movie review below. Find it on Prime Video from March 25, 2026.

Weaponize your training

In Pretty Lethal, we follow a group of five ballerinas as they’re heading to a competition, which could make their careers. The competition is in Eastern Europe, and as they’re driving through a remote forest, their (very old) bus breaks down. They find shelter in an old Inn of a sort. It’s run by a former ballerina, Devora Kasimer (Uma Thurman), and she promises to help them.

Aside from Devora, there seems to be only men, who look and act very much like the gangsters they clearly are! It all feels very precarious, and the ballet instructor wants to get her girls out of there ASAP. Soon, the situation takes a deadly turn as rivals face off, and the ballerinas must weaponize their trained bodies to survive.

Fortunately, the title doesn’t lie, and the ballerinas are indeed pretty lethal… or very lethal. Of course, they are up against gangsters with actual weapons, so survival will not be easy. I expect most action movie fans recognize that fight scenes are elaborate choreography, just as dancing is.

Five young ballerinas as heroes

To me, it makes perfect sense that a group of highly-skilled ballerinas can use their bodies to fight as well as dance. I mean, it’s already been used in quite a few action movies about female Russian spies, who are also trained ballerinas. It’s even part of Marvel’s Black Widow.

This also ensures that you have pretty girls kicking butt, which tends to be a popular combination. However, it’s important to notice that with Pretty Lethal, the girls are not eye candy. They are very much fighters, and most of them have issues of some kind. Either they’re spoiled brats, or they have learned that life is pain, and they always expect something to go sideways.

As already mentioned, Pretty Lethal was originally titled Ballerina Overdrive, which is an equally powerful title, but I recognize it’s a “cuter” title, which may make it more marketable. In any case, I’m just thrilled that the younger generation will have a movie where women have autonomy over their bodies and show just what they’re capable of.

Strong casting choices in Pretty Lethal

I recognize we have lots of amazing women in horror and sci-fi, but a group of girls or women in action movies isn’t seen as much. In fact, when it happens, there seems to be an active campaign ready to shame it before it’s even released. And I like that Pretty Lethal works with this focus of having a group of young women. Also, the five ballerinas are portrayed by amazing talents.

You can look forward to the extremely talented Maddie Ziegler (The Fallout, co-starring with Jenna Ortega, and most Sia music videos). Alongside her are the wonderful Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place), Iris Apatow (Tell Me Lies), Lana Condor (Boo, Bitch), and Avantika (Tarot).

As their teacher, we have Lydia Leonard (Down Cemetery Road) and, of course, Uma Thurman plays a key role.

Watch Pretty Lethal on Prime Video

The director of Pretty Lethal is Vicky Jewson, who previously directed the 2019 action thriller Close, starring Noomi Rapace and Sophie Nélisse. Also, she directed episodes of The Witcher: Blood Origin series. The screenplay comes from Kate Freund, who has done more in front of the camera than behind, but that appears to be changing. And I like what I’m seeing from her so far!

I would have loved an action thriller like this when I was a teenager. Sure, I saw teenage girls in action thrillers, but they were usually the daughters of characters played by Arnold Schwarzenegger or Liam Neeson, who would save them. And hey, I loved those movies as well. However, watching them again today, they do seem more dated than other movies decades older.

In any case, I also really like that the ballerinas in Pretty Lethal are not girls as much as they are indeed young women. They are messy and not all likeable, but they are all trying to find their way in life, and they stick together when it counts. If you’re in the mood for an action thriller full of wild and intense action sequences (and a lot of blood), then do not miss out on this new Prime Video movie.

Pretty Lethal is coming to Prime Video worldwide on March 25, 2026.

Details

Director: Vicky Jewson
Cast: Maddie Ziegler, Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Michael Culkin, Lydia Leonard, and Uma Thurman