Netflix’s Uglies was met with a harsh critical reception upon its release last Friday. The YA film feels like a nostalgic throwback to ten years ago, when dystopian books and films were immensely popular amongst young audiences. While The Hunger Games was by far the most successful, other YA movie adaptations like Divergent and Maze Runner also drew in large audiences at the time.
However, it doesn’t seem that today’s audiences are quite as enamoured with the idea, as Netflix ’s Uglies has not enjoyed the same kind of reception. The film, which stars The Kissing Booth’s Joey King in the lead role of Tally Youngblood, has received a dismal 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its audience score is slightly better at 53%. The synopsis for the film reads: “In a futuristic dystopia with enforced beauty standards, a teen awaiting mandatory cosmetic surgery embarks on a journey to find her missing friend.
” Many critics had issues with the film feeling “dated”, while others argued that the cast was simply too attractive “pre-surgery” for the plot to be believable. However, some loyal fans of the books were excited to see the beloved series from their teenage years adapted for the big screen. Without giving too much away, the film ends on quite an open-ended note, with many plotlines waiting to be resolved.
Therefore, it seems those who made the film were hoping it would lead to a sequel - but is there enough buzz around it? Uglies author Scott Westerfeld, who wrote a total of four books on the 2005 Uglies series, has since addressed the possibility of a sequel. Speaking to Decider , he confirmed that he would “want to do” a sequel, but that it all depends on the audience. He said: "Well, I want to do it.
I’m pretty sure McG wants to do it. And obviously when it comes down to it, with Netflix and the other powers that be, is how many people watch it, how many times. So, I will leave that up to the viewers to decide.
" He also expressed his desire for a sequel when speaking with The Hashtag Show, saying: “I have always thought in trilogies, that's how I work. Although I think this is a complete movie and a great film, it is calling for the other two.” The cast of Uglies also seems keen to move forward with a sequel, which would presumably be named after Westerfield’s second book, Pretties.
King previously told Collider: "I think we're just really excited to see kind of how this one resonates with people, how it does, and how, you know, the world receives it. We'll see what happens." Peris actor Chase Stokes also expressed to Extra TV: "There's multiple books, so if people show up to watch the movie then hopefully we'll get to make a couple more.
" Uglies is available to stream now on Netflix. A sequel has not yet been confirmed..
