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Film: Pretty Lethal
Year: 2026
Director: Vicky Jewson
Writer: Kate Freund
Starring: Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor and Uma Thurman
Review:
This was a film that I decided to check out because the only horror film being shown at the theater I go to, the times didn’t fit into my schedule. This was listed as one of the most popular ones that I hadn’t seen in the horror genre for 2026. It was decided to be a Featured Review on Journey with a Cinephile as my new release for the week.
Synopsis: a group of ballerinas try to escape from a remote inn after their bus breaks down on the way to a dance competition.
This starts off with voice-over narration. It is pointing out how difficult being a ballerina is. Every ballerina is a warrior, being pushed to the limits physically and needing to smile through it as they perform.
We’re then meeting our lead, Bones (Maddie Ziegler) as she’s late for rehearsal. The teacher is Miss Thorna (Lydia Leonard). She’s trying to get last minute critiques in as they’re heading to Hungary for a major competition. Bones is the lead in the performance. She butts heads with Princess (Lana Condor), who is from a rich family. There are sisters Zoe (Iris Apatow) and Chloe (Millicent Simmonds) who is deaf. The last member is Grace (Avantika) who is religious and proper.
Things don’t go as planned when they hit the road. The plane broke down and had to land early. They then tried to take a bus. It also had issues so if they want to make the competition on time, they need to find another form of transportation. This brings them to a remote inn. Outside, they meet Osip (Miklós Béres). He invites them in to use the phone.
Now this inn has a large room for shows. It is run by a former ballerina, Devora Kasimer (Uma Thurman). We see that something happened to her, ending her career early. There are seedy individuals, including Pasha (Tamás Szabó Sipos). His father is a notorious gangster, Lothar (Michael Culkin). Devora is trying to get an audience with him, but he’s ignored her requests.
After changing out of their wet clothes into their ballerina outfits, Chloe meets Devora’s son and develops a crush. Chaos ensues when Pasha kills Miss Thorna after she confronts him for harassing a dancer. Our group are then taken to the basement and targeted for execution, the girls refuse to surrender; Bones rallies them to fight back and escape, a decision that deeply upsets and draws Lothar’s attention as it is a fight for survival.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that this is a fun movie. I like taking the concept of Green Room, but instead of a punk band dealing with Neo-Nazis, we have a troop of ballerinas dealing with Eastern European gangsters. It plays with this idea of dancers who are supposed to be dainty but showing how difficult things are to do. It makes for good visuals. Something else that helps would be the cross section of the members within their group as well. I give credit to the concept for sure.
The film has a strong premise, but the execution is muddled. While it feels like they’re setting up a trafficking narrative, it becomes confusing as elements of the story play out. It’s also questionable whether the characters would go to such lengths to cover up Miss Thorna's murder at a remote, foreign inn. Additionally, the attempt to humanize Devora feels like an unnecessary subplot that overcomplicates the story.
What works is this dynamic within the group. Bones isn’t rich. She’s more working class and this causes friction with Princess, who has a fitting name. Bones’ is resourceful, which helps keep her fellow dancers alive. I do like that this sets up a narrative as well as allowing Princess an opportunity for development. Simmonds being a deaf actress, I do like how this is incorporated into the overall concept. It adds tension for sure. Grace also complicates things as she is given a drug to calm her nerves and it messes with her mental state. All this works well.
The film effectively explores sisterhood and collective survival, subverting traditional gendered clichés and the "final girl" trope. It creatively weaponizes the dancers' training, turning their art into deadly armor. However, the narrative somewhat undermines itself by softening the stakes, even as it offers a compelling redemption arc for Devora.
Where I then want to shift would be filmmaking aspects. The film’s cinematography and framing are good. It effectively captures the worn character of the inn. Its brutal action sequences pay homage to exploitation cinema, uniquely blending the dancers' training with violence to create a strange beauty. I do believe that this used practical effects which I love. I’m also guessing CGI is being incorporated. No issues there in general. Furthermore, the use of cheerful classical music provides a jarring, effective contrast to the intensity on screen.
All that is left then would be the acting performances. Ziegler is good as our lead. Her bickering with Condor works well. I do think that Apatow, Simmonds and Avantika round out the rest of the group. Thurman feels like she’s here for star power and to help sell on her name. She’s not given a lot of work in my opinion. Leonard works to help get these ladies here and as the catalyst for the evening. Béres, Sipos and all the people who were hunting the girls were good. I like Culkin in his smaller role. In general, the acting is solid.
In conclusion, this delivers a creative and entertaining premise, successfully subverting "final girl" tropes by pitting a disciplined dance troop against a group of dangerous gangsters. Although the film's narrative suffers from uneven execution and some overcomplicated subplots, it shines through its stylish cinematography, exploitation-inspired action, and the compelling group dynamics of its leads. While it may not fully capitalize on every plot point, it remains a solid, visually striking genre film that effectively balances tension with themes of sisterhood.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10