Uglies is a 2024 American science fiction drama film directed by McG and written by Jacob Forman, Vanessa Taylor, and Whit Anderson.

Based on the novel of the same name by Scott Westerfeld, the plot centers around a future post-apocalyptic dystopian society in which people are considered "ugly" until they become "pretty" by enduring extensive cosmetic surgery at the age of 16.

The film stars Joey King, Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, Charmin Lee, and Laverne Cox.

Later, she befriends Shay, a rebellious Ugly who tells her about "The Smoke", a land of freedom in tune with nature based on the book Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

As she begins to grow close with David, he and his family reveal the truth about the surgeries: they limit human free will, so the Pretties are easily controlled.

[2] In September 2020, the project re-entered development with Joey King signing on to star in the lead role as Tally Youngblood and serve as executive producer for the film.

[5][6] Later that year, Keith Powers, Brianne Tju, Chase Stokes, and Laverne Cox joined the supporting cast.

"[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 34 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

Club's Jacob Oller gave the film a D- grade, writing, "Though the book came out before your Divergents and your Hunger Games and your Maze Runners, Uglies' adaptation suffers from being nearly two decades too late.

"[12] Adrian Horton of The Guardian gave it 1/5 stars, writing, "Though it supposedly argues against human beings turned into synthetic quasi-droids, Uglies feels like just another throwaway product.

"[13] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "It's all about as familiar-feeling as it sounds, but it goes down easily thanks to McG's skillful, fast-paced direction, the imaginatively lavish CGI-enhanced visuals, and King's impressive performance.

"[14] The Wall Street Journal's John Anderson said, "It feels a bit infantile, never mind petty, to go looking for literary-theological heft in a project so clearly directed at the blushingly young, or to begrudge them an indulgence like Uglies.