The film “Uglies”, based on Scott Westerfeld’s popular novel, takes place in a world where everyone is considered ugly until they turn 16, when they go through a surgery to become “pretty” and join society. The story follows Tally Youngblood, a 15-year-old girl (played by Joey King), who is about to turn 16 and is waiting to get her transformation.
As the movie continued, Tally tackles themes of beauty standards, individuality, and societal control, concepts that are definitely relevant today. However, the way these themes are handled feels artificial, with corny dialogue and very predictable scenes. It might have been better if it had come out around 2010, during the height of the dystopian popularity with films like “Divergent”, “The Maze Runner”, and “The Hunger Games”.
The CGI in the movie was especially bad. The effects looked cheap and poorly done. The hoverboard scenes, in particular, were very unrealistic and looked straight out of a video game. For a movie that relies on its futuristic setting, the weak CGI was a major letdown.
I also felt like the casting choices were off for most of the characters. The only performance that really stood out to me was Brianne Tju’s portrayal of Shay. The rest of the cast didn’t leave much of an impression on me and felt miscast, which made it harder to connect with the characters and enjoy the story.
The movie also felt very rushed, cutting out many important elements from the book. One of the biggest letdowns was Tally’s journey to the Smokies. In the book, this was a major, life-changing event filled with detail and we got to know more about Tally and her personality. But in the movie, this entire journey was shortened into a brief scene lasting about five minutes long. The sense of time passing in the movie felt very off, making it feel like the events took place over just a few days instead of several months.
Overall, the film struggles to do justice to the novel. It rushes through pivotal moments, relies on bad CGI, and has poor casting choices. As a result, the film “Uglies” was disappointing and left viewers wanting a deeper dive into the story.
The film “Uglies” is currently streaming on Netflix, but if you’re a fan of dystopian films and looking for something better, I would recommend rewatching “The Hunger Games” instead.
