Uglies

Based on the young adult novel of the same name, Uglies offers a dystopian world where children are raised in orphanages before coming of age where they are offered advanced plastic surgery in order to fit in and join the lavish city ending their life as "uglies" and beginning their lives as "pretties." Wearing its themes on its sleeves,  Tilly's (Joey King) conception of the world is challenged by both her best friend (Chase Stokes) changing more than just his outward appearance after leaving the city and also by a new friend (Brianne Tju) choosing to abandon civilization rather than go through the procedure.

Offered a chance by the government to save her friend from a dangerous cult leader (Keith Powers) who they explain has brainwashed her pal Shay and is working on a weapon to destroy the city, Tilly journeys into the wilderness only to discover things aren't as black and white as they seem forcing her to confront ideas drilled into her about her world and her place in it.

Judging it on its looks, Uglies works okay as  dystopian young adult science fiction presenting a coming of age story for Tilly in which her values and beliefs will be forced into question. The effects, look of the world, and overall style are all passable enough even if the city looks more like a juvenile's idea of never-ending party than anything that would pass for a civilization (and it doesn't help we are given no clues how society functions).

However, it's when you look skin-deep where you start to see problems with the expected cut-and-paste YA cliches. There are several nagging issues to the story such as Joey King being anything but ugly, the rebels remarking on Tilly being the first to make the journey alone (after her friend had successfully done so only a few days before), and the subtlety of a sledgehammer which it delivers its concepts. There's also the issue of Tally herself who is bounces back and forth between incredibly smart and capable or an easily manipulated rube, depending on what the script needs in any individual scene. While this is only the opening chapter of a larger series, I think Netflix may have trouble selling more of these films to its viewers.

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• Title: Uglies
• IMDb: link