Move over Rebel Ridge! Netflix has a new number one movie

Action smash Rebel Ridge has been bumped off the Netflix movie top spot by a real slice of high concept nonsense.

Uglies is the new Netflix number one accoriding to Flixpatrol. It’s a YA (young adult) sci-fi, set in a world where society is split into the Uglies and Pretties.

Just as that sounds, this society is divided on looks. It’s Gattaca meets the Kardashians.

This segregation isn’t determined by natural beauty either, but a quasi-ritualistic plastic surgery people go through when they reach 16.

Uglies is based on a 2005 book by Scott Westerfeld, which itself is part of a series of four novels.

The books received generally positive reviews, but the film? Not so much.

Reactions have been strongly, if not quite universally, negative on this one. It’s no major surprise when Uglies is directed by McG, whose career is pebbledashed by green RottenTomatoes “rotten” splats including This Means War (2012), Terminator Salvation (2009) and last year's Family Switch for Netflix.

Uglies reviews

Polygon says Uglies is “an adaptation that feels so dated, it’s almost like a parody.” The book came out before The Hunger Games novels, but this movie releases well over a decade since the film of that venerable series.

The Guardian’s 1/5 review didn’t hold back either, saying it “renders its lessons in the most awkward, laughably flat and unconvincing way possible.”

Decider advises viewers to “skip it” and calls Uglies “a miserable tryhard Poochie movie engineered to fit, and never ever waver from, the YA-dystopia genre. It’s embarrassingly competent, dull and predictable.”

rogerebert.com gave it a 1/4 score, calling it ”a mostly dull, predictable film.”

Uglies sits at a pretty poor 19% fresh over at RottenTomatoes. But, equally, that means there are some more positive reviews out there to reel in those who still aren’t fed up with dystopian YA content.

The Hollywood Reporter didn’t hate the film at all. “While Uglies won’t erase anyone’s memories of the [Hunger Games], it proves a reasonably engrossing thriller that should please younger audiences,” its review reads.

“It goes down easily thanks to McG’s skillful, fast-paced direction, the imaginatively lavish CGI-enhanced visuals, and King’s impressive performance.”

That “King” is Joey King, who stars as Tally, a 15 year-old girl approaching the point where she can be transformed from an Ugly into a Pretty.

The film is currently the number on Netflix movies in 61 territories, according to Flixpatrol stats.

Given Uglies isn’t even a Divergent or a The Maze Runner, let alone a The Hunger Games, we don’t hold out much hope of the book’s sequels getting further adaptations. But those are Pretties, Extras and Specials, should you wish to investigate this world further.

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