From the high-tech city Tally (Joey King) calls home to the characters’ reliance on hoverboards, Netflix’s Uglies has viewers wondering about when the movie is set — and over what period, exactly, Uglies‘ timeline unfolds. Based on the first novel in Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies trilogy, the YA adaptation features a unique dystopian society. After apocalyptic events ravage the Earth, scientists created genetically modified orchids — an endlessly renewable and, allegedly, clean energy source that powers Uglies‘ city. However, the defining aspect of Westerfeld’s dystopia is government-mandated cosmetic surgery, which Uglies‘ cast of characters undergo when they turn 16.
Overseen by Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox), these so-called Transformations turn “Uglies” — that is, regular people — into “Pretties,” beautiful-yet-insipid folks who populate the debaucherous City. The underlying principle behind Uglies‘ Transformation is that mandated cosmetic surgery puts every person on an even field. If everyone feels perfect, they will have no need to fight each other or create world-ending conflicts. For Cable, the surgery, which causes personality-destroying brain lesions, is also an effective means of controlling a populace stripped of its agency and individuality. So what, exactly, led to this disturbing state of affairs?
Uglies Is Set 300 Years Into The Future
The Dystopian Society Came To Be In The Wake Of A Resource War
While the Uglies movie differs from the book in key ways, the adaptation is still set centuries in the future. Roughly 300 years before the events of Uglies, humanity fell into an era of apocalyptic chaos, thanks in large part to an over-dependence on fossil fuels. These precursors to the Pretties and Uglies, dubbed “Rusties,” ravaged the environment when subsequent resource wars gripped the planet. According to Tally, society’s efforts to rebuild and change were undermined by human nature. Instead of putting their shared humanity first, people were intent on creating nations and groups defined by their differences.
In order to tackle this ever-present problem, the world’s leading minds developed and instituted the mandated cosmetic surgery idea, insisting that if everyone is Pretty — if everyone is the version of themselves they dream of — no one will fixate on differences or fight. Although it’s the idea that higher-ups fed the masses, it becomes clear that the surgery’s brain lesions, which strip Pretties of their individuality, agency, and ability to care, are the true purpose behind the Transformation. Tasked with investigating The Smoke’s secret weapon in Uglies, Tally learns the truth from David’s (Keith Powers) parents.
How Much Time Passes During 2024’s Uglies Movie
Netflix’s Uglies Movie Unfolds Over A Few Months
From the start of the film through the Uglies movie’s ending, roughly three months go by. At the start of the film, Tally and Peris (Chase Stokes) meet up to celebrate Peris’ impending Pretty surgery on the eve of the big coming-of-age event. While discussing Peris’ future, he and Tally discuss her forthcoming surgery date, noting that it’s just a few months away. The next morning, Tally’s alarm mentions that the day of Peris’ Transformation is Friday, June 18. With Peris’ fate sealed in Uglies, Tally counts down the days until her own 16th birthday: September 9.
…Peris and Tally’s birthdates indicate that Uglies’ events occur over roughly three months.
Between June 18 and September 9, Tally befriends Uglies‘ Shay (Brianne Tju), who shares Tally’s birthday. On the eve of their own Transformation day, Shay reveals her plan to forgo the procedure and join David’s group of rebels in The Smoke. At first, Tally balks at the idea; she would rather receive her surgery than live outside the City. However, on September 9, Tally is called to Cable’s office and tasked with infiltrating The Smoke. While it’s not clear how long Tally lives in The Smoke, Peris and Tally’s birthdates indicate that Uglies‘ events occur over roughly three months.
