Acclaimed director McG, responsible for some of my favorite films, including The Babysitter and Charlie’s Angels, sets his crosshairs on the young adult dystopian sci-fi world of Uglies. Based upon the four-novel series Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, this creative, beauty-obsessed world of perfection seems too good to be true. A place free from conflict, where everyone is “pretty” comes at what cost? McG’s more-is-more style perfectly suits the increasingly explosive universe at play. As its sandbox of mysteries begin to unravel, the script for Uglies casually weaves in the complexities without overcomplicating anything for a potentially unfamiliar audience member. Armed with obvious metaphors about the dangers of self-obsession and impossible beauty standards, Uglies proves to be visually stunning both inside and out.
All her life, Tally (Joey King, The Kissing Booth, Bullet Train) believed that being pretty would change everything. Hundreds of years ago, humanity became overly dependent on fossil fuels, which led to a catastrophic war, leaving behind a group known as the “Rusties.” In the aftermath, scientists were tasked with salvaging civilization, and created a plan for a pure renewable power resource. However, human nature still caused divisions. To combat this, a procedure was introduced into society too promising to be ignored. “The Transformation,” a universal operation everyone undergoes on their 16th birthday to become their most perfect self, should solve everything. With perfection, all conflict will disappear. This surgery drives the youth to achieve flawlessness at any cost. Until that birthday, the younger teens are seen as “uglies,” and ignored by society.
That entire concept is introduced less than ten minutes into the film, but screenwriting trio Jacob Forman (All The Boys Love Mandy Lane), Vanessa Taylor (Divergent, Hillbilly Elegy) , and Whit Anderson (Ozark, Daredevil) somehow manage the various threads seamlessly. Tally’s best friend, Peris (Chase Stokes, Outer Banks, Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets), turns sixteen just as the film proper begins, making a pact with Tally that will set the greater events into motion. He vows to meet Tally in one month’s time to explain everything. As Tally inches closer to her 16th birthday, Peris never shows up for their tryst. Teaming up with a wayward rebel, Shay (Brianne Tju, Three Months, I Know What You Did Last Summer), who shares Tally’s birthday, Tally is forced to reexamine her warped worldview. The hunt for Peris leads her to terrifying truths that rattle her forever.
King excels in this type of role, channeling her inner outsider. Juxtaposing the relative normalcy of the “uglies” against the pristine, overly-beautified “pretties” makes for interesting visual opposites. The special effects are kooky at times, particularly when dealing with a floating skateboard. Think more in the realm of Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids films rather than McG’s other titles. Even though they look pretty wonky, a certain charm still emanates from the center of Uglies. Admittedly, an adoration for so many different brands of dystopian young adult fiction makes this rise significantly higher in my rankings than it will for some. Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and countless other series paved the way for its success, and with so much to compare it with at this point, I was surprised to still be so consumed by its intimate realism and characters.
Part of what makes the storyline so compelling is the very nature of its lessons. Making one big metaphor for how ugliness is in the eye of the beholder would be easy enough; whilst Uglies certainly delves into this territory more than a few times, the richness of its world significantly elevates the concept. The layers begin to peel through the involvement of district governor Doctor Cable (Laverne Cox, Orange is the New Black, Promising Young Woman), the perfect mouthpiece of the pretties, and with stunning David (Keith Powers, Famous in Love, Straight Outta Compton), leader of the rebel resistance. Both of these combine to pull Tally between two extremes. Thankfully, much more leaps out here than just Team David versus Team Peris. I cannot speak to how close to the source material this newest book to screen adaptation sticks, yet either way there certainly seems to be the promise of more judging by the ending. Being left with such a cliffhanger automatically puts pressure on Netflix to greenlight more. It would be a shame if Uglies joined its distant cousin Divergent in not getting a proper ending. A winning ensemble cast and a compelling concept keep Uglies ready to emerge as Netflix’s next major title.
Pretty or ugly? You decide whether to take the journey with Uglies, coming to Netflix on Friday, September 13th.
