The traditional ballerina embodies poise and sweetness. These ballerinas come equipped with hammers and box cutters used to defend themselves against a Hungarian mob.
Amazon Prime’s new thriller “Pretty Lethal,” released on March 25, gives ballet mainstream recognition, but the movie’s poor writing and lack of depth prevent it from reaching its full potential.
One of the movie’s main draws is the well-known, female-driven cast: Maddie Ziegler, Avantika, Millicent Simmonds, Lana Condor and Iris Apatow.
The movie begins with Bones, played by Ziegler, and Princess, played by Condor, arguing over which of them would earn a solo in a dance performance. Each lead ballerina has a stereotype vaguely related to their character. Bones is the gritty leader, and Princess is the entitled opponent. Grace, played by Avantika, is the religious one, frequently citing Bible verses in the face of danger.
Then, there are sisters Chloe, played by Simmonds, and Zoe, played by Apatow. One of the biggest creative choices of the film is Chloe, who is deaf. The vulnerability of her character was one of my favorite aspects of the movie, adding a realistic connection amidst the plot’s absurdity. Simmonds, being deaf herself, advocated for the character, originally written as hearing, to reflect her identity instead.
The ballerinas are on their way to a dance competition when their bus breaks down, and they are forced to seek shelter in a nearby inn. Unfortunately, this inn is run by ex-ballet prodigy turned vindictive mob leader Devora, played by Uma Thurman.
Ziegler, most known for her time on “Dance Moms,” delivers a surprisingly good performance for this being her first non-animated sole lead role. Even though Ziegler is known for her strong dance ability, her acting chops are on display in the role.
Unlike Ziegler, the other lead actresses’ lack of dance ability is uncomfortably apparent. Each dance scene was shot wide for the dance doubles to take over. But the constant cuts to doubles distract from the main action in most scenes.
Still, the worst part of the movie is its lazy writing. Aside from the stereotypes, there is no real character development in the girls throughout the movie. The ballerinas miraculously go from not being able to stand each other to working together against the mob they find themselves involved with.
The horror aspect is primarily carried out through odd and gruesome bodily horror. Certain moments — fingers being cut off, a bullet being hand-extracted from a corpse’s brain — added no substance to the story.
The only plot-connected harm came from when Bones is captured and has her toenail removed by the mob doctor, only for her to laugh in his face. She laughs not maniacally, but because, as a dancer, she is immune to this pain. While the other actions by the doctor seem cruelly unnecessary, I appreciated this added layer of grittiness to ballerinas.
The final battle is the most epic and satisfying of all. Scored by Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers,” the ballerinas fight against the mob men with the tools in their dance bags: bobby pins and box cutter blades stuck into the boxes of their pointe shoes. Their blood-soaked leotards paired with the graceful tune and their ballet fight moves created a beautiful contrast.
The movie has a campy quality even in the fight scenes, where the ballerinas retaliate in the form of battements or penchés rather than an uppercut or kick. They maintain their grace while simultaneously appearing incredibly strong.
While not the most thought provoking or well written, I appreciate “Pretty Lethal” breaking into a space of unconventionally all-female leads in a thriller movie. I hope the movie inspires more all-female ensembles in the horror genre, not depicted as helpless, but instead as powerful.
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