Movies News Talk
Get ready to enter a world where everyone becomes "Pretty" after their 16th birthday! This dystopian adventure, based on Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies book series, hits the screen with the help of Netflix and is finally giving us the much-anticipated Uglies movie! In this sci-fi story, you'll get a front-row seat to a society obsessed with appearances, a place where "Ugly" is not just a word, but actually a term used for all teens under the age of 16!
The Uglies world, filled with technology, has a twisted view of beauty. Once those Uglies reach 16, they get a procedure to turn them into Pretties. Yeah, we're not exactly in a world of embracing flaws here. The book series that has captured the attention of readers since 2005 is getting a major adaptation with stars like Joey King, who plays Tally Youngblood (that’s our main character who is on the edge of turning 16 and transforming), and Laverne Cox. This will be a great take on those familiar stories!
You know how it is when those teen movies talk about the transition from being a kid to becoming an adult, like the last few years of high school? Well, imagine if those years are totally controlled! Everyone is under pressure, obsessing about those "flaws," which the books actually make fun of. Everyone's dying to become a Pretty – that's the goal. It’s like a big party, and everyone just wants to look perfect so they can join the Pretty crew!
Tally and her bestie Peris are counting down the days to become Pretties. But, just when she's almost ready, Tally meets someone named Shay. They become friends and Tally’s eyes open a little more into this seemingly perfect world. What she finds out might just throw her for a loop! The movie is going to really play with all those dark dystopian tropes!
Here’s a glimpse into Westerfeld’s creation – it's like "Pretty" isn't actually a good thing. Imagine a world where the whole goal is to be like everyone else. Everyone has their differences removed, and that seems like it might be pretty neat at first, but what happens if being different is actually part of what makes everyone amazing? In Uglies, they just take all those "flaws" out and suddenly you're the same as everyone! There's an element of uniformity built into the story with all the surgery and changes everyone makes as soon as they become a Pretty!
While the world tries to teach these Uglies to be obsessed with "perfection," Tally, our leading lady, actually starts to think, “Is there more to life than just being the same?” And, to answer her question, the story's packed with a twist that involves finding those things that are different and that's when they really find what makes life awesome! It’s not about what's on the outside, but rather the beauty of being you.
So here's the breakdown - you've got those Uglies, who are under 16, the Pretties, who are older teens (and the "goal"), and those Specials! Oh yeah, those Specials are something else. You know how there are these secret agents with incredible skills and all the cool gadgets? That’s kinda what the Specials are - they are those super-powered individuals that keep everything running, kind of like they run the show and maintain control.
One of those Specials is Dr. Cable, who’s going to be portrayed by Laverne Cox in the new movie! Cox brings some seriously great star power, but what is so interesting is how Dr. Cable and the other Specials keep those Uglies obsessed with becoming Pretties. We’ve got to see how they manage to maintain all that control, since those Uglies have to actually choose to go under the knife, so it seems like Dr. Cable has got to be pretty clever!
With its themes about finding yourself, going against the norm, and taking on that big bad power system, Uglies is getting its moment in the sun. It's a world of adventure but with a ton of social commentary, which we hope gets covered in this adaptation. This will be interesting! We can expect to see those gadgets from the books and the action-packed thrills!
The Uglies movie is looking fantastic, but don't forget, the book series is something pretty incredible to get into if you haven’t already! This adaptation on Netflix has got a bunch of folks thinking - can the movie possibly live up to the books? Only time will tell! I think there are so many amazing things to look forward to! It's like a classic sci-fi dystopia, but with those really powerful and insightful themes that are relevant today! And I guess those are just a few things we can get ready to explore when the new Uglies series drops on Netflix.