Uglies ending, explained: 3 'pretty' major questions answered

The film adaptation of Scott Westerfeld's hit novel Uglies landed on Netflix on Sept. 13. Joey King, Chase Stokes, Keith Powers, and Laverne Cox star in the McG-directed movie, which takes place in a dystopian future where teens must undergo a cosmetic procedure to become "pretty."

But when Tally's (Joey King) friend Shay (Brianne Tju) goes missing before she can receive her transformation, an adventure and impending revolution begins. Uglies features a rather rich and incredibly action-packed science fiction world full of its own rules and unexpected twists.

Still have some questions after watching the Uglies ending? If you're mulling over some major plot points, including deaths and transformations, and wondering whether Netflix will (or should) make a sequel, let's dive into all the spoilery details. Here's your last spoiler warning!

Peris might have died, but maybe he didn't?

In a pivotal scene toward the end of the movie, Peris' (Chase Stokes) life hangs in the balance quite literally. He holds onto the side of a cliff above a rushing body of water with Tally trying to help her friend. Just when it seems as though Peris was beginning to remember who he was beyond the Pretty and Special procedures conducted by Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox), Peris slips off the cliff and into the water, assumed to have fallen to his death.

Throughout Uglies, Peris went though the most stark transformation. When he becomes a Pretty, he doesn't interact with Tally as often as he should as her best friend. Turning into a Pretty and living in a new place changes him a bit on the inside, too. When he becomes a Special, he's under some severe mind control and basically becomes a weapon. It's unclear if, in his current form, the fall would have killed him, but until a potential sequel reveals otherwise, Peris is as good as gone.

Tally turns Pretty as a means to save the world

By the end of the movie, some wild events have gone down in Tally's double agent adventure for Dr. Cable and the search for Shay. For some viewers, not all of what happens will make complete sense, and those who read the book will have a better insight into the story, but when you boil it all down, there's a rather simple throughline to understand and hold onto.

David's (Keith Powers) mother discovered that those becoming Pretty could develop brain lesions that allowed for brainwashing and control. Once breaking away from the city, a cure was developed but ultimately couldn't be tested on a patient without receiving their consent. See, it's complicated! Tally decides to sacrifice herself at the end and become Pretty in order to test the cure.

In the final scene of the movie, Tally has received her Pretty procedure, complete with the golden hair and eyes she'd always dreamed about. She's in a glamorous new apartment in New Pretty Town and all seems well, if not a bit chilling. However, her hand still features the scar she and Peris shared as children. It's one last shocking reveal that teases Tally wasn't totally transformed and fully controlled.

And of course... Should there be an Uglies sequel?

Obviously, Westerfeld wrote more books in the series beyond Uglies, including the sequels Pretties, Specials, and Extras. Even the ending of the movie teases that the story could continue in a sequel, though the open-ending also doubles as a satisfying ending to the story being told. As of the release of Uglies on Sept. 13, Netflix has not indicated whether they intend to make sequels.

Since Netflix seemingly didn't green light additional sequels ahead of time along with Uglies, the likelihood of Uglies 2 (or Pretties or whatever the title could be) happening surely rests in the hands of viewers and the viewership numbers. Unless the ratings are massive, the lackluster reviews aren't making a solid case for a sequel, and there probably shouldn't be one anyone.

Watch Uglies only on Netflix.