Katniss can be a tomboy while not being an nlog bc she loves and protects women (and men). She sees there strengths that ppl overlook like rue and foxface. Can acknowledge glimmer is pretty without looking down on her for it.
her entire story starts by protecting her little sister and then projecting that sisterly love onto another little girl whose death pushes her to rebellion. she's the big sister everyone wants
Furthermore in the books, Madge (who was cut in the movies) was a typical girly girl who is Katniss' best friend. While Katniss is not interested in romance or stereotypical girly things, she's not an NLOG because the reason she can't focus on romance is because she is on survival mode due to trauma and poverty, not because she looks down at other girls.
The thing is the Hunger Games truly felt Dystopian and expansive. Sending children to compete in a dangerous and brutal game and only one survivor will win. While each District suffered. The Uglies might have worked if it focused on body dysmorphia, image issues, plastic surgeries and nonconformity to the beauty standards but its such a limiting concept and the world building would be so narrow. A sollid narrative is near impossible.
Also, you could explore an extreme version of disassociation with your own body - how after the beautification process you feel horrified that you're wearing an unfamiliar skin. This could be a good avenue to dive into what defines identity and the various psychological aspects involve with plastic surgery.
I've heard from some people this film would've been better if taken an animated medium to exaggerate and explore more of the world. Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to recommend the webcomic Ava's Demon. Is not finished yet but it's futuristic. The world building doesn't rely solely on "beauty" like Uglies does but it is quite an integral part for the antagonists in the story. In this case, the process of of beautification is seen as holy, you are the chosen one by god and you are just one step closer to enter his realm. It features a gore scene that i remember when it dropped everyone lost their minds. I would love to share more but it would be spoiler. But the way they went on about it in the comic seems like that is what a lot of people wish this film had
Actually books did this movie didn't. Books had the cutters and other groups but you can't present it that way today, need to be more PC than 2005 I guess. Also per animated movie, nope live action is fine if just did better. Seriously I could have made this movie better
Actually the books did all you listed, the had the cutters and other groups who used unhealthy coping methods. Just I don't think it's what one today would call PC. In 2005 you could get away writing it though. Also movie needed better everything, live action is fine, it didn't need be animated it just needed better costume, cast, showing world, actual book story etc. I could have made this movie better
In an era when middle schoolers are having 10-step skincare routines and cosmetic procedures are becoming more and more normalized, this movie would've been important today if executed correctly.
Ok but in real life if you surgery too much, when Drs cut person open they find mush, connective tissue etc isn't there. Inside becomes ugly mush and as I remember one of books they talk on medical fluid and other stuff that happens
Like you, I found Tally rather annoying. Also, there weren't many high stakes. Before becoming Pretty, Uglies lived rather dull lives. But it wasn't horrible either. They weren't slaves, abused, starved...etc. So, I didn't really feel compassion for the Uglies like I did with people that lived in the districts in The Hunger Games.
Yeah, in my memory the vibe of wanting to become pretty was the same as a teenager waiting to get their drivers license because they thought they would suddenly be part of the in crowd. It was never life or death, they were just normal people who dreamt of the day they would suddenly live the fast, popular lives of a Pretty. As a teenager I could overlook this, but as an adult... ew
The problem is that when they turned pretty their personalities also changed. They turned ditzy and shallow. So not just their looks changed and that's what Tally realized when she saw Paris as a pretty for the first time in the books. When she ran away she found a more accepting culture that felt grounded and down to earth. It's been a while since I've read the books so I don't recall the names of everything. But the stakes were high because the operation was not just physical but also mental. And this operation was not optional. But only her and the people who lived in the wild truly understood that. But I agree the Hunger games overall has higher stakes.
Uglies had potential in the age of social media, filters and plastic surgeries. It could’ve made a strong statement about beauty standards today and if Tally was written better she would be struggling with severe body dysmorphia due to the unrealistic beauty standards at the time and the fact that she’s literally able to design her perfect self on her computer. I wished we could’ve seen her obsessively editing images of herself to figure out her perfect face for surgery, crying while looking at the edited pics because she’s absolutely heartbroken she can’t look that way, obsessively experimenting with makeup and dyeing her hair to try to change her appearance. Even showing some ED behaviors (with proper trigger warnings ofc) would’ve been impactful. If Tally was a deeper character, I think she would’ve been relatable to many women. I grew up on social media and started content creation at 16 and staring at my face all day on my phone screen impacted me a lot and gave me a distorted image of myself. I would’ve related to Tally a lot personally if she was written better and I think a lot of girls would
Or at minimal do it like books, they literally did pointless changes. But I'm not always for changing a character to suit audience, ppl make content cuz they want, art and media are subjective
Cmiiw, but that IS what the books try to emphasise in the first place. They're consistently raised into believing that they're the worst versions of themselves. They look at people who would be cinsidered the peak of our time and have a physical reaction to it.
Expanding on the Mc having interests outside of the characters around them: Katniss can get away with having basically no hobbies because her focus has always been survival, If i remember correctly even in one moment she said it herself that she never had time to think about pretty things like bows and colors and cake because she was always focused on what was gonna be their next meal and what was gonna fill and last them the longest
The closest things Katniss has to hobbies are music/poetry, biology - which she needs to know to hunt and gather and which links her to her dad - and, in the end, scrapbooking. It all links to her character.
But I also don't think she was completely "leisureless". I mean, she did know how to swim because she would always go to the lake and that shows in the Second book, when the capital was trying to get rid of her and peeta, assuming they couldn't swim bc their district wasn't officially allowed access to the forest. She also knows a few songs from her district. So in a way there are these few cultural backgrounds to her that help us understand the nuances of life in district 12
@RMSLeao yup I agree, I didn't express myself too well in my first comment when I said she basically had no hobbies whoops, the better wording would've been like "almost no hobbies" in comparison with other characters that have the "luxury" and time to have hobbies
I didn't read the Hunger Games series until I was an adult, certain elements such as finnicks backstory and the avoxes stuck with me for weeks after reading. Truely harrowing concepts that had me completely amazed that this is a series for teens. Ive subscribed for the avox video ❤
What is wild to me is I also read the hunger games as an adult and thought they had a deep message. Yet the cast has stayed quiet on all g ci d3s happening in the world as well at the author. Very dissapointing.
The boy from district 3 who reactivates the landmines stuck with me, although he was barely in the book. They mention how the game makers didn’t even think it was possible, so that kid was a genius, but his potential was wasted through mindless violence.
Honestly it would have been a big improvement to have the "uglies" wear no make up and have the pretties be drasticslly different in their pursuit of beauty. Like give me people tatooing their eyes, putting gems or feathers into their skin.
I’m pretty sure in the books the pretty people look very uncanny so I’d say it works…like the doctor with the sharp teeth? Talk about scary. Though I think they all had sharp teeth (the pretties)
in the last last book of the series "extras" if i remember correctly they kinda do that in another like city from this world where ppl can and do express themselves as outlandishly as they want like purple skin and horns and shit like (i think lol)
I hate that the beauty is just filter face. I expected something freakish and scary being the standard like the Twilight Zone ‘Eye of the beholder’. But obviously that’s asking for wayyy too much.
Books pretties are hypnotic like what vampires do to glamorize humans. Books say how it takes tally time to stop looking etc and much as her and Peris made fun of pretties they still kept their attention
I think the thing with Katniss is that she isnt a tomboy at all. Katniss doesnt prefer to lean away from feminimity, she denies herself it entirely because she doesnt live a life that allows for it. She actively chooses to live apart from her sexuality because it isnt helping her survive or protect her family. It sets her very utility sense of self at odds with the Capitol's vanity who want her to show off her body and flirt fir the camera. That's important to her character and the story, especially because her love story's antagonist is her own resistance.
I know why this movie is being considered as a flop, truth to be told, the cinematography wasn't up to par and on top of that the characters were not developed as it was supposed to be.
Yup, costumes cam angles cast character dev etc. like in book it says tally wondered since she's taller than pretties if bungee jacket could hold her weight. Doesn't that mean some of cast isn't even right heights
@@AshePBlack I haven't read the book of this movie is based on, but I can tell there's still a lot to it. It would have been better if they had made this series instead of movie.
