Uglies 2024: Is the Netflix adaptation worth a watch?

The 2024 TV adaptation of Uglies, the very popular YA dystopian novel by Scott Westerfeld, hit Netflix on September 13, 2024. The plot revolves around Tally Youngblood, a teenager living in a world where all the "Uglies" get surgery at 16 and become the "Pretties." Beauty, control, and rebellion are themes in this movie closely allied with the heart of the original book.

With Joey King, Laverne Cox, and Keith Powers among its cast, interest in the film was bountiful even before it came out.

The movie takes quite a major departure from the characters and the storyline. For those looking for a fun dystopian film with great visual effects, Uglies might be a good watch. However, for fans of the book looking for a faithful adaptation, this may not be the best way to look.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is based on the author's personal opinion.

---

Strong casting, mixed reactions

Uglies has a talented cast. Laverne Cox shines in the role of Dr. Cable, bringing authority to this part, though it is very different from the book where Dr. Cable is far more covert and manipulative. This change in character has resulted in polarized reactions from fans who perhaps were expecting the more subtle villain they read about in the novel.

Joey King's Tally Youngblood is another polarizing figure. While King has proven herself in other roles, some fans do not believe she brought enough depth and inner turmoil to Tally's character. Brianne Tju's energy is fabulous as the rebellious Shay, though her storyline was a bit condensed from the book.

Keith Powers, as David, does a good job, but the relationship between Tally and David is so underdeveloped that little room is left for emotional depth.

---

Visual appeal and world-building in Uglies

On the visual level, Uglies succeeds. Netflix brought the futuristic world of the book to life, from the glistening "Pretty" city to the challenging, natural world of the Smoke, a hideout for rebels. The hoverboards, technology, and the aesthetic of surgery rooms are all faithful adaptations and are visually striking.

However, while the movie seems impressive in detail, the world-building would seem more anxiety-ridden and rushed. Gradually, the book holds the reader hooked in Tally's world, explaining strict social norms and the reasoning behind the Pretty surgery.

The movie moves swiftly over those points, leaving some important issues untold. Tally's transformative journey toward the Smoke, highly fundamental for the conception of her character, leaves less time for viewers to understand the change in her character.

---

Changes to the plot and character interactions

Uglies changes the vital relationships of the characters, specifically the relationship of Tally and Shay. Given that relationships in the novel are important to the development of the plot, the friendship has developed into becoming "frenemies" wherein they evolve into opposing forces due to different views on the Pretty surgery.

In the movie, it is diminished, hence the eventual conflict was not so impactful among the audiences. Curiously, too, their romantic entanglement is rushed in its development. In the book, Tally grows to care for David when she gradually spends more time in the Smoke, and the strengths of her society begin to become questionable.

This slow unfolding romance was not permitted by the movie, leaving it woefully underdeveloped. Of course, Dr. Cable's part also changes dramatically. In the book, she is a behind-the-scenes manipulator, pulling strings to keep things as they were.

In the movie, she's more of a public figure, challenging Tally head-on and becoming a more flagrant villain. This makes her character somewhat clearer, stripping away some of the fascinating moral ambiguity.

---

So, is Uglies a film worth watching? Fans who enjoy films of the futuristic dystopian kind with solid, stunning visuals and aren't fussed about being pigeonholed by a film's storyline or its actual plotline being an adaptation from a book, this film may be worth a watch.

It brings you to a visually appealing world with solid performances from the cast, in general, and especially so from Laverne Cox and Brianne Tju. On the other hand, book lovers might be a bit disappointed with this movie adaptation. The more or less swift pace can disstaisfy enthusiasts. Other alternations about such crucial relationships and plots make them imperfect.

However, Uglies shows a glimpse of the dystopian world of Tally Youngblood, but still, it cannot do full justice to the complexity of the real novel.