Movie · 2024 · Science Fiction, Adventure, Action · 1h 40m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.1/10 (298.2K ratings)
In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly.
Overview
In a futuristic dystopia with enforced beauty standards, a teen awaiting mandatory cosmetic surgery embarks on a journey to find her missing friend.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.1/10
IMDb: 4.7/10
Letterboxd: 1.40/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 14%
Metacritic: 34
TMDB: 5.7/10
Director
McG
Production
Davis Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Industry Entertainment Partners, Wonderland Sound and Vision
Cast
Joey King, Brianne Tju, Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Laverne Cox, Charmin Lee, Jay DeVon Johnson, Jan Luis Castellanos, Sarah Vattano, Ashton Essex Bright, Zamani Wilder, Joseph Echavarria, Gabriella Garcia, Ash Maeda, Jordan Sherley, Paria Akbarshahi, Jessica Craig, Ashley Lambert, Bre Tiesi, Brett Hoyle
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy YA dystopia with a timely premise, but the execution sounds rushed, flat, and visually generic rather than sharp or thrilling. The strong concept about enforced beauty standards gets buried under weak worldbuilding, uneven performances, and bargain-bin spectacle.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy low-stakes teen dystopian sci-fi
Fans of beauty-standards satire even when it’s clumsy
Curiosity-watchers who like comparing adaptation misfires
Skip if
You want polished worldbuilding or coherent action
You’re looking for a smart social satire
You’re hoping for the emotional intensity of top-tier YA dystopias
Overview
Uglies has a premise that should cut deep: a future where cosmetic conformity is mandatory and beauty is state policy. That idea is fertile ground for teen rebellion, body-image satire, and sleek dystopian spectacle, but the film appears to flatten all of it into a rushed, generic adventure with little bite.
Worth noting
The reaction around it points to a movie that feels more like a dated streaming-era YA product than a fully realized theatrical dystopia. The world design, dialogue, and action seem to miss the mark, and whatever commentary it has on beauty culture gets overwhelmed by obviousness and cheapness.
Bottom line
There is still a niche audience for this kind of thing: viewers who like earnest young-adult sci-fi, campy dystopian premises, or adaptations that are interesting more as cultural artifacts than as good movies. For most people, though, this is an easy pass.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Kimiko (2★) · 16297 likes
TikTok bold glamour filter ahhh movie
Anna (2.5★) · 10007 likes
shay wanted to have lesbian sex with tally sooooo badddd
ale (0.5★) · 6670 likes
nobody understands the bond between a girl and the mediocre book she read when she was 13
Edit: so turns out joey king is a zi🤮nist, pls boycott this shit, it's terrible anyway
TheFreshBeef (1.5★) · 5214 likes
Things in this movie that are ugly:
- the CGI
- the dialogues
- the world design
- the action
Things in this movie that aren't ugly:
- the people
Joe A (1.5★) · 5028 likes
This movie would have done numbers in 2011.
In 2024, it’s a poorly acted, rushed, and deeply unserious movie.
2005 · Action, Thriller, Science Fiction · 2h 16m · PG-13 · Curator 1.6/10 (480.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A glossy, high-concept chase thriller about manufactured bodies and the commodification of human identity.