Originally released in 2005, Scott Westerfeld’s young adult novel, Uglies, is finally getting a Netflix movie glow-up.

The movie stars Joey King as Tally, a girl living in a futuristic society where looks determine your job, your friends, your family, and your entire life. When she is finally old enough to get the procedure to make her a Pretty, she and her best friend Peris, played by Chase Stokes, cannot wait to start their new life in a utopia where they can leave their past selves behind. Then, Tally meets Shay, played by Brianne Tju, who tells her the truth about the procedure that changes more about a person than just their face. Tally is thrown into an impossible decision that could change the fate of her future and the future of the world.

The director of Uglies is Joseph McGinty Nichol, better known as McG. His resume is full of other young adult movies and Netflix hits including The DUFF, Love Hard, The Holidate, and both Tall Girl movies.
With stunning sets and breathtaking performances by these actors, audiences see that beauty can be found in more than skin and that beauty is deeper than what we can see.

Watch Uglies on Netflix on Friday, September 13.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Looks aren’t everything, unless you live in Seatac, a futuristic utopia made to be perfect and beautiful in every way, just like the people living there. People cannot wait to live there and have a life of fun and glamor forever, especially Tally. The only catch, to live there you must undergo surgery to alter your features to make you look as perfect as the glittering city skyline. Tally is ready to go through with the operation when she meets a new friend Shay, who makes her wonder if this was the best way to live. Now, Shay has run away, and Tally is in trouble. She must either find Shay and turn her in for the surgery, or never be allowed into the life she has always dreamed of.

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