Warning: spoilers ahead!
The Netflix movie Uglies is certainly taking the internet by storm. Based on the young adult science fiction book written by Scott Westerfeld, the story follows a teenager named Tally Youngblood (Joey King) who is anxiously awaiting her 16th birthday so she can undergo the cosmetic surgery her city offers all its residents so they can become “pretty”. Fate has a different plan, though, as Tally finds herself on a dangerous adventure to find her friend Shay (Brianne Tju) before it’s too late.
The Uglies book series was originally published in 2005 and its 2024 film adaptation came along 19 years later. To learn about the differences between the two, keep scrolling!
1. In the book ‘The City’ has a name
The divide between The Uglies and The Pretties in the movie might be obvious, but it’s even more so in the books. With citizens divided into places with names like “Uglyville” and “Pretty Town,” it’s pretty obvious who lives in each.
In the movie, there are no such towns; instead, the place where The Pretties reside is referred to as “The City,” and there is no official name for where The Uglies live.
2. The storyline of the movie’s villain, Dr. Cable, is missing a lot of details
In the Uglies film adaptation, the leader of The City, Dr. Cable (Cox), tricks Tally (King) into believing that Shay (Tju) is in danger from the runaway group leader, David (Keith Powers), and that only Tally has the power to stop both David and the weapon he is building.
In the book, Dr. Cable simply tells Tally that Shay is a part of the other runways and that she needs to retrieve her. This plotline makes Cable seem a lot less evil and more like someone who wants to help Tally and her loved ones.
3. Shay’s storyline is also completely different
Similar to Dr. Cable’s storyline, Shay’s movie journey differs from the book—namely in how she meets Tally.
In Westerfeld’s original text, Shay and Tally meet while hiding in the bushes and trying to sneak into Pretty Town. The two become fast friends and spend a lot of time together before turning pretty on their shared 16th birthday.
In director McG’s version, the friends meet after Shay saves Tally right before she gets into trouble with a Warden. The two then bond, with Shay opening Tally’s eyes to the way life was before the pretty procedure.
Either way, one thing is for sure: the chemistry between the King and Tju is off the charts.
“We had so much fun, and although at times the movie can be kind of heavy, to have that escape was really nice. And also just the support,” Tju said. “Obviously, you’re working long hours, there’s stunts, there’s a lot of different aspects, but to know that we had each other’s backs throughout the whole time was very reassuring.”
King added, “Now we’re friends. We’re friends forever.”
4. David has a lot more responsibilities in the movie
David (Keith Powers) might have been the leader of the rebel group Smoke in the Uglies film, but that wasn’t the case in the books. In that story, he is shown to be an important member of the rebel group and clearly has some duties, though not nearly as many as in the film.
The 2024 adaptation also shows David as Dr.Cable’s number one target, while in the book that plotline doesn’t exist.
Either way, Powers said, “I love my character; I think David is the leader. How noble he is and what he stands for really stood out to me.”
5. Finally, the Smoke raid was redone
Perhaps one of the movie and book’s most pivotal moments is when the Special Circumstances—the world’s best-known police department—burns Smoke’s headquarters to the ground, which happens in both the book and the film, but the aftermath looks a little different.
In the book, after the fire is over, David learns his parents are missing, and he and Tally head off to find them. And when they do, David discovers his dad died while being detained by the Special Circumstances.
In the film, David’s parents are instead integrated by Dr. Crane, who turns out to be their boss. In the end, David’s dad, Az, does die, but the big difference is Peris (Chase Stokes) is the one to kill him.
