‘Uglies’ Review: Netflix’s YA Dystopian Adaptation Starring Joey King Feels Instantly Dated
variety.comTomris Laffly Even in a world where unrealistic photo filters have messed with our heads, Joey King (“A Family Affair”) wouldn’t be considered anything less than pretty with her lagoon-blue eyes and youthful complexion.
But in the realm of “Uglies,” director McG’s (“Charlie’s Angels”) halfhearted screen adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 young-adult novel, her character Tally Youngblood’s objective attractiveness is irrelevant.
That’s because being pretty means something entirely different in the reality that she lives, one that exists several hundred years after the demise of our own.
In that unnamed future, everyone at the age of 16 mandatorily goes through a surgical procedure to become their best-looking selves—a coming-of-age day as spiritual as getting one’s period or being celebrated at a teenage-centric religious custom.
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