Warning, spoilers ahead:
It has been a few years since Hollywood’s rush for dystopian movies with large hits like “Divergent” (2014) or “The Maze Runner” (2014). The adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel “Uglies” intends to kick off a new trilogy, but it would be a large flop.
The setting of the story is 300 years in the future, in a world where everyone is considered “Ugly” until they turn 16 and can undergo extreme cosmetic surgery to become “Pretty.” The idea of being Pretty is there is no conflict because everyone is perfect.
The film takes no time jumping right into where the book begins. Peris (Chase Stokes) and Tally Youngblood (Joey King) are saying their goodbyes as Peris is about to undergo his surgery to be Pretty. When Peris has surgery, Tally has to wait three months before she can reunite with him. Tally sneaks into the city where all of the Pretties live to find Peris.
The film does a decent job of bringing the city Westerfeld wrote to life, even to the pig mask costume Tally wore described in the book. It also included all of the fireworks, parties and endless waves of happy, dancing Pretties the book describes. However, it did a poor job with the visual effects that could have made these scenes even better.
After Tally breaks into the city and finds Peris, she quickly learns his personality is different and does not remember much of his life before his surgery. They both have scars on their hands as a symbol of friendship, but Tally learns he had it removed. He kept telling Tally she would understand once she joined him in the city before Tally was discovered as an intruder and jumped off the mansion’s roof to escape.
Tally is almost caught when she escapes the city but runs into Shay (Brianne Tju) who becomes her best friend in the absence of Peris. They both learn they have the same birthday and will go into surgery together.
The actors bring out the characteristics of Tally and Shay in the film with their outgoing personalities and hoverboarding capabilities. King and Tju have chemistry in the film that could convince an audience they are friends in real life.
As their birthday approaches, Shay confides in Tally that she is not interested in getting the surgery. Shay also trusts Tally by showing her the meeting place to find David (Keith Powers), who can bring them to The Smoke, a place where a group of outlaws who have not had surgery live authentically. Tally declines her offer to join, staying behind to get her surgery because it is something she has always wanted.
Shay leaves behind a series of codes only Tally can crack if she ever changes her mind about going to The Smoke. This is all book-accurate, the one thing the film does consistently correct.
Shay misses her surgery and Tally is brought in for questioning by Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox). Dr. Cable knows about The Smoke but needs Tally’s help in finding it to bring Shay and the outlaws back. Dr. Cable also claims David is dangerous and is creating a weapon to destroy them.
Tally’s entire trip to The Smoke is a CGI playground to put the audience in a futuristic setting. It almost uses too much CGI, making it look more fake than it already is.
Eventually, Tally finds The Smoke and learns that “the weapon” Dr. Cable had been referring to is a cure David’s parents created for those who are Pretty. When individuals are turned Pretty, a part of their brain is changed making them easy to control.
While the film is decently book-accurate, it does a poor job with pacing. It jumps from one thing to the next, making it hard to keep up for those who have not read the book. It does little to engage beyond the surface and clarify its intended age audience. The ending feels incredibly rushed when Dr. Cable brings all of the outlaws back to the city to force them to have surgery to become Pretty.
Tally volunteers herself to undergo surgery because the cure needs a subject to test on. She tells David and his mother she will leave a sign behind to show her consent to be their test subject. It ends on a cliffhanger, showing Tally as a Pretty and exposing the scar on her hand as the sign.
The book was written for young adults and deals with themes of emotional and physical change. The theme is relevant for 2024, as plastic surgery and the beauty standards of body modification are largely discussed topics for young people. Overall, the film hits the point that beauty can be found on the inside, but ultimately feels like a throw-away project, making it a disappointing adaptation of the novel.
Rating: 2/5
