Uglies

Amina Ahmed

The 2024 film “Uglies,” starring Joey King as Tally Youngblood, was released on September 13 on the streaming platform Netflix. The film, which is based off of the young adult dystopian series of the same title, explores a post-apocalyptic society where the population is divided into two social classes: those who are pretty, and those who are ugly. In the imagined world of the author, Scott Westerfeld, humans undergo cosmetic surgery when they turn 16, making them the “best” possible version of themselves, or “pretty” inside and out. But what about those who don’t want this surgery, who are “ugly” but don’t see themselves as so? Such is the ideology of “the smoke,” a society of people in the world of the “uglies” and “pretties” who have rejected the norms imposed on them by their oppressive government. 

I’ll be honest when I say that my expectations for this film were low. . . and they were barely met. The special effects and CGI in the movie are done fairly well for the most part. New Pretty Town, the dorms, and even the smoke were curated close to both my imagination and the description within the book, which was lovely to see. However, the script and dialogue seemed forced and awkward, and many larger themes of the book were not properly delved into. Yes, the book is cliche in its message of accepting yourself as you are, but it also touched on other essential questions too. For example, is indulging in vanity truly that bad? Can friendships exist between the “uglies” and “pretties”? In essence, the entire film felt rushed and precariously put together, and only seemed worthy for its visual aesthetics.