Image: Disclosure/Netflix
Released on September 13, Uglies is a science fiction film that quickly reached the top spot among the most watched films by Brazilian audiences. It tells the story of a dystopian world in which all people who do not fit society's beauty standards need to undergo plastic surgery.
Based on the books created by author Scott Westerfeld, the story shows that mandatory procedures go far beyond the cosmetic part. However, a group of rebels fight against what is happeningand her influence will change the life of Tally (Joey King) forever, who dreamed of changing her life after her operation.
What happens in the plot of Uglies?
The plot of Uglies begins when Peris (Chase Stokes), the protagonist's best friend, leaves the city where they live to have cosmetic surgery. With that, Tally starts to get closer to Shay (Brianne Tju), who is not sure if she wants to go through the same procedure.
She takes the protagonist to a place known as Smoke, where people who have never undergone the transformation live in relative peace. However, not even this is enough to convince the protagonist of Uglies to give up on her dream, which she decides to pursue when she turns 16.
On the day of the procedure, she is summoned by Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox), the head of the Special Circumstances division. He tells her that she has two choices: reveal the whereabouts of Shay and her new friends, or never undergo the surgery and live forever as an “ugly person.”
To convince the protagonist, he argues that the inhabitants of Smoke are creating a powerful weapon that will destroy society. Although aware of Tally's mission, Shay opens the doors of the place to her new friend who, little by little, discovers a new value in human relationships and gives up on changing her appearance.
Movie brings a big surprise
During her time in Smoke, the protagonist becomes close to David (Keith Powers) and meets his parents, Az (DeVon Johnson) and Maddy (Charmin Lee), who worked as surgeons in the past. They reveal that cosmetic procedures, in addition to changing people's appearance, have made them susceptible to government control.
The life shown in Uglies is not as beautiful as it seemsSource: Disclosure/Netflix
This happens through lesions in the frontal cortex of patients, which cause them to no longer care about anything and begin to feel a false sense of happiness. According to scientists, Cable believes that some people are created to lead and others to obey.and this is the only way society will function properly.
Uglies director McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) explains that while the film's villain offers a seemingly beautiful life, free from prejudice and disease, the price to pay for it is too high. He is searching for those who fled to Smoke precisely because its residents are seeking a way to cure the injuries that turn people into puppets.
What happens at the end of Uglies?
Although Tally does not betray her new allies, the necklace she received from Dr. Cable gives away her position and allows an elite army to invade Smoke. In this, we learn that Peris and David were forced to undergo the cosmetic procedure, and they are used in a battle in which Az is eventually killed.
Uglies ends with a strong hook for a sequelSource: Disclosure/Netflix
However, Maddy manages to steal the missing element that reverses the effects of the surgery on patients' brains. Tally decides to serve as a guinea pig for the experiment, stating that she will never forget her colleagues and will leave “a sign” for them that she is still the same after the operation.
In the final scenes of Uglies, we see the character leaving the procedure apparently happy with the results, but with a visible scar that makes clear her commitment to her allies. This sets the film up for a future sequel. which should follow the events of Westerfeld's books, which treat the story as a trilogy. However, so far Netflix has not confirmed whether it will produce the complete saga.