"Uglies" thrives on Netflix despite harsh critic reviews

The adaptation of Scott Westerfeld's popular dystopian novel, "Uglies," starring Joey King, is triumphing on Netflix, despite record-low critic ratings. It's no surprise: the VOD giant makes movies for viewers, not critics.

The film Uglies, starring Joey King, appeared on Netflix early this month and gained massive popularity. It reached an impressive 26.8 million views and recorded 45.6 million hours of watch time worldwide.

The film's plot is set in a world where 16-year-olds undergo mandatory plastic surgery. The main character, Tally, discovers the truth about her society when she escapes to a rebellious community. The film also features Laverne Cox, Brianne Tju, Keith Powers, and Chase Stokes.

To put it mildly, critics were not favourable towards the production. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received only 16% positive reviews. The Chicago Sun-Times deemed "Uglies" an average film: "Not terrible enough to be campy, not deep or provocative or visually impressive enough to merit further chapters in the story." Polygon adds fuel to the fire, stating that it is "full of slick yet bland CG, stilted acting, and a plot that plays into all the lazy tropes YA dystopian novels are known for." The Guardian nailed the coffin shut, giving "Uglies" one star.

Young adult productions, intended for adolescents, are characterised by fairly straightforward plots, a lack of psychological depth, and often a "blunt" message. However, critics agree that "Uglies" is terrible even for this genre. Meanwhile, Netflix viewers don't care about these "recommendations" and watch the movie in droves. Will this make the platform continue the production and adapt the author's other book, "Pretties"? Time will tell.