- In a futuristic world, everyone must undergo plastic surgery at the age of 16. Tally can’t wait for her transformation to join the rest of society. But when her friend runs away, Tally, in order to save her, sets off on a journey that will completely change her approach to life.
- Netflix movie “Ugly” With Joey King in the lead role was based on the bestselling novel of the same title. McG (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Chuck”) is responsible for directing.
- The film “Uglies” is available on Netflix from September 13.
Scott Westerfeld’s bestselling novel “Uglies” was published in 2007, but only now has the film adaptation directed by McG seen the light of day. There’s no denying that a post-apocalyptic story that’s almost 20 years old may seem, to put it mildly, stale. The creators faced the considerable challenge of adapting (from the perspective of a modern viewer) a secondary story in a way that would be at least somewhat appealing. How did they do? Well…
The main character of “Ugly Ones”, Tally (Joey King), is looking forward to her sixteenth birthday, because in the futuristic world, it is on this day that people change from the title ugly to beautiful. All imperfections disappear, and in their place appear the features of ideal people. The girl sees many elements in herself that she does not accept. In addition, she does not see any threat in the transformation procedure, on the contrary – she is fascinated by it. Even the drastic change not only in appearance, but above all in the behavior of her friend, Peris (Chase Stokes), does not raise any major doubts. They appear only later in the film, when her rebellious friend runs away, and Tally gradually begins to discover the dark side of transforming people into beautiful ones.
Watching “Uglies” it is impossible not to get the impression that we have already seen all these plots, characters and their problems somewhere on the screen. The film can be directly compared to “Divergent”, but I had “The Hunger Games” in mind. The creators of the popular series based on the novel by Suzanne Collins have efficiently coped with the test of time, which unfortunately cannot be said about “Uglies”. Apart from the secondary story, the film is lacking in terms of special effects straight from the early 2000s, which is even more surprising considering that it is a production of the streaming giant Netflix.
The ending suggests that there will be more parts. At the same time, it deprives the previous plot of any meaning. The main character’s internal dilemmas, such as the validity of plastic surgery, are discredited because (spoiler!) she decides to undergo the procedure. Although you can see the beginnings of a deeper reflection, it ultimately goes nowhere. I understand that this is a basis for the story to continue in the next parts, but I have an unpleasant thought that the less than two hours I devoted to the session were irretrievably lost. Additionally, “Uglies” is another example of a Hollywood production in which an actress who is almost ten years older than the heroine is cast in the role of a 16-year-old.
Netflix’s new release fails in almost every area. Plot – secondary. Characters – uninteresting. Special effects – unsatisfactory. Moral and ending – disappointing. Maybe it’s better not to touch such outdated novels, instead of adapting them “by force”?
4/10
“Uglies”, directed by McG. Netflix release date: September 13, 2024
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