Ballet is a brutal art form that takes an incredible amount of strength and toughness. It is also seen as hyper-feminine which isn't alway associated with those qualities. The great conceit of this film is drawing those two polarities together and dismantling the myth of their incompatibility. That aspect of the film is truly interesting. But beyond that the film doesn't do much that doesn't feel paint-by-numbers. That doesn't stop it from being a fun watch even if it is a bit on the forgettable side.
Pretty Lethal is filmed like a John Wick movie, one that leans into the humour and absurdity more than the Ballerina spin off that shares a lot with this film. Where that film went in a more serious direction, Pretty Lethal keeps things light and breezy. The characters are archetypes and their arcs are rather predictable and expected. Little is going to surprise you watching this film. Again that isn't lethal to the film's enjoyment. Sure it could have risen to something more but it chooses instead to be just what one would expect and to run with that.
And with that it does what it is trying to do well. It is a showcase for centring women characters into the sort of narrative that we are used to seeing male characters in. It doesn't do any of it any less than the endless plethora of films like this that feature men. Perhaps in that it manages to exceed expectations. It ends up being entertaining and it still manages to make its point about just how tough a ballerina needs to be be.
Pretty Lethal
Starring: Uma Thurman, Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler
Director: Vicky Jewson
Writer: Kate Freund
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