Prime Video's #3 Horror Hit Has Uma Thurman and Blood – Too Bad It Forgot to Include a Good Script

At first glance, Prime Video's new hit, Pretty Lethal, looks like the perfect streaming project: an action movie with elements of dark comedy and thriller built around the misadventures of a group of ballerinas.

With Uma Thurman as the villain, dynamic fight scenes, and a budget that allowed filming in picturesque Hungary, what could go wrong?

However, Vicky Jewson's movie turns out to be derivative and formulaic, and here's why.

What Is 'Pretty Lethal' About?

A group of ballerinas from Los Angeles is flying to Budapest for a competition. After the plane lands in the wrong place and the bus breaks down, the girls must trudge through the pouring rain to the nearest town.

They find shelter at an inn, which is run by Devora Kasimer, a former prima ballerina with great promise. However, it soon becomes clear that the inn is inhabited by bandits and that Ms. Kasimer is fond of torture.

The ballerinas lose their mentor and find themselves locked in a mansion with a couple dozen thugs. They must put aside their differences and use every skill at their disposal to fight their way out.

The 'Pretty Lethal' Script Is Reminiscent of 'Screenwriting for Dummies' Textbook

In her feature-length screenwriting debut, Kate Freund simplifies the already typical plot template. Conflicts between the characters are outlined but not developed, and transformations are mentioned but not emphasized.

The dramaturgy is extremely schematic – the heroines follow the path of least resistance, and Pretty Lethal devolves into a straightforward sequence of episodes.

As soon as the action ends and the bland dialogue resumes, all the magic vanishes because the dialogue is designed to explain to the distracted smartphone-using viewer what's happening on the screen.

Uma Thurman is reduced to a mere function: a former prima with a sad fate and the lines of a villain with a big heart.

Not Even the Decent Action Scenes Can Save 'Pretty Lethal' From Failure

The fight scenes, which are plentiful after the first 30 minutes, are far more interesting. The creators seriously considered what would happen if ballet were transformed into martial arts.

The answer is on the screen: five dancers, moving with the grace of swans, maim fleeing bandits.

During these moments, Pretty Lethal begins to resemble a light, ironic, and charming movie. However, as soon as the action ends, it plunges back into a scripted morass.

Its manageable runtime of just an hour and a half is the only thing that keeps it from sinking completely. At its best, Pretty Lethal achieves a rare sense of coherence, however, most of the time, it remains hostage to a schematic script and genre disunity.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Pretty Lethal'?

• Pretty Lethal has 60% from critics and 66% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 5.8/10.

• On Letterboxd, Pretty Lethal scored 2.7/5.0.