‘Pretty Lethal’ Review: Pretty Boring
Vicky Jewson’s ‘Pretty Lethal’ squanders an interesting premise with paper-thin characters, DULL performances, and poorly staged action.
I’m usually not one for brevity in reviews (I’ve often written five-page-long pieces of criticism, and most of them without getting paid – such is the sad reality of many “working” critics), but this article you’re reading right now about Vicky Jewson’s ‘Pretty Lethal’ might be my shortest ever. Not because I’m trying to be more concise (although I am exercising this more frequently), but simply because there’s nothing there. It’s a movie that promises “ballerinas kicking ass,” which, as an action fan, is an immediate “hell yes” from me, and never delivers on this sole promise.
It won’t take long for you to realize that this premise will get squandered inside this 88-minute genre picture with very little to offer beyond broadly theatrical performances from its lead cast. Everything is pitifully underdeveloped. From the action to the archetypal protagonists. The film’s star-studded ensemble of burgeoning talents has to work with a screenplay that never fully allows them to flex their physical and comedic muscles. The worst part about all of this is how simple the premise is: a group of ballerinas travels to Budapest for a competition, but their bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere, forcing them to take shelter.
They find it in a dubious inn run by former ballerina Devora Kasmier (Uma Thurman), who operates a criminal underworld that is barely explored, if at all. The only thing we need to know is that the ballerinas need to get out of there – and fast – or else they will get killed. We should theoretically feel a sense of urgency as Devora’s true nature is quickly revealed, and the folks that populate her undefined bar (or hideout? Ballet studio? Who knows!) are also a part of this extensive operation. However, since Jewson and writer Kate Freund never explore anything they present on screen, the stakes feel relatively limited, even if there’s an attempt at adding texture to the characters by individually focusing on the relationship between its core ballerinas.
There’s a quasi-rivalry between Bones (Maddie Ziegler) and Princess (Lana Condor), whilst Grace (Avantika) gets accidentally high at the top of the picture and essentially becomes a walking and talking joke machine. While Avantika is always a fun presence, Jewson and Freund never fully deepen the character beyond her drug trip shenanigans, even when the camera switches to her perspective and we observe she isn’t enjoying the hallucinatory images conjured under the influence. An averse filmmaker would’ve played with such a situation, or factored it in within its bevy of blood-soaked action sequences. However, it’s entirely ignored whenever the movie jumps into action, which, shockingly, doesn’t happen as often as one hopes.
Such a short runtime hopefully primes your mind that Pretty Lethal will be “all killer, no filler,” but it’s actually the other way around. The film spends far too much time on elements that barely matter, especially given how thinly-written each character is, essentially relegating them to walking and talking archetypes with little development around who they’re initially introduced as. The ones that do end up having more development than others, such as Chloe (Millicent Simmonds) and her sister Zoe (Iris Apatow), are more interesting, but never in a way that fully invests us in who they are as humans and the relationships they’ve formed as a troupe.
The focus is mostly diverted to Ziegler’s Bones, who has an emotional journey in attempting to rally her team in getting out of Devora’s abode, and is skillful in wielding sharp objects, most notably by embedding a knife in her shoe. However, the actor’s performance lacks any depth that would make this action hero feel alive, though it isn’t entirely her fault. Freund’s screenplay gives her nothing to work with, and she would rather pluck her into action than add layers to the character before the kickassery eventually occurs.
Speaking of, there isn’t a single memorable action sequence in Pretty Lethal. It goes through the motions without any emotional impact, and it's afraid to show anything remotely gory or cathartic. The camerawork is unimaginative, the stunt choreography feels basic, and the editing lacks any pulse that would heighten these scenes to the same level we saw from Prime Video earlier this year in the extremely fun The Wrecking Crew. That one had rhythm, verve, and intricate choreographies. Pretty Lethal features a fun performance from Avantika and the promise that Uma Thurman will flex her action-movie skills – for real this time – after the awful The Old Guard 2.
I hate to break it to all of you: she never actually participates in an action scene. We’re promised something grand with her character, but it never arrives. This might be the most disappointing realization of the entire year. Thurman deserves so much better than this ridiculously inert one-note role (especially after The Old Guard 2), and we, action fans, also deserve better than this instantly forgettable excuse of a “film.”