Uglies: Unfortunately Maintaining Predictability

Based on a book series written by Scott Westerfield, this Netflix movie is set in a dystopian future where everyone is considered an 'Ugly' until they undergo mandatory cosmetic surgery that develops them into a 'Pretty'. It follows the story of a young girl named Tally Youngblood (Joey King), who while searching for her missing friend, discovers very dark secrets about the society she inhabits.

I wasn't aware that this was part of a book series while watching, but it makes perfect sense. The characters and plot lines are completely reminiscent of the dystopian YA craze that swept the world around the early 2010's. For better or for worse. Honestly, the movie wasn't terrible; considering the direction that Netflix live action adaptations have taken recently, I was surprised that it was generally enjoyable. It contained all of the signature points that a Hunger Games or Divergent fan would love like an unassuming heroine who battles against her society's norms, an unexpected romance, a small band of allies to rely on, and 38 more books to read.

It was considerably entertaining but that's to be expected from me considering I'm not too far off from the target audience. I ate this stuff up when I was younger, both original books and then adapted screenplays. I'm sure I had a more pleasant watch because I could be considerably more surprised in comparison to someone who had read this series already. I use the word "could" very heavily because, as someone with a background in reading YA, I wasn't surprised by this movie's plot points very often. But that doesn't mean it was bad.

I thought the actors did sufficiently with what they were given, which just so happened to be a genre that was popular 10 years ago and has never really reached the same notoriety since. The performances weren't outstanding, but they were fine (which is what I'm sure every actor wants to hear about a project they've worked hard on). They had to work within the strict confines of an existing franchise, and despite that difficulty, they did well. Considering the movie ended with a cliffhanger, I can only assume Netflix will continue to cash grab on yet another series with sequels, but I would probably tune in to another one. I mean one, not 74.