A Look at the Movie Adaptation of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I read the Uglies books back in uh... Well, a long time ago! I was in high school, so I was the target audience. I also read the sequel series when it came out around Covid - I remember this time, because I won a midnight trip to Wardini Books and that was one of the books I bought while I was there.

This series had been a favourite of mine from when I read it the first time, and one I return to on a yearly-ish basis. It has its traps and downsides, I don't deny that. The first series is very much Young Adult. The main characters are 15 turning 16, and very much in that teen mindset. They can't wait to be "grown up" and become Pretty. The first series is very juvenile. I think, if you want to read them, read them, but know that the sequel series, the ones that came out in the 2020s, are much more adult in their depth and complexity.

Now, this is where the movie took a hit. There are a few things people mention here, so I'll go over them.

One: The people in the show were already pretty.

Two: Being pretty doesn't make you better/it's setting unrealistic standards.

Okay, so to address these issues with the movie, you need to have read and understand the books. A brief overview: People in this dystopia are in a world years from ours (not many these days, that's a scary thought), where wars have decimated the population and the ecosystem. As a method of maintaining peace, the governments decided that if everyone was the same; had the safe opportunities and chances, and had the same level of beauty, people would get on better. That's a simplistic version, but it's not explained well in the movies. There is more to it, and without spoilers, let's just say that the Pretty Operation doesn't just change your outsides. As for the fact that they are already pretty, that's kind of the point. These kids grow up in a society where they are brainwashed into believing they are Ugly until they become Pretty. There's no need as a casting director to use "ugly" people - after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

As the books progress, you learn more and more about how the system is corrupt and how it's not really working. The movie obviously didn't go into that much detail, but I think they did a good job as a movie regardless. As a movie, it was a lot to take on. There was so much in the books that wasn’t able to be portrayed on screen in the time frame of a movie (which is why we were hoping for a series!), and I am disappointed that they missed the important parts, leaving people who hadn't read the books feeling like it was shallow teenage fluff. It's not, it's actually a well written critique on our world and beauty standards.

As a stand alone movie, it's okay. Maybe 3 stars at best. It's got action, romance, friendship, pretty things, danger, and sci-fi. It got three stars because there was just too much missing for it to be a fully fleshed out story.

As a representation of the books, it's only 4 stars. They missed a lot, but I think they did a really good job. Would recommend it to those who liked the series, but with warnings that they changed some things, and added in aspects that are NOT in the books, aka PERIS. iykyk.

Posted by Library Li

4 March 2025

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