Uglies parents guide: How violent is the sci-fi action movie?

Netflix stalwarts Joey King, Chase Stokes, Keith Powers, and Laverne Cox team up for the highly anticipated page-to-screen adaptation of Scott Westerfeld's popular novel Uglies. In the new movie, which began streaming on Sept. 13, Tally Youngblood anticipates her "pretty" procedure, until her friend goes missing and thus kicks off the beginnings of a potential revolution.

Before tuning into the new young adult dystopian sci-fi movie (that's a mouthful!), you might be in the market for a bit more information about the content featured in the film adaptation. Without giving away any major spoilers, only references to spoiler-adjacent situations, we're sharing a guide to what to expect from the action, violence, and more contained in Netflix's Uglies.

Uglies is rated PG-13 for violence, action, and language

According to the movie's official page on Netflix, Uglies has been given a rating of PG-13 for some violence, action, and brief strong language. In all honesty, the movie leans a bit more on the PG side of its age rating than the 13 side, but the movie still isn't recommended to watch with children younger than 13 without parent supervision. Some of the imagery and themes could be disturbing to younger audiences, but let's get into the spoiler-free reasons why below.

Sex and nudity

Uglies doesn't contain any sex or graphic nudity. Any romance featured in the movie doesn't go beyond kissing