The new Netflix film “Uglies,” featuring Joey King, explores the concept of beauty and the cost associated with it. Based on Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel, the story is set in a dystopian society where individuals undergo surgery on their 16th birthday to transform into their “healthy, happy, pretty” selves. Before this transformation, they are labeled “Uglies” and occupy a lower social status.
At the beginning of the movie, Tally is just a couple of months shy of her 16th birthday. Her best friend Peris is about to undergo the life-changing surgery, and the two promise to remain unchanged despite the transformation. They bond over the identical scars on their hands that will remind them of their past.
After Peris leaves for his surgery, Tally befriends Shay, who also faces her procedure in two months but is unsure if she wants to go through with it. Shay introduces Tally to the Smoke, a place that represents freedom from societal norms, which Tally initially thought was a myth. While Shay considers living her life in the Smoke, Tally remains committed to becoming a Pretty.
On her 16th birthday, instead of getting her surgery, Tally is taken to see Dr. Cable, who demands that she disclose information about Shay or risk missing the operation altogether. Dr. Cable reveals that the Smoke is developing a weapon that poses a threat to the current society, and she enlists Tally to help locate it.
As Tally integrates into the Smoke, she learns more about its inhabitants, including David and his parents, former city surgeons who uncovered the dark truth behind the surgery: it creates brain lesions that suppress free will and critical thinking, allowing the government to exert control over the population.
As city officials close in on them, Tally’s old friend Peris, now fully transformed into a brainwashed “Pretty,” is ordered by Cable to kill David’s father, Az. Peris, in a moment that suggests a flicker of his former self, ultimately falls from a building, raising questions about his fate.
In a climactic sequence, Cable forces Tally, David, and Maddy to undergo the procedure but is interrupted by rebels from the Smoke. Maddy retrieves a crucial component for a potential cure for the lesions, sparking hope for those affected. However, once Tally is transformed into a Pretty, she is torn between her new identity and her desire to help Shay, who is resistant to undergoing the procedure.
In a bold move, Tally offers herself as the initial test subject for the cure, believing that if successful, it could change their world. Despite the risks, Tally expresses her resolve to maintain her identity, leaving a sign for David to remind him of who she truly is.
The film concludes with Tally waking up as a Pretty but still bearing the scar that symbolizes her true self, hinting at her internal conflict and potential growth.
“Uglies” is the first of a trilogy, setting the stage for a potential sequel that delves deeper into Tally’s journey as she navigates from Pretty to Special, the next stage of human enhancement, with the promise of self-discovery at its core.