Uglies is a 2024 Netflix movie that did not receive the greatest reviews, and while it’s not the best thing to come out in the 2020s, it deserves a little more love. An adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s novel of the same name, Uglies centers on a post-apocalyptic dystopian society where humanity has exhausted the Earth’s natural resources. In their attempts to solve this crisis, scientists have also found a way to surgically enhance humans, increasing their fitness and physical appearance. These “Pretties”, as they are called, are said to have solved prejudice and discrimination.
Uglies is a unique movie, you have to at least give it that. Starring a cast of up-and-coming stars like Joey King, Brianne Tju, Keith Powers, and Chase Stokes, Uglies feels like a film that would have been wildly successful had it come out in the early 2000s, alongside other young adult dystopian movies like The Hunger Game, The Maze Runner, and Divergent. Alas, it didn’t. It came out years later, and the memory of those movies has certainly affected the reception. Yes, Uglies isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s not a waste of time as reviews have painted it.
Critics Tore Uglies Apart
The Film Has A 16% On Rotten Tomatoes
At the moment, Uglies is sitting at a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. With such a low score, there is a lot critics have pointed to as the reason behind the film’s failure. What most critics pointed to in their review, such as Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times, was a general lack of anything that elevates the film. As Roeper puts it, “Everything about “Uglies” is average” (via ChicagoSunTimes). That single line of review basically sums up one half of the problems in Uglies. There’s a lot of merit to that critique.
Uglies does lack that extra ingredient that’s needed to boost a movie into something special in the way of The Hunger Games. An interesting story idea is never enough, there needs to be more. This is not strictly an Uglies problem. Netflix has consistently failed to produce solid original movies, releasing projects that feel half-baked and quickly and cheaply produced. With Uglies, critics saw a lack of stakes, highlighted by a cliffhanger ending in anticipation of a sequel. While end-credit teasers may still be in vogue, straight cliffhangers are not.
Uglies Was Maligned For Missing The YA Dystopian Wave
Young Adult Movies Are Often Dismissed As “Unserious”
The second part of the problem critics had with Uglies was that it was a YA dystopian movie created years after the fad had died down. There was a point in Hollywood where any YA dystopian novel was getting an adaption, and it ended as quickly as it boomed. These were such a popular genre that SNL did a hilarious parody of them in 2014, called “The Group Hopper”, which satirizes all the different tropes found in these movies. YA dystopian movies are often dismissed as unserious movies, in part because movies aimed at young audiences are dismissed.
Dismissing movies like these out of hand, however, misses out on some good filmmaking.
Dismissing movies like these out of hand, however, misses out on some good filmmaking. The Hunger Games were all excellent films, and The Maze Runner was a dramatically underrated movie that took a harsher tone than might be expected from the genre. In the same way, Uglies shouldn’t be discarded just because of its genre, much less because it “missed the wave”. If anything, it’s a reminder of why we enjoyed those YA dystopian movies in the first place.
It’s audiences and critics who have become overly familiar with the tropes of the genre, and it’s not bad filmmaking to still partake in those tropes. It may be a bit unoriginal, but those tropes aren’t problematic or creatively bankrupt, they’re just well-known. It puts undue pressure on Uglies to have to compete with the dystopian movies that have come before them. If you can watch Uglies without constantly referencing other YA films in your mind, you’ll find yourself having a much better time with the material.
Some People Online Thought Laverne Cox’s Casting Was Offensive
Cox Plays A Character Who Forces Medical Surgeries On People
Another issue a few internet commentators, and some reviewers, had with Uglies was the casting of Laverne Cox as Dr. Cable. Dr. Cable is the big bad of Uglies. She’s the head scientist in charge of transforming people into their “prettiest” selves, but she has a secret. Along with changing their appearance, she also limits their free will, creating an army of H๏τ zombies that do her bidding. Cox is a trans woman, and is notably the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category.
Laverne Cox was nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series category in 2017, 2019, and 2020 for her performance as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black.
Some viewers saw an issue with a trans person being cast as a villain who forces surgical procedures on children. In today’s political climate, some opponents of transgender surgery claim that gender-affirming surgeries are being performed on children, sometimes without their consent. Though there is little evidence to back this claim (via Harvard), it is a H๏τ ʙuттon issue. It does seem a little strange that the director, McG, would make this casting decision then with all the implications, unintended as they likely were.
However, Cox has commented on how she and Dr. Cable do share some similarities (via ScreenRant),
“Laverne and Dr. Cable are not the same person, but I had so much fun being this woman who ultimately wants what I want. She wants everybody to be treated equally and not be discriminated against because. Her methods are ethically questionable. And the way she squashes descent is also morally questionable, but it’s also so much fun to play. Just deliciousness. The process of preparing to do it – any role for me is always excruciating.”
There really isn’t any negative messaging ᴀssociated with the casting choice if you look closely. Uglies does not critique surgery specifically, it critiques society and conformity. The villainy of Dr. Cable is that she is upholding an oppressive system to sit on top of it. It has nothing to do with being transgender. In that regard, Cox is perfectly cast, and nails the role of an ultra-smart scientist who does make some good points about the world, but ultimately just wants power.
Uglies Is An Imaginative And Well-Acted Throwback To The Early 2000s
There Is More To Uglies Than Audiences Gave It Credit For
Uglies is a throwback to the YA dystopian movies of the 2000s, and though it may feel slightly familiar, it also feels comfortable. There’s a lot of nostalgia embedded in the genre, and it’s fun to see what the updated version of that looks like with Uglies. It’s a very imaginative film as well, with excellent set designs between the Las Vegas-like world of the “Pretties” and the grim, cold city of the “Uglies”. The acting is also great, and just about everyone in the cast has a good grip on who their character is.
Uglies is not the greatest movie of the 2020s, but it’s better than its 16% on Rotten Tomatoes gives it credit for. There’s a lot of fun to be had in this unique world and McG’s antic film style keeps the viewer engaged. Cox and King are excellent leads as well and watching them square off is a delight. It feels like the modestly made movies of the early 2000s with a cool idea, invested actors, and smart direction. Many Uglies reviews may be bad, but give it a watch yourself and decide on your own. You won’t regret it.
