Uglies Movie Review

Uglies: People who haven’t undergone the esthetic surgery 

Pretties: People who have undergone the esthetic surgery 

The Smoke: A rebel group that wants to give people the right to choose surgery Rusties: People who lived on Earth before the disaster 

Uglies (2024) is a film based on the book series by Scott Westerfield. The movie came out on Netflix in September. Based on the abundance of critics, Joey King, and the fact that it was yet another adaptation of a YA dystopian series from the 2000s, I knew I had to watch it. Though I didn’t read the series, I’ve always been a fan of dystopian novels. So, I was expecting a lot. 

McG’s Uglies tells of a 15-year-old girl, Tally Youngblood (Joey King), living in a futuristic society after a disaster facilitated by the Rusties, pushing scientists to find a solution to the endless conflict. Scientists decided to create the transformation, which allows people to undergo a surgery that makes them perfect on their 16th birthday. However, those who don’t undergo surgery are viewed as lesser than. Tally and Peris (Chase Stokes) were best friends, but Peris gets the surgery and forgets about her. Tally becomes friends with Shay (Brianne Tju), who wants her to join The Smoke and not undergo the transformation. Tally doesn’t want to, as becoming pretty had been the dream for years. The day before their transformation, as they shared the same birthday, Shay left to join The Smoke and Tally awaited her surgery. Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox) withheld it in exchange for Tally to find The Smoke, since it posed a threat to them. 

To me, the film was really average for this genre. I can’t say that there’s anything special about this adaptation. I don’t have any knowledge of the books to compare it to, but, in short, it was confusing at best. Maybe the movie will push me to read the series to be able to understand it. 

For a group known as Uglies, an exceedingly large number of the characters were conventionally attractive. They are known for giving each other looks-based nicknames, but they don’t have the intended effect. Tally is nicknamed ‘Squint’ though she doesn’t have squinty eyes. Peris is nicknamed ‘Nose’ though his nose even adds to his appearance. David’s (Keith Powers) appearance goes without saying. By contrast, the Pretties looked as though they were all wearing the Bold Glamour Filter from Tiktok. 

Aside from aesthetic preferences, it all moved too quickly, resulting in feeling like too much had been fit into an hour and a half. I often felt like there was something missing or the reasoning given for an action or event was one-dimensional. I assumed that it was explained in the book, but it was left out. However, this was done rather poorly, creating several plot holes and the characters lacked depth. I feel there was likely a lot of symbolism that either became subtext or was changed in the movie, creating further confusion. 

Over the course of the movie, Tally barely changed. She is portrayed as just another Ugly obsessed with becoming Pretty, despite her promise to Peris to always accept him as enough. When she is sent to find The Smoke, she only enjoys the way of life, but it doesn’t seem to develop her character. She was never shallow to begin with, which disrupts the character arc. Since she doesn’t really change, her relationships lack any substance. 

Overall, I do appreciate the goal of YA dystopias in that it can encourage youth to take political action. This film, however, fails to achieve this goal in that the general lack of coherence in the plot takes away from that central theme. If you have either read the books or aren’t expecting much of it, it can be enjoyed more. As someone who didn’t fit into either category, I was left confused. Despite the plot issues and the visuals at times, I did enjoy it for what it was. 

Uglies was released by Century Fox on September 13 2024. It is rated PG-13 and runs for 102 minutes.

The Uglies, Netflix.