Uglies

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Not suitable under 12; parental guidance to 14 (violence, scary scenes, themes)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Uglies
  • a review of Uglies completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 24 September 2024.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 12 Not suitable due to violence, scary scenes, and themes.
Children aged 12–14 Parental guidance recommended due to violence, scary scenes, and themes.
Children aged 15 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Uglies
Classification: M
Consumer advice lines: Science fiction themes, action violence, and coarse language
Length: 103 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

In a post-apocalyptic world, people are divided into ‘Pretties’ and ‘Uglies’. Everyone on their 16th birthday undergoes a life changing procedure called the “Pretty” operation, to become their most perfect self. Tally (Joey King) is three months away from her surgery. When close friend Peris (Chase Stokes) leaves for his transformation, they agree to meet up again a month later. When he doesn’t show, Tally sneaks into the city of the Pretties to find him. The city surveillance almost catches her, but she is saved by Shay (Brianna Tju). Shay is rebellious and does not believe in the miracle of becoming ‘Pretty’. On the eve of their ‘Pretty’ operation, Shay leaves for ‘The Smoke’, a camp where runaways can go to avoid becoming ‘Pretty’. Shay urges Tally to go with her, but she refuses.

On the day of her procedure, Tally is taken away by the Pretty government, and is questioned by Dr Cable (Laverne Cox) about Shay’s location. Dr Cable tells Tally about The Smoke and their dangerous rebel leader David (Keith Powers). She sends Tally on a mission to infiltrate The Smoke to save Shay and destroy their secret weapon. Tally meets David on her journey to The Smoke, who teaches her about their alternative lifestyle and of the lies the Pretty government has been telling its citizens. Realising that the government is evil, Tally abandons her mission. However, the Pretty government finds The Smoke and captures the rebels. Tally and David escape and infiltrate the city to save their friends. The film ends on a cliff-hanger when Tally is captured by the Pretties.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Crime; Death; Family breakdown; Natural disaster; Authoritarianism; Body modification; Class separation.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • A young Peris grabs a glass electronic display from Tally and smashes it on the ground. It shatters and a piece of the glass impales the palm of Peris’ hand, causing it to bleed. Tally then cuts her own hand with a shard of glass so that they have matching wounds.
  • The Super Pretties attack The Smoke, assaulting the rebels as they invade the camp.
  • Peris snaps the neck of David’s father.
  • Tally rigs an explosion that knocks back a Super Pretty.
  • Tally shoots a Super Pretty in the neck with a crossbow.
  • David holds a knife to Tally’s throat while questioning her.
  • David physically assaults a Pretty while infiltrating the city.
  • A Smoke rebel uses a flamethrower mounted in a helicopter to attack Dr Cable and Peris.
  • David and Peris fight in hand-to-hand combat, ending with Peris falling off a skyscraper.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • The ‘Uncanny valley’, polished, ‘Instagram’ appearance of the Pretties may scare or disturb young children.
  • The domineering appearance of the Super Pretties may scare young children.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • Children may be frightened by the ‘Pretty’ operation machine, which is filled with metal claw cuffs, saws and needles.
  • The dystopian landscape could trigger children who have lived through war or conflict.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:

  • Tally is chased from the city, where she jumps and falls off a skyscraper to get away from the surveillance aircraft.
  • Tally falls off her hoverboard while riding a rollercoaster track and it appears that she will crash into the ground.
  • Tally falls from the top of a cliff after her hoverboard loses power.
  • Tally is caught in a forest fire.
  • Shay is knocked out of a helicopter and crashes to the ground.
  • A Smoke rebel is shown injured and bleeding after an encounter with a Super Pretty.

Thirteen and overinfo

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

  • None noted.

Sexual references

  • None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • Tally sees David shirtless and washing himself in a lake.
  • David and Tally kiss.
  • Shay wears a dress showing cleavage.

Use of substances

  • None noted.

Coarse language

  • None noted.

In a nutshell

Uglies is a dystopian, science fiction film based on the novel of the same name by Scott Westerfeld. The movie presents a coming-of-age story that comments on social beauty standards and the implications of authoritarian governance. Due to the frequent violence, death and mature themes, the film is best suited for ages 15 and up, and warrants parental guidance for children aged 12 to 14.

The main message from this movie is that beauty does not define who you are. It asserts that your worth comes from who you are inside, not from how you present.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Self-Identity
  • Friendship
  • Humanity
  • Teamwork
  • Courage.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • The societal expectations of beauty.
  • The consequences of authoritarianism and class separation.
  • The ethics of medical experimentation.