Coming up with an intriguing idea for a high-concept film is no easy task – just ask Scott Westerfeld. The author released Uglies at the height of the young adult novel craze of the mid-2000s. The novel features a dystopian society where everyone must undergo forced plastic surgery when they turn 16, going from an “Ugly,” to a “Pretty.” It’s basically Hollywood on a more global scale. But now that it’s been released as a Netflix Original movie, viewers are noticing a lot of similarities between Uglies and a classic The Twilight Zone episode.
A Familiar Protagonist
The story follows a young girl on the verge of becoming one of the Pretties. However, as is usually the case with these YA novels, the protagonist – Tally Youngblood – is a maverick who goes against the status quo. It’s a well-known formula we’ve seen in series like The Hunger Games and Divergent.
An Uglies film has been in the pipeline for years. Despite its original release date of 2011, Uglies suffered multiple setbacks. It wasn’t until a few weeks back that an Uglies movie finally made its theatrical debut – on Netflix. Sure, it was a few years late compared to The Hunger Games, but the story remains as effective as ever. There’s only one issue: sci-fi fans might have noticed the plot sounds suspiciously similar to a legendary The Twilight Zone episode.
Netflix’s Uglies Movie Is About A Society Obsessed With Beauty
At the core of Netflix’s Uglies movie lies the idea of a society obsessed with beauty standards. Whether it’s because of a fascination with beauty or just plain conformism, Uglies presents a story where everyone sticks to a perfect ideal. That just happens to be the exact same concept of Number 12 Looks Just Like You – a The Twilight Zone episode released in 1964, nearly four decades before the Uglies novel and sixty years prior to Netflix’s adaptation.
In the episode, young adults undergo a drastic transformation when they turn 19 to adopt one of the few standardized “attractive appearances.” The process comes with a heavy cost, as the personality of those who undergo the surgery also changes, eroding almost any semblance of personal identity.
Both stories follow an uncannily similar structure. Both heroines, Tally and Marilyn, show resistance to the beautification process, only to end up subjecting themselves to it by the end of the story. That said, there are some key differences between the two plots.
Different Endings, Similar Themes
Even though Tally and Marilyn follow similar heroine archetypes, Tally’s story in Uglies ends on a more positive note. She turns into a Pretty, sure – but she does so to sabotage the corrupt society from inside. Marilyn, on the other hand, ends up being another cautionary tale from The Twilight Zone. She eventually succumbs to the forced beautification, only to lose her individuality and personality. The Twilight Zone sure loved its downer endings.
Number 12 Looks Just Like You, like most episodes in The Twilight Zone, was conceived as a standalone sci-fi story. On the other hand, Uglies is just the first part of a trilogy. It makes sense for the ending to be more open-ended and positive. Still, the Twilight Zone‘s”influences” in the plot are difficult to ignore.
Other Possible Influences
Some die-hard Rod Serling fans might have also noticed that Number 12 Looks Just Like You might not be the only story that “inspired” Uglies. After all, the entire plot is more or less a spin on the classic Eye of the Beholder episode. So, even if Number 12 Looks Just Like You wasn’t the most blatant influence in Uglies‘ plot, we can say, with full confidence, that Scott Westerfeld is a certified The Twilight Zone fan.
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Uglies |
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A world in which a compulsory operation wipes out physical differences and makes everyone pretty. |
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| Studio: Davis Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Industry Entertainment, Wonderland Sound and Vision, Netflix |
| Running Time: 102 minutes |
| Release Date: September 13, 2024 |
| Cast: Joey King, Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, Charmie Lee, Laverne Cox |
| Director: McG |
| Writers: Jacob Forman, Vanessa Taylor, Whit Anderson |
| Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi |
| Box Office: N/A |
