Netflix is infamous for its range of original series. They’ve made some of the most successful, critically acclaimed projects of the last decade, only to counter them with some of the lowest-rated pieces of media.
They just released a new contender for the worst original project, “Uglies.” Based on the book by Scott Westerfeld, it takes place in a dystopian, future society where at the age of sixteen, everyone undergoes plastic surgery to make themselves conventionally attractive.
The film is brimming with clunky exposition, awkward dialogue and one-dimensional characters. But the greatest offense is the self-righteous attitude it seems to carry, that it is somehow shedding light or delving into a controversial opinion. When in reality, it’s commenting on a non-issue.
Most people agree that conventionally attractive appearances can influence success while a lack of which can cause deep insecurities. So by attempting to point out how much weight society places on looks, there are only a few select nuances the film could offer and it lacks to do so. Ironic that a movie trying to critique shallowness lacks any depth.
Although the book this film is adapted from was published three years before Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games,” it feels like a sloppy attempt at a reconstruction. Both use settings where technological advancement begins to corrupt society, leading to constant government surveillance. Both focus on a major change teenagers are expected to endure for the betterment of society and both examine how a corrupt government plagued by war attempts to control their citizens through force.
But “The Hunger Games” manages to analyze these issues at a level that “Uglies” could barely conceive of. This leads me to wonder: has dystopian fiction peaked?
Immediately after the commercial success of “The Hunger Games,” it seemed like every author was trying to capitalize off the popularity it churned. But in the years since its release, it’s hard to find a knock-off that amounts to its inspiration. “Divergent” is the most renowned in the post-Hunger Games craze, but even it fails in comparison.
To clarify, I have nothing against taking inspiration from another series. All art is influenced by the art that came before it. Take “The Handmaid’s Tale” as an example. The author, Margaret Atwood, was inspired by George Orwell’s “1984.” While the books have similarities, Atwood was able to tell a story Orwell couldn’t — that of how government overreach would affect women, expanding and fleshing out his vision.
However, Collins covered most viewpoints throughout her series, examining how even fellow oppressed can hold prejudices. Because she left little, if any, to be revised, these books seem to be rip-offs rather than inspired by. Only furthering this point is that in every attempt to copy the structure of her dystopian society, none can hold the depth that Collins gave Panem, the fictional country “The Hunger Games” is set in.
Collins examines how oppressive governments pit their enemies in opposition. How the Capital, the powerful and wealthy, force the districts to compete against each other. Even in the poorest area, District Twelve, there remains a hierarchy.
Furthermore, Panem has enough resources to properly care for its citizens. The reason people are dying from neglect is not because the government doesn’t have the resources to help, but because they choose to let people die. Collins reminds us that the oppressor will convince the oppressed that they are their own enemy, a subject that most authors would not think to include.
The long-lasting effects of “The Hunger Games” make me curious about the future of the dystopian story. Sixteen years after the first book was released and the genre is still struggling to redefine itself.
I suspect the reason is that there just hasn’t been enough time to examine a different issue. Most dystopian books in the last 15 years model their conflicts off Collin’s writing. In time, as our world grows more dystopian, the art inspired by it will evolve away from “The Hunger Games.”
But until then, I fear we are stuck with ugly knockoffs. If only the world could fall to pieces in the name of art.