What annoyed me about the show from the start was that the uglies had no acne or pores showing, everyone was in shape, they had makeup on and styled hair. The superficial beauties were just the same person in flashy outfits… which there’s nothing wrong with expressing yourself in flashy clothes if that’s your taste.
The parents are actually segregated as well. While they try to stay away from racial segregation you're split into age categories that's why the parents aren't around. It's not neglect in the traditional sense. It's more of the brain washing after you're done living in New Pretty town (I haven't read the books in YEARS) you basically go off to like YA town and so on until you're old and age super gracefully with your surgeries. Also the more into the world we get the more you learn. The surgeries are wILD.. they basically become anime characters in the last book it's creepy. By book 3 Tally isn't even resembling a human anymore and the brainwashing gets intense until they realize what's going on. Which is a while other spoiler. I remember really liking this series back then.
plus also how in one of the later books Tally actually is regarded even dangerous due to the body modifications (i think she was turned into a special and it also changed how she thought and reacted to things greatly)
@@Wisteria_Therian It did. She broke out of THAT mind control as well but she still wasn't the same. She did the YA heroine thing where she broke the system and they found out that their city was mind controlling people and I believe others weren't doing all that. But Tally went sharp toothed Special etc. and was dangerous but part of it was propaganda because they made her that way and when she broke free suddenly she's a menace.
Yeahh they basically have a 3 step surgery, when u turn 16 first, the second one is what they called middle pretty and then the third one is late pretty, basically teen, middle age and then elder
@@zachanikwano yeah and didn't they have like bamboo Limes or something on one surgery? I could be Mixing up my stories a little it's been YEARS. But yeah they did crazy stuff.
Spoilers for the Uglies trilogy. Tally should not have been the protagonist, in all honesty. To me, she is super reactionary in Uglies. She never wanted to be a contrarian and rock the boat, always desperate to accept the brainwashing she gets as an Ugly, Pretty and Special. Something outside of her always forces her to be the hero basically against her will (Dr. Cable, the Smokies, the cured Cutters. Shay makes for a better protagonist. Shay unlearns her society’s social programming; Shay chooses to try and make her new friend realize the truth; Shay leaves for the Smoke. Shay is a proactive character whose choices change the course of the story. Anyway I have my issues with Uglies but it will have a special place in my heart for being the first YA Dystopian novel I read lol
That would have been very cool to see, and I think it could have added more to the story. Tally could still be there, come, and betray them, and imagine seeing all that through Shay's pov. We see the friendship they had as uglies, then Tally came all that way only to betray her. That would have been profound and so interesting to see from Shays pod, and it could have shown us the brainwashing that the uglies go through.
It really does feel like Tally gets dragged by the plot rather than the opposite, the only thing I don't like about Shay is the jealousy she gets because that got out of hand real quick but then she is a teenager.... And at the end she did turn around so I do agree, it feels like Shay fit more as protagonist, when I read it the first time I just feel bad for Tally cuz if only they let her be pretty none of all this would happen 😂 but I think people criticize Tally too much, yes she's annoying but knowing the brainwashed and all that, her reaction is quite normal, even after she found out the truth she did try yk
I've always seen her as the viewpoint character more than a protagonist, and most of the action is a result of the conflict and tension between her and Shay. It kinda feels, idk, more realistic that it's not all on her to be the source of the change, but just the one person in the group who we're following, but they're all, her, Shay, David, and the others, the ones who start things moving.
Uglies books do hold up though, it's just books go into vivid detail of tally psychology, stuff movie couldn't show or if they did it better they could have. remember first 12 pages of uglies it says when they look at a pretty they got big eyes that said vulnerable and made a person want to protect them? Movie didn't show that well. Even if normal ppl are made to believe they are ugly well from their perspective they are brainwashed to think so. Movie didn't show this. Also uglies is a lil more grounded in reality. In hunger games the capitol dresses costume esque. In uglies pretties just dress glamy like pretty old Hollywood glam. Also movies did lots more wrong but I will defend books. Let's not forget those who read uglies in grade school are about 30s now so...
I read the series while student teaching last year with our dystopian unit and I loved the series. I personally found tally really relatable as I’ve grown up with low self and have had plastic surgery myself. I disagree when she said it’s not relatable in 2024. Maybe not the movie so much, but the books are, especially in the days of instagram face and the rise of plastic surgery in gen z.
@@TotallyxKatieein a diff comment on this vid or other ppl say won't read books because of movie. I remember bit with cutters though, today one can't write certain stuff, but like I don't know, I like ideas in books. See in reality I don't think we will get same technology as them in book for very long time, and if you watch certain vids about future technology, we are near but not at tech for interface rings yet. I mean size wise and they were more functions than apple watches. And the pretties in books like had the hypnotic vampire effect on everybody even though they aren't vampires
@@TotallyxKatieeMaybe for a younger audience Tally is a bit more annoying, honestly I'm also annoyed at her but I thought her reaction was within reason, especially knowing the situation.... I thought it was such a good character flaw and later to have her development
You mention ANTM - remember the "plus size" model girl? I don't remember which season it was, they went to Morocco. She was a size 10! 🤯 That's pretty much the only thing that stuck with me from that show, because seeing a size 10 girl being called plus-sized really shocked me. But of course, next to the size 0 girls, she "looked" plus-sized.
The ultimate example of the relation between beauty, culture and power in a dystopia is the n4zi-fascism, considering that beauty standard was based on prejudice and an ideology focused on "pure-blooded people" and those who weren't "perfect" (considering their standards) didn't even get a second chance or a magical surgery for that-but I believe YA literature tends to often shy away from topics like genocide, imperialism, racism and such things. You can't talk about beauty standards without talking about society and you can't talk about society (in a dystopian book at least) without showing its "ugly" side.
Umm harry potter with Voldemort wanting pure bloods but being half blood himself, who's that sound like. And the Nazi thing with the blonde hair being they were into occult I know why the blonde but that's beside point. Also in books it is emphasized not all pretties look exact same. Not that this changes all you said
I remember reading this in 2009 as a tween and it felt like the most revolutionary piece of social commentary, and I distinctly remember hoping that they never made it into a movie because there was just no way any film could recreate the character descriptions and futuristic setting in the book. Especially during that onslaught of disappointing dystopian YA book to film adaptations in the 2010's, I was just prayinggg they didn't touch the Uglies series. Now as an adult, I probably wouldn't reread the Uglies series like I would the Hunger Games, but I can't lie that it was still a pretty groundbreaking dystopian YA series at the time it was published. I'm just really disappointed that they adapted it for a quick buck, because this is exactly how I knew it'd pan out even back then
no idea how many comments u see or read but i just found ur channel and wanted to say i am soooo in love with your aesthetic and your set up and your entire vibe AHHHHHHH notification bell is turned ON
Uglies feels so shallow which is ironic considering its trying to comment on such a multi-faceted topic of societal expectations of beauty and the impact it has.
Later books have cutting and self harm. Also they describe in vivid detail how pretties have a hypnotic affect on ppl cuz they are hyper pretty. Also they are a commentary on real plastic surgery, get too much when Drs cut open they find mush lack of connective tissue etc. in uglies it's medical fluid and technology we don't have
Another reason why this book series feels lacking in hindsight is that it's a bad ripoff of a Twilight Zone episode called "Number 12 Looks Just Like You". In that episode, after you turn 18, you are surgically altered to look exactly like a certain number of "attractive clone models" and alters your brain to act like a certain way. The MC doesn't want to undergo the transformation, but is forced to anyway. That episode works a lot better. One, the book is told in the Shay analog's POV, so the MC is an active player in the plot trying to defy the system, but ends up failing and losing herself in the process. Two, while that episode doesn't tackle things like colourism, texturism, and racism either because it was made in the 60s when those conversations were only starting at a basic level, it works a lot better as a dystopia. The idea of everyone being forced to look like attractive clones of one another, getting rid of all differences including racial is much more terrifying than just yassifying people to look hotter, because you feel that gets rid of conflict, even with the brain damage shit.
I think this book is dated. It had its time but it doesn’t resonate with a modern audience. YA books have evolved so much since the 00s and there are better alternatives now.
some of the concepts of in the hunger games are real the capitol acting like entitled airheaded fools the common folk struggling one day at a time the dark side of fame and fortune including abuse and being discarded if seen as damaged goods
I’ve never watched the movie or read the books but kind of agreed with the critics when it came to the “ridiculousness” of the movie. However when I listened to somebody break down the books on TikTok, I was like dang, we were were robbed of how good this movie/ message could have been if the movie was portrayed a little better. AND if if it was released around the times of the dystopian craze around hungry games and maze runner etc
i haven't seen this movie and never knew about the book but, uglies sounds like a a water down version of Brave New World. I mean I know uglies focuses on physical features but brave new world has everyone in this utopia be beautiful and one day someone from the outside who is normal looking comes in and hes the object of desire for one character because he looks different. I mean the premise of brave new world focuses more on controlling the masses by keeping them dumb and happy and not just focused on the physical traits part. but it kinda expands on the idea.
I definitely feel like the movie “felt late” because the book it’s based off of is almost 20 years old, like you said- it’s not making a statement (anymore) like Hunger Games does/did, because it’s just kind of repeating things that we hear constantly in our lives via social media and such. There was also no prior hype of it like we got with other similar book-to-movie adaptations, such as Hunger Games. Most people who would have been the target demographic for the book when it came out are no longer the target demographic of the movie, so those watching the movie have no knowledge of the source material. My boyfriend put this movie on a few nights ago and we kept having to rewind it because we had no idea what was going on (I’m 22, he’s 30), and it want until I googled it for spoilers to get context that I found it was based on a book series.
It not even like book, pointless time wasting changes were made. Why'd they show us day Peris and tally met? The squint thing and gold eye thing were wrong etc
Exactly what I said, had this movie come out in 2010-2014 were these dystopian types of movies were at its peak, it’d probably have a better reception.
There wasn’t enough world building at all in the film. Like it didn’t make me care about the uglies or the pretties. The world felt hollow, the stakes felt hollow, Tally’s “character development” felt hollow. Maybe if they had 2 and a half hours, it could’ve been better. Going by movie alone though, I never read the books.
I haven’t read the books nor seen the movie, but from what I understand from other fans of the series, Talie not being close with her parents is common in this society. The system actively weakens familial ties to make people easier to control. It’s normalized to the point where citizens don’t really notice their lack of family
I'm surprised the book was so boring to you. I read it when it came out back in 2005, and I loved it. It captured my attention really well and I thought the writing was much better than the hunger games.
I loved books and hated movies. Although uglies really is mostly a commentary on vanity, hunger games got more themes and they put more love in those movies
@@AshePBlack I agree, I was meh on the Hunger Games (although I did read them as an adult instead of a pre-teen like I was when I read uglies), but the Hunger Games movies were done really well.
@@LemmellyI will say I'm rereading at age 30, and I used to hate tally but then you realize what a stupid brainwashed teen she is, but which of us wasn't dumb as a teen? Or maybe if you were too well behaved you missed chance to make mistakes. Love triangle reminded me of sora Kairi and Riku early in kh. Except I think tally was closer to getting the guy than shay
I've lost interest in YA (maybe I outgrew them) but they became the same. Average girl, who is very much a basic character, becomes the most important person in her universe.
I totally agree that the source lack race issue, but still I'm so glad to finally have the film. As a teenager I was so sad the technologies were too diffucult to produce on the screen, but here we are! Yeah, it feels flat cz worldbuilding is like «where the hell all those work and make money, and sources, etc». Still, the prettinnes isn't the main issue even in the book (though truly valuable at that time, as you said), but the will of people. I remember Tally as unlikeable, but primordially rebellious, and I saw her rebellious on the screen. I think casting is amazing and I'm so thankful to creators. It just feels good to spend an evening watching some dystopia I read once, not to live in actual :']
I watched the movie and I’m sure things were more expanded on in the books, but I wish we were able to see this in the film. tally says when you’re “ugly” you’re ignored but you’re with everyone else who’s like you. the “pretties” are in a separate part of the city. another thing is that being pretty gives you status and makes you better but everyone has access to it. I was missing the disparity aspect of the society that we see in the hunger games for example. where there is no way to get to the capitol and enjoy that life without being born into it for the most part
Great video! I remember reading Uglies years ago and being overwhelmingly unimpressed, for a lot of the reasons you hi-lighted. Organizing an entire society off the idea that failing to adhere to beauty standards were responsible for all the world's conflict seemed unforgivably stupid, especially (as you pointed out) in light of the fact that it ignored how racism (and classism etc) dictated these beauty standards. I felt like Uglies started off as a weak yet interesting premise, with all the questionable world building the author's attempt to flesh out his concept without anything really making any sense.
hiiii! loved the vid! as someone who works in film and specifically in davinci resolve, we actually pronounce LUT like a word and not an acronym! just wanted to pass that along. take care!
Thank you for such a detailed and candid review about why the movie flopped. I thought that this could be one of the biggest films of the 2020s after the books were phenomenal in popularity. However, it’s too rushed and choppy, and filming had started and stopped, as if film directors couldn’t make up their minds about whether to proceed with the project. A lot of the film looks like knock offs of other films because this one lacks innovation. As well, you got the mail over the head with your assessment that the protagonist is unlikeable. All the more reason why the visuals had to be there (and weren’t).
Really good analyses. 💯 I think I would have compared Tally to Effie or the prep team, cause all these characters grew up in the “beauty-above-all-else” system and believe in it until a certain point in the story. But for me the characters from the Hunger Games were always so much more relatable / likeable (even though they were just side characters). They still felt like people with good and bad sides to them while Tally just feels like a brat. Just my opinion.^^
Personally, I feel like Uglies suffered because it didn't feel genuine. It took the most shallow, selfish view of a teenage girl and ran with it. As if the only concern a teenage girl has is "am I pretty enough" and yes, of course, that is a valid and real worry that a lot of people (not just young girls) are concerned about, but there is so much more that teens of all genders worry about, beyond the superficial. In Hunger Games, Katniss has a LOT of things that she is struggling with, grief over her father, the wellbeing of her mother and sister, putting food on the table, just to name a few. But Tally doesn't have those struggles. She might not live in the super luxurious Pretty Area, but she doesn't have to worry about keeping a roof over her head, or food on the table. She has no concerns about what she'll do in the future to support herself, she has no family she is taking care of. Tally IS NOT living a Dystopian life; by modern standards, she is living a privileged, if a bit dull, life. So the stakes just aren't there for Tally. If she doesn't have the Pretty surgery, she isn't going to die, the government isn't making threats again her. The worst thing that is going to happen to Tally is that she will continue to live her without ever getting to experience the glamorous, elite lifestyle she is hoping for. That's not Dystopian. That's the reality that the vast majority of people live every single day. Tally's stakes are a life of mediocrity. Katniss' stakes are her and her family becoming homeless and starving to death. These are not the same.
It's not supposed to be hunger games, the theme is vanity and beauty perception focused, is it best story ever no but take for what is and stop comparing to hunger games. Hunger games has 50 themes vs 3 and hunger games isn't about vanity and actually the books are more psychological cuz it's tally perspective, it'd be cool if a spin off was from a diff character, I believe the world building is prolly more important than characters
It kinda reminds me of the Thinning, which is a good movie btw. I think it would be bigger If it was released in 2011, back when this genre was on its peak. She’s obsessed with looks, because it’s everything they teach her from her early childhood, so her values are based on that, they teach them to be like mindless robots, to focus on material things, she’s in the loop and she only gets out of it when she gets to a Smoke
Really like this video. I've not seen it or read the book, it's one that passed over my radar, so I'm finding it really interesting to hear what everyone's thoughts are. I wanted to just say with absolutely no disrespect meant, just as another video editor, LUT is pronounced how it's written, it's not l.you.t but l-uh-t. And I'm fully aware this is pedantic and I sound like a dick but I just thought I would let you know as you're selling them and don't want anyone taking the piss.
You hit the nail on the head. I read the first book in 2012 or 2013 and I really did not like the concept. I didn't like the protagonist or the romance or really any other part of the book. It all felt so shallow, way too surface level on just about every front. If the first book had explored some more complex themes like body dysmorphia and incorporated that into the sci-fi or went without the secret society and obligatory heroine schtick I might've liked it. But nothing felt dystopian.
Haven't read the books and based on your review I don't think I will, but I think Tally was pretty well-rounded in the film. All her life she's found small ways to rebel in a society where that's pretty much unthinkable. She is conflicted between wanting to rebel despite herself, and wanting the privilege that comes with comforming. She is anchored to her friendhip with Paris (Peris?) and starts to open her mind fully when she is stripped of that relationship she opens her mond more fully. And Joey King really brings it!
The thing is, just like hungergames, katniss is not very "likeable" in the first book either. She is a young teenager that only cares about survival and the survival of her family. I did not personally care for katniss at the first until she started to grow and actually stand up for herself. Point is Catching Fire is when you get to know Katniss Everdeen. Tally, you dont get to actually like and enjoy the series till you get into the Pretties book, she is way more powerful and a true rebel in that book. Then Katniss everdeen ever was. Not even mockingjay compares to the things she went through to prove beauty is not the end all be all to life and people are worth more than just how they look.
I think if they made the premise about the surgery changing races and creating one race (they could still be overly plastic surgeryised) then the premise would be better and more compelling for people actually wanting to stay natural and enjoy their diffences. No pun intended, but the whole "pretty" premise was very superficial.
They kinda do that. I mean they can surgery to look how want so can't they change skin tone or other stuff? Like it says pretties still kinda look like the old ugly but on flip side they can imbed clocks in eyes basically so
0:55 i said the same exact thing when i watched the movie😭😭😭. the plot was predictable & the theme was just too .. idk the word but it was so corny. lol this movie sucked.
I think the movie is considered flop also because the center of the attention is on “pretty” and being attractive, which is somehow shallow to the wider audience. While most of the distopia movies involve plantain washing and controlling, the hunger games for examples focuses on people getting starved or children fighting ti the death. It is serious topic while “uglies” ni
Loved this video! Really fun critique. I don’t wanna be patronising (literally who am I to talk you’re the successful video essayist 😅) but I’m not sure how much you script these! I think a clearer script would help you be more concise, maybe supported with some research. I don’t know the time limitations for these too so if that’s not feasible fair enough.
Idk man I hated the book and Tally in 2016 or something when I started reading because it felt so much like shaming conventionally beautiful people and calling them bimbos and brainless with the pretties being brainwashed, and there's no nuance when it comes to respecting people who actually want to do plastic surgery? It paints them as these victims of society who don't have bodily automomy or demonizes them, when it is not always like this. Btw your voice is very calming ❤️
ive seen like two of these "why uglies didnt blah blah blah" and i just think its because the movie was bad. like there isnt really anything deep about it that we need to analyze and get to the bottom of. It was a bad movie thats all!
The book was more nuanced (the smoke was harming the environment and sacrificed it for their individuality while the city was the other way around - totally differnt in the movie, there the smoke are the ones who fight against an encroaching species of plant) and Tally was deliberately annoying - because she was a product of brainwashing. The same sort of brainwashing with another flavor we have in 2024 with our media. I liked about Tally that she was a protagonist that wasn't written to be in your face sympathetic - she was written as a self absorbed teenager that learned better, that learned to think for herself and beyond her own needs. Neither the book nor the movie are that deep, clearly. But it was aimed at the typical (USA) teenager who think the world revolves around them. And they aren't that deep either. Most teenager don't have the empathetic capacity to deal with anything more complicated and those who aren't as priviledged either buy the fantasy or roll their eyes.
I find every movie nowadays dated. Like I could watch Hunger games, divergent or maze runner and I couldn't tell you what year is it filemd in. Is it 2005, 2015, or 2024. It is just timeless. But not only is it with sci fi, its also rom coms and history. Like you can tell me that Titanic was filmed between 1985-2015 and I would have believed you. Interstellar... you could tell me its 2024 movie and I would have believed you... But 2022-2024 movies just feel to fake, too perfect. Camera quality is too perfect that it makes movie look cheap. Look at the Euphoria season two. It was filmed on Kodak film, and it feels timeless even if there are phones... it just looks great, warm. Idk maybe Im only one but I miss softness in movies. I dont like SUPER ULTRA HD IMAX 360K ... it makes it look cheap
I tried really hard to like the books and see the nuances but honestly, the world building was so shallow and it felt like it was written to be turned into a cool looking movie. There was WAY too much hoverboarding and not enough character establishment.
If you know anything about the Mormon community (aka LDS aka Church of Jesus Christ Ladder Day Saints) then this movie is very relevant. Most of them do get their first cosmetic plastic surgery at age 16. It’s usually a nose job. And most get a boob job or start getting body sculpting, lipo suction at age 18. Also lip filler and Botox. Many bleach their hair & their baby’s hair because blonde hair is seen as more pure. Theres so much focus on how your physical appearance and basically how hot you are correlates to your ability to make it to the higher levels of heaven that they believe in. It’s an awful false teaching that’s destroying all these young people’s minds and leading to unhappy marriages. Most these days are getting divorced in their 20s and seeking happiness from cosmetic changes. They simply don’t know much better. They believe in God but the God they’re taught to love and fear cares about how they look, how they perform in the bedroom, amongst other unreasonable things. This book/movie is perfect for people like them or people stuck in other cults or cult-like religions to realize there is another way. Some plastic surgeries and injections are reversible but they do have negative side effects many times and people do die on the surgery table while searching for this false perfection. Please do not underestimate the importance of the story being told in this film.
"the books bored me to death, the 'actual' film felt so much better" i can already tell our opinions on media consumption are not compatible in the slightest so i'll just see myself out LMAO but the movie essentially missed every single point of the story
Uglies is so stupid. My mom watched it, but she generally can’t remember it because it was so boring. I watched the first part with her, but it seemed pretty generic and bland. Also, the premise of the show kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Like all you need to do in this world to stand out is be ugly? Um ok…
Katniss can be a tomboy while not being an nlog bc she loves and protects women (and men). She sees there strengths that ppl overlook like rue and foxface. Can acknowledge glimmer is pretty without looking down on her for it.
Any problem she has with a girl is for a good reason her mother's neglect and meeting her match with Johanna in prinklyness😂
her entire story starts by protecting her little sister and then projecting that sisterly love onto another little girl whose death pushes her to rebellion. she's the big sister everyone wants
Furthermore in the books, Madge (who was cut in the movies) was a typical girly girl who is Katniss' best friend.
While Katniss is not interested in romance or stereotypical girly things, she's not an NLOG because the reason she can't focus on romance is because she is on survival mode due to trauma and poverty, not because she looks down at other girls.
Katniss seems to actually like fashion and pretty things, she just seems to think its not something she will get to have so she ignored it
@@cacarlin70 true
The thing is the Hunger Games truly felt Dystopian and expansive. Sending children to compete in a dangerous and brutal game and only one survivor will win. While each District suffered.
The Uglies might have worked if it focused on body dysmorphia, image issues, plastic surgeries and nonconformity to the beauty standards but its such a limiting concept and the world building would be so narrow. A sollid narrative is near impossible.
Also, you could explore an extreme version of disassociation with your own body - how after the beautification process you feel horrified that you're wearing an unfamiliar skin. This could be a good avenue to dive into what defines identity and the various psychological aspects involve with plastic surgery.
I've heard from some people this film would've been better if taken an animated medium to exaggerate and explore more of the world. Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to recommend the webcomic Ava's Demon. Is not finished yet but it's futuristic.
The world building doesn't rely solely on "beauty" like Uglies does but it is quite an integral part for the antagonists in the story. In this case, the process of of beautification is seen as holy, you are the chosen one by god and you are just one step closer to enter his realm.
It features a gore scene that i remember when it dropped everyone lost their minds. I would love to share more but it would be spoiler. But the way they went on about it in the comic seems like that is what a lot of people wish this film had
And they cast very good looking people to be the uglies
Actually books did this movie didn't. Books had the cutters and other groups but you can't present it that way today, need to be more PC than 2005 I guess. Also per animated movie, nope live action is fine if just did better. Seriously I could have made this movie better
Actually the books did all you listed, the had the cutters and other groups who used unhealthy coping methods. Just I don't think it's what one today would call PC. In 2005 you could get away writing it though. Also movie needed better everything, live action is fine, it didn't need be animated it just needed better costume, cast, showing world, actual book story etc. I could have made this movie better
In an era when middle schoolers are having 10-step skincare routines and cosmetic procedures are becoming more and more normalized, this movie would've been important today if executed correctly.
Ok but in real life if you surgery too much, when Drs cut person open they find mush, connective tissue etc isn't there. Inside becomes ugly mush and as I remember one of books they talk on medical fluid and other stuff that happens
I mean as long as people don't see the mush I don't think they care.
Like you, I found Tally rather annoying. Also, there weren't many high stakes. Before becoming Pretty, Uglies lived rather dull lives. But it wasn't horrible either. They weren't slaves, abused, starved...etc. So, I didn't really feel compassion for the Uglies like I did with people that lived in the districts in The Hunger Games.
Yeah, in my memory the vibe of wanting to become pretty was the same as a teenager waiting to get their drivers license because they thought they would suddenly be part of the in crowd. It was never life or death, they were just normal people who dreamt of the day they would suddenly live the fast, popular lives of a Pretty.
As a teenager I could overlook this, but as an adult... ew
The problem is that when they turned pretty their personalities also changed. They turned ditzy and shallow. So not just their looks changed and that's what Tally realized when she saw Paris as a pretty for the first time in the books. When she ran away she found a more accepting culture that felt grounded and down to earth. It's been a while since I've read the books so I don't recall the names of everything. But the stakes were high because the operation was not just physical but also mental. And this operation was not optional. But only her and the people who lived in the wild truly understood that. But I agree the Hunger games overall has higher stakes.
Uglies had potential in the age of social media, filters and plastic surgeries. It could’ve made a strong statement about beauty standards today and if Tally was written better she would be struggling with severe body dysmorphia due to the unrealistic beauty standards at the time and the fact that she’s literally able to design her perfect self on her computer. I wished we could’ve seen her obsessively editing images of herself to figure out her perfect face for surgery, crying while looking at the edited pics because she’s absolutely heartbroken she can’t look that way, obsessively experimenting with makeup and dyeing her hair to try to change her appearance. Even showing some ED behaviors (with proper trigger warnings ofc) would’ve been impactful.
If Tally was a deeper character, I think she would’ve been relatable to many women. I grew up on social media and started content creation at 16 and staring at my face all day on my phone screen impacted me a lot and gave me a distorted image of myself. I would’ve related to Tally a lot personally if she was written better and I think a lot of girls would
Or at minimal do it like books, they literally did pointless changes. But I'm not always for changing a character to suit audience, ppl make content cuz they want, art and media are subjective
Cmiiw, but that IS what the books try to emphasise in the first place. They're consistently raised into believing that they're the worst versions of themselves. They look at people who would be cinsidered the peak of our time and have a physical reaction to it.
Expanding on the Mc having interests outside of the characters around them: Katniss can get away with having basically no hobbies because her focus has always been survival, If i remember correctly even in one moment she said it herself that she never had time to think about pretty things like bows and colors and cake because she was always focused on what was gonna be their next meal and what was gonna fill and last them the longest
The closest things Katniss has to hobbies are music/poetry, biology - which she needs to know to hunt and gather and which links her to her dad - and, in the end, scrapbooking.
It all links to her character.
@miticaBEP07 EXACTLYYY I love the hunger games so much AAAAH
@@walpurgisnacht8197her very name is that of an edible plant. Her father tells her “as long as you can find yourself you’ll never starve”
But I also don't think she was completely "leisureless". I mean, she did know how to swim because she would always go to the lake and that shows in the Second book, when the capital was trying to get rid of her and peeta, assuming they couldn't swim bc their district wasn't officially allowed access to the forest. She also knows a few songs from her district. So in a way there are these few cultural backgrounds to her that help us understand the nuances of life in district 12
@RMSLeao yup I agree, I didn't express myself too well in my first comment when I said she basically had no hobbies whoops, the better wording would've been like "almost no hobbies" in comparison with other characters that have the "luxury" and time to have hobbies
I didn't read the Hunger Games series until I was an adult, certain elements such as finnicks backstory and the avoxes stuck with me for weeks after reading. Truely harrowing concepts that had me completely amazed that this is a series for teens.
Ive subscribed for the avox video ❤
Ok but hunger games wasn't really just about vanity which is a main theme in uglies
@@AshePBlack my comment had no relation to the uglies. I was just responding to the idea of an avox video
What is wild to me is I also read the hunger games as an adult and thought they had a deep message. Yet the cast has stayed quiet on all g ci d3s happening in the world as well at the author. Very dissapointing.
The boy from district 3 who reactivates the landmines stuck with me, although he was barely in the book. They mention how the game makers didn’t even think it was possible, so that kid was a genius, but his potential was wasted through mindless violence.
Honestly it would have been a big improvement to have the "uglies" wear no make up and have the pretties be drasticslly different in their pursuit of beauty. Like give me people tatooing their eyes, putting gems or feathers into their skin.
In the book, Shay got clockwork eyes. like you could deadass look into her eyes and tell the time because there were moving clock hands in them
I’m pretty sure in the books the pretty people look very uncanny so I’d say it works…like the doctor with the sharp teeth? Talk about scary. Though I think they all had sharp teeth (the pretties)
in the last last book of the series "extras" if i remember correctly they kinda do that in another like city from this world where ppl can and do express themselves as outlandishly as they want like purple skin and horns and shit like (i think lol)
I hate that the beauty is just filter face. I expected something freakish and scary being the standard like the Twilight Zone ‘Eye of the beholder’. But obviously that’s asking for wayyy too much.
Books pretties are hypnotic like what vampires do to glamorize humans. Books say how it takes tally time to stop looking etc and much as her and Peris made fun of pretties they still kept their attention
I think the thing with Katniss is that she isnt a tomboy at all.
Katniss doesnt prefer to lean away from feminimity, she denies herself it entirely because she doesnt live a life that allows for it. She actively chooses to live apart from her sexuality because it isnt helping her survive or protect her family. It sets her very utility sense of self at odds with the Capitol's vanity who want her to show off her body and flirt fir the camera.
That's important to her character and the story, especially because her love story's antagonist is her own resistance.
I know why this movie is being considered as a flop, truth to be told, the cinematography wasn't up to par and on top of that the characters were not developed as it was supposed to be.
Yup, costumes cam angles cast character dev etc. like in book it says tally wondered since she's taller than pretties if bungee jacket could hold her weight. Doesn't that mean some of cast isn't even right heights
@@AshePBlack I haven't read the book of this movie is based on, but I can tell there's still a lot to it. It would have been better if they had made this series instead of movie.
It feels 10 years too late. If this was out when I was 15 I would have loved it! As I loved Divergent and Hunger Games and love triangles.
What annoyed me about the show from the start was that the uglies had no acne or pores showing, everyone was in shape, they had makeup on and styled hair.
The superficial beauties were just the same person in flashy outfits… which there’s nothing wrong with expressing yourself in flashy clothes if that’s your taste.
This movie aids the theory that Netflix adapts bad media for easy quality credit
The parents are actually segregated as well. While they try to stay away from racial segregation you're split into age categories that's why the parents aren't around. It's not neglect in the traditional sense. It's more of the brain washing after you're done living in New Pretty town (I haven't read the books in YEARS) you basically go off to like YA town and so on until you're old and age super gracefully with your surgeries. Also the more into the world we get the more you learn. The surgeries are wILD.. they basically become anime characters in the last book it's creepy. By book 3 Tally isn't even resembling a human anymore and the brainwashing gets intense until they realize what's going on. Which is a while other spoiler. I remember really liking this series back then.
plus also how in one of the later books Tally actually is regarded even dangerous due to the body modifications (i think she was turned into a special and it also changed how she thought and reacted to things greatly)
@@Wisteria_Therian It did. She broke out of THAT mind control as well but she still wasn't the same. She did the YA heroine thing where she broke the system and they found out that their city was mind controlling people and I believe others weren't doing all that. But Tally went sharp toothed Special etc. and was dangerous but part of it was propaganda because they made her that way and when she broke free suddenly she's a menace.
Yeahh they basically have a 3 step surgery, when u turn 16 first, the second one is what they called middle pretty and then the third one is late pretty, basically teen, middle age and then elder
Remember the alien freakazoids in Extras? Bro I could handle anime but the super wild stuff …. Nah lol
@@zachanikwano yeah and didn't they have like bamboo Limes or something on one surgery? I could be Mixing up my stories a little it's been YEARS. But yeah they did crazy stuff.
Spoilers for the Uglies trilogy.
Tally should not have been the protagonist, in all honesty.
To me, she is super reactionary in Uglies. She never wanted to be a contrarian and rock the boat, always desperate to accept the brainwashing she gets as an Ugly, Pretty and Special. Something outside of her always forces her to be the hero basically against her will (Dr. Cable, the Smokies, the cured Cutters.
Shay makes for a better protagonist. Shay unlearns her society’s social programming; Shay chooses to try and make her new friend realize the truth; Shay leaves for the Smoke.
Shay is a proactive character whose choices change the course of the story.
Anyway I have my issues with Uglies but it will have a special place in my heart for being the first YA Dystopian novel I read lol
That would have been very cool to see, and I think it could have added more to the story. Tally could still be there, come, and betray them, and imagine seeing all that through Shay's pov. We see the friendship they had as uglies, then Tally came all that way only to betray her. That would have been profound and so interesting to see from Shays pod, and it could have shown us the brainwashing that the uglies go through.
When I read the books (also there are 4) I felt like David was the main character :D I actually loved this series because of bright side characters.
@@alyonamironova7290 his point of view would’ve also been a fantastic one to see. That would have been so interesting.
It really does feel like Tally gets dragged by the plot rather than the opposite, the only thing I don't like about Shay is the jealousy she gets because that got out of hand real quick but then she is a teenager.... And at the end she did turn around so I do agree, it feels like Shay fit more as protagonist, when I read it the first time I just feel bad for Tally cuz if only they let her be pretty none of all this would happen 😂 but I think people criticize Tally too much, yes she's annoying but knowing the brainwashed and all that, her reaction is quite normal, even after she found out the truth she did try yk
I've always seen her as the viewpoint character more than a protagonist, and most of the action is a result of the conflict and tension between her and Shay. It kinda feels, idk, more realistic that it's not all on her to be the source of the change, but just the one person in the group who we're following, but they're all, her, Shay, David, and the others, the ones who start things moving.
Uglies books do hold up though, it's just books go into vivid detail of tally psychology, stuff movie couldn't show or if they did it better they could have. remember first 12 pages of uglies it says when they look at a pretty they got big eyes that said vulnerable and made a person want to protect them? Movie didn't show that well. Even if normal ppl are made to believe they are ugly well from their perspective they are brainwashed to think so. Movie didn't show this. Also uglies is a lil more grounded in reality. In hunger games the capitol dresses costume esque. In uglies pretties just dress glamy like pretty old Hollywood glam. Also movies did lots more wrong but I will defend books. Let's not forget those who read uglies in grade school are about 30s now so...
I read the series while student teaching last year with our dystopian unit and I loved the series. I personally found tally really relatable as I’ve grown up with low self and have had plastic surgery myself. I disagree when she said it’s not relatable in 2024. Maybe not the movie so much, but the books are, especially in the days of instagram face and the rise of plastic surgery in gen z.
@@TotallyxKatieein a diff comment on this vid or other ppl say won't read books because of movie. I remember bit with cutters though, today one can't write certain stuff, but like I don't know, I like ideas in books. See in reality I don't think we will get same technology as them in book for very long time, and if you watch certain vids about future technology, we are near but not at tech for interface rings yet. I mean size wise and they were more functions than apple watches. And the pretties in books like had the hypnotic vampire effect on everybody even though they aren't vampires
@@TotallyxKatieeMaybe for a younger audience Tally is a bit more annoying, honestly I'm also annoyed at her but I thought her reaction was within reason, especially knowing the situation.... I thought it was such a good character flaw and later to have her development
I LOVE that you are your own sponsor. That's really refreshing and I was already loving the analysis
The way I had no idea this series was made into movies…
It just came out this month
You didn't miss out
id like a deep dive on the Avox.
Me too!
You mention ANTM - remember the "plus size" model girl? I don't remember which season it was, they went to Morocco. She was a size 10! 🤯 That's pretty much the only thing that stuck with me from that show, because seeing a size 10 girl being called plus-sized really shocked me. But of course, next to the size 0 girls, she "looked" plus-sized.
The ultimate example of the relation between beauty, culture and power in a dystopia is the n4zi-fascism, considering that beauty standard was based on prejudice and an ideology focused on "pure-blooded people" and those who weren't "perfect" (considering their standards) didn't even get a second chance or a magical surgery for that-but I believe YA literature tends to often shy away from topics like genocide, imperialism, racism and such things. You can't talk about beauty standards without talking about society and you can't talk about society (in a dystopian book at least) without showing its "ugly" side.
Umm harry potter with Voldemort wanting pure bloods but being half blood himself, who's that sound like. And the Nazi thing with the blonde hair being they were into occult I know why the blonde but that's beside point. Also in books it is emphasized not all pretties look exact same. Not that this changes all you said
I remember reading this in 2009 as a tween and it felt like the most revolutionary piece of social commentary, and I distinctly remember hoping that they never made it into a movie because there was just no way any film could recreate the character descriptions and futuristic setting in the book. Especially during that onslaught of disappointing dystopian YA book to film adaptations in the 2010's, I was just prayinggg they didn't touch the Uglies series. Now as an adult, I probably wouldn't reread the Uglies series like I would the Hunger Games, but I can't lie that it was still a pretty groundbreaking dystopian YA series at the time it was published. I'm just really disappointed that they adapted it for a quick buck, because this is exactly how I knew it'd pan out even back then
The Hunger Games proves that Dystopian movies work best in theaters as Netflix messed up Uglies so badly!
Ever notice young adult influencers and followers dress like the villains in Hunger games!
no idea how many comments u see or read but i just found ur channel and wanted to say i am soooo in love with your aesthetic and your set up and your entire vibe AHHHHHHH notification bell is turned ON
Thank you so much!!🥹
Uglies feels so shallow which is ironic considering its trying to comment on such a multi-faceted topic of societal expectations of beauty and the impact it has.
Later books have cutting and self harm. Also they describe in vivid detail how pretties have a hypnotic affect on ppl cuz they are hyper pretty. Also they are a commentary on real plastic surgery, get too much when Drs cut open they find mush lack of connective tissue etc. in uglies it's medical fluid and technology we don't have
Another reason why this book series feels lacking in hindsight is that it's a bad ripoff of a Twilight Zone episode called "Number 12 Looks Just Like You". In that episode, after you turn 18, you are surgically altered to look exactly like a certain number of "attractive clone models" and alters your brain to act like a certain way. The MC doesn't want to undergo the transformation, but is forced to anyway. That episode works a lot better. One, the book is told in the Shay analog's POV, so the MC is an active player in the plot trying to defy the system, but ends up failing and losing herself in the process. Two, while that episode doesn't tackle things like colourism, texturism, and racism either because it was made in the 60s when those conversations were only starting at a basic level, it works a lot better as a dystopia. The idea of everyone being forced to look like attractive clones of one another, getting rid of all differences including racial is much more terrifying than just yassifying people to look hotter, because you feel that gets rid of conflict, even with the brain damage shit.
I think this book is dated. It had its time but it doesn’t resonate with a modern audience. YA books have evolved so much since the 00s and there are better alternatives now.
some of the concepts of in the hunger games are real the capitol acting like entitled airheaded fools the common folk struggling one day at a time the dark side of fame and fortune including abuse and being discarded if seen as damaged goods
I’ve never watched the movie or read the books but kind of agreed with the critics when it came to the “ridiculousness” of the movie. However when I listened to somebody break down the books on TikTok, I was like dang, we were were robbed of how good this movie/ message could have been if the movie was portrayed a little better. AND if if it was released around the times of the dystopian craze around hungry games and maze runner etc
i haven't seen this movie and never knew about the book but, uglies sounds like a a water down version of Brave New World. I mean I know uglies focuses on physical features but brave new world has everyone in this utopia be beautiful and one day someone from the outside who is normal looking comes in and hes the object of desire for one character because he looks different. I mean the premise of brave new world focuses more on controlling the masses by keeping them dumb and happy and not just focused on the physical traits part.
but it kinda expands on the idea.
I definitely feel like the movie “felt late” because the book it’s based off of is almost 20 years old, like you said- it’s not making a statement (anymore) like Hunger Games does/did, because it’s just kind of repeating things that we hear constantly in our lives via social media and such.
There was also no prior hype of it like we got with other similar book-to-movie adaptations, such as Hunger Games. Most people who would have been the target demographic for the book when it came out are no longer the target demographic of the movie, so those watching the movie have no knowledge of the source material. My boyfriend put this movie on a few nights ago and we kept having to rewind it because we had no idea what was going on (I’m 22, he’s 30), and it want until I googled it for spoilers to get context that I found it was based on a book series.
It not even like book, pointless time wasting changes were made. Why'd they show us day Peris and tally met? The squint thing and gold eye thing were wrong etc
Exactly what I said, had this movie come out in 2010-2014 were these dystopian types of movies were at its peak, it’d probably have a better reception.
There wasn’t enough world building at all in the film. Like it didn’t make me care about the uglies or the pretties. The world felt hollow, the stakes felt hollow, Tally’s “character development” felt hollow. Maybe if they had 2 and a half hours, it could’ve been better. Going by movie alone though, I never read the books.
I haven’t read the books nor seen the movie, but from what I understand from other fans of the series, Talie not being close with her parents is common in this society. The system actively weakens familial ties to make people easier to control. It’s normalized to the point where citizens don’t really notice their lack of family
I'm surprised the book was so boring to you. I read it when it came out back in 2005, and I loved it. It captured my attention really well and I thought the writing was much better than the hunger games.
I loved books and hated movies. Although uglies really is mostly a commentary on vanity, hunger games got more themes and they put more love in those movies
@@AshePBlack I agree, I was meh on the Hunger Games (although I did read them as an adult instead of a pre-teen like I was when I read uglies), but the Hunger Games movies were done really well.
@@LemmellyI will say I'm rereading at age 30, and I used to hate tally but then you realize what a stupid brainwashed teen she is, but which of us wasn't dumb as a teen? Or maybe if you were too well behaved you missed chance to make mistakes. Love triangle reminded me of sora Kairi and Riku early in kh. Except I think tally was closer to getting the guy than shay
@@AshePBlackOMG! A FELLOW KINGDOM HEARTS FAN!
I've lost interest in YA (maybe I outgrew them) but they became the same.
Average girl, who is very much a basic character, becomes the most important person in her universe.
I totally agree that the source lack race issue, but still I'm so glad to finally have the film. As a teenager I was so sad the technologies were too diffucult to produce on the screen, but here we are! Yeah, it feels flat cz worldbuilding is like «where the hell all those work and make money, and sources, etc». Still, the prettinnes isn't the main issue even in the book (though truly valuable at that time, as you said), but the will of people. I remember Tally as unlikeable, but primordially rebellious, and I saw her rebellious on the screen. I think casting is amazing and I'm so thankful to creators. It just feels good to spend an evening watching some dystopia I read once, not to live in actual :']
I watched the movie and I’m sure things were more expanded on in the books, but I wish we were able to see this in the film. tally says when you’re “ugly” you’re ignored but you’re with everyone else who’s like you. the “pretties” are in a separate part of the city. another thing is that being pretty gives you status and makes you better but everyone has access to it. I was missing the disparity aspect of the society that we see in the hunger games for example. where there is no way to get to the capitol and enjoy that life without being born into it for the most part
Great video! I remember reading Uglies years ago and being overwhelmingly unimpressed, for a lot of the reasons you hi-lighted. Organizing an entire society off the idea that failing to adhere to beauty standards were responsible for all the world's conflict seemed unforgivably stupid, especially (as you pointed out) in light of the fact that it ignored how racism (and classism etc) dictated these beauty standards. I felt like Uglies started off as a weak yet interesting premise, with all the questionable world building the author's attempt to flesh out his concept without anything really making any sense.
Omg I loved the uglies book series as a kid I read the whole thing twice somehow this is how I find out there’s a movie???
hiiii! loved the vid!
as someone who works in film and specifically in davinci resolve, we actually pronounce LUT like a word and not an acronym! just wanted to pass that along.
take care!
The movie poster alone is feels sooooo dated. 😂
I would love hearing more about Avoxes from you.
Just stumbled over your channel and your content is fascinating.
Never heard of this series before. Sounds like "Number 12 looks just like you" for teens
I think it is weird that the actor that plays David is 32 and does not look like a teenager
Yes, I will watch the hunger games video.
Thank you for such a detailed and candid review about why the movie flopped. I thought that this could be one of the biggest films of the 2020s after the books were phenomenal in popularity. However, it’s too rushed and choppy, and filming had started and stopped, as if film directors couldn’t make up their minds about whether to proceed with the project. A lot of the film looks like knock offs of other films because this one lacks innovation. As well, you got the mail over the head with your assessment that the protagonist is unlikeable. All the more reason why the visuals had to be there (and weren’t).
this was a great video to listen to while working in the office! totally agree with all of your points. great work!! :)
I read Uglies when I was little and could not STAND Tally. Could not continue the next book.....
Really good analyses. 💯
I think I would have compared Tally to Effie or the prep team, cause all these characters grew up in the “beauty-above-all-else” system and believe in it until a certain point in the story. But for me the characters from the Hunger Games were always so much more relatable / likeable (even though they were just side characters). They still felt like people with good and bad sides to them while Tally just feels like a brat.
Just my opinion.^^
Personally, I feel like Uglies suffered because it didn't feel genuine. It took the most shallow, selfish view of a teenage girl and ran with it. As if the only concern a teenage girl has is "am I pretty enough" and yes, of course, that is a valid and real worry that a lot of people (not just young girls) are concerned about, but there is so much more that teens of all genders worry about, beyond the superficial. In Hunger Games, Katniss has a LOT of things that she is struggling with, grief over her father, the wellbeing of her mother and sister, putting food on the table, just to name a few. But Tally doesn't have those struggles. She might not live in the super luxurious Pretty Area, but she doesn't have to worry about keeping a roof over her head, or food on the table. She has no concerns about what she'll do in the future to support herself, she has no family she is taking care of. Tally IS NOT living a Dystopian life; by modern standards, she is living a privileged, if a bit dull, life. So the stakes just aren't there for Tally. If she doesn't have the Pretty surgery, she isn't going to die, the government isn't making threats again her. The worst thing that is going to happen to Tally is that she will continue to live her without ever getting to experience the glamorous, elite lifestyle she is hoping for. That's not Dystopian. That's the reality that the vast majority of people live every single day. Tally's stakes are a life of mediocrity. Katniss' stakes are her and her family becoming homeless and starving to death. These are not the same.
It's not supposed to be hunger games, the theme is vanity and beauty perception focused, is it best story ever no but take for what is and stop comparing to hunger games. Hunger games has 50 themes vs 3 and hunger games isn't about vanity and actually the books are more psychological cuz it's tally perspective, it'd be cool if a spin off was from a diff character, I believe the world building is prolly more important than characters
A video on Avoxes would be so interesting!!!!
Didnt even know they made an adaptation. I enjoyed the book.
It kinda reminds me of the Thinning, which is a good movie btw. I think it would be bigger If it was released in 2011, back when this genre was on its peak. She’s obsessed with looks, because it’s everything they teach her from her early childhood, so her values are based on that, they teach them to be like mindless robots, to focus on material things, she’s in the loop and she only gets out of it when she gets to a Smoke
Even back in the hayday of Dystopian YAs Uglies BARELY worked to SOME people 😭😭😭
Unpopular opinion. I still want the other 2 movies 😊
Really like this video. I've not seen it or read the book, it's one that passed over my radar, so I'm finding it really interesting to hear what everyone's thoughts are.
I wanted to just say with absolutely no disrespect meant, just as another video editor, LUT is pronounced how it's written, it's not l.you.t but l-uh-t. And I'm fully aware this is pedantic and I sound like a dick but I just thought I would let you know as you're selling them and don't want anyone taking the piss.
@@connierichardseditor thank you for watching. HAHAHAH other people have told me I didn’t knoooowww😭 I shall correct myself chile😔
You hit the nail on the head. I read the first book in 2012 or 2013 and I really did not like the concept. I didn't like the protagonist or the romance or really any other part of the book. It all felt so shallow, way too surface level on just about every front. If the first book had explored some more complex themes like body dysmorphia and incorporated that into the sci-fi or went without the secret society and obligatory heroine schtick I might've liked it. But nothing felt dystopian.
Haven't read the books and based on your review I don't think I will, but I think Tally was pretty well-rounded in the film.
All her life she's found small ways to rebel in a society where that's pretty much unthinkable. She is conflicted between wanting to rebel despite herself, and wanting the privilege that comes with comforming. She is anchored to her friendhip with Paris (Peris?) and starts to open her mind fully when she is stripped of that relationship she opens her mond more fully. And Joey King really brings it!
Read books. Movie sucked. Also just cuz reviewer hated books half commenters liked
Read the books. Who cares the poster of this vid doesn't like them. Most commenters do and the movie sucked and was nothing like them
The books are actually really good
Your title makes it seem like this movie wasn’t released just the other day 😂.
The thing is, just like hungergames, katniss is not very "likeable" in the first book either. She is a young teenager that only cares about survival and the survival of her family. I did not personally care for katniss at the first until she started to grow and actually stand up for herself. Point is Catching Fire is when you get to know Katniss Everdeen. Tally, you dont get to actually like and enjoy the series till you get into the Pretties book, she is way more powerful and a true rebel in that book. Then Katniss everdeen ever was. Not even mockingjay compares to the things she went through to prove beauty is not the end all be all to life and people are worth more than just how they look.
Ever notice that young adult fashion and grooming is very similar to the villains in hunger games
No
I think if they made the premise about the surgery changing races and creating one race (they could still be overly plastic surgeryised) then the premise would be better and more compelling for people actually wanting to stay natural and enjoy their diffences. No pun intended, but the whole "pretty" premise was very superficial.
They kinda do that. I mean they can surgery to look how want so can't they change skin tone or other stuff? Like it says pretties still kinda look like the old ugly but on flip side they can imbed clocks in eyes basically so
0:55 i said the same exact thing when i watched the movie😭😭😭. the plot was predictable & the theme was just too .. idk the word but it was so corny. lol this movie sucked.
Uglies just came out and it's already dated😂
Couldn't have said it better myself
lol after 4 minutes it was clear you didnt understand the book nor the movie. but ill watch till the end to see if i need to delete this ...
This is very accurate
I think the movie is considered flop also because the center of the attention is on “pretty” and being attractive, which is somehow shallow to the wider audience. While most of the distopia movies involve plantain washing and controlling, the hunger games for examples focuses on people getting starved or children fighting ti the death. It is serious topic while “uglies” ni
Well later books have cutting and other bad coping just to feel again
Loved this video! Really fun critique. I don’t wanna be patronising (literally who am I to talk you’re the successful video essayist 😅) but I’m not sure how much you script these! I think a clearer script would help you be more concise, maybe supported with some research. I don’t know the time limitations for these too so if that’s not feasible fair enough.
Thank you for watching! No thats totally valid, I’m trying to improve on my skills so thank you for mentioning this! I really appreciate it😊
Idk man I hated the book and Tally in 2016 or something when I started reading because it felt so much like shaming conventionally beautiful people and calling them bimbos and brainless with the pretties being brainwashed, and there's no nuance when it comes to respecting people who actually want to do plastic surgery? It paints them as these victims of society who don't have bodily automomy or demonizes them, when it is not always like this. Btw your voice is very calming ❤️
ive seen like two of these "why uglies didnt blah blah blah" and i just think its because the movie was bad. like there isnt really anything deep about it that we need to analyze and get to the bottom of. It was a bad movie thats all!
The book was more nuanced (the smoke was harming the environment and sacrificed it for their individuality while the city was the other way around - totally differnt in the movie, there the smoke are the ones who fight against an encroaching species of plant) and Tally was deliberately annoying - because she was a product of brainwashing. The same sort of brainwashing with another flavor we have in 2024 with our media. I liked about Tally that she was a protagonist that wasn't written to be in your face sympathetic - she was written as a self absorbed teenager that learned better, that learned to think for herself and beyond her own needs. Neither the book nor the movie are that deep, clearly. But it was aimed at the typical (USA) teenager who think the world revolves around them. And they aren't that deep either. Most teenager don't have the empathetic capacity to deal with anything more complicated and those who aren't as priviledged either buy the fantasy or roll their eyes.
I find every movie nowadays dated. Like I could watch Hunger games, divergent or maze runner and I couldn't tell you what year is it filemd in. Is it 2005, 2015, or 2024. It is just timeless. But not only is it with sci fi, its also rom coms and history. Like you can tell me that Titanic was filmed between 1985-2015 and I would have believed you. Interstellar... you could tell me its 2024 movie and I would have believed you... But 2022-2024 movies just feel to fake, too perfect. Camera quality is too perfect that it makes movie look cheap. Look at the Euphoria season two. It was filmed on Kodak film, and it feels timeless even if there are phones... it just looks great, warm. Idk maybe Im only one but I miss softness in movies. I dont like SUPER ULTRA HD IMAX 360K ... it makes it look cheap
I couldn’t even finish the ugllies movie…it was so horrible
I actually enjoyed it... however I was high. 😂
Hell yea
I tried really hard to like the books and see the nuances but honestly, the world building was so shallow and it felt like it was written to be turned into a cool looking movie. There was WAY too much hoverboarding and not enough character establishment.
This is really good!
If you know anything about the Mormon community (aka LDS aka Church of Jesus Christ Ladder Day Saints) then this movie is very relevant. Most of them do get their first cosmetic plastic surgery at age 16. It’s usually a nose job. And most get a boob job or start getting body sculpting, lipo suction at age 18. Also lip filler and Botox. Many bleach their hair & their baby’s hair because blonde hair is seen as more pure. Theres so much focus on how your physical appearance and basically how hot you are correlates to your ability to make it to the higher levels of heaven that they believe in. It’s an awful false teaching that’s destroying all these young people’s minds and leading to unhappy marriages. Most these days are getting divorced in their 20s and seeking happiness from cosmetic changes. They simply don’t know much better. They believe in God but the God they’re taught to love and fear cares about how they look, how they perform in the bedroom, amongst other unreasonable things. This book/movie is perfect for people like them or people stuck in other cults or cult-like religions to realize there is another way. Some plastic surgeries and injections are reversible but they do have negative side effects many times and people do die on the surgery table while searching for this false perfection. Please do not underestimate the importance of the story being told in this film.
I read the title and I was like how dare u compare hunger games with that trash? 😭😭
"the books bored me to death, the 'actual' film felt so much better" i can already tell our opinions on media consumption are not compatible in the slightest so i'll just see myself out LMAO but the movie essentially missed every single point of the story
Uglies is so stupid. My mom watched it, but she generally can’t remember it because it was so boring. I watched the first part with her, but it seemed pretty generic and bland. Also, the premise of the show kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Like all you need to do in this world to stand out is be ugly? Um ok…
Bro “ugly” isn’t even right because these people are actors that are very clearly not ugly… if they got actual “ugly” people, maybe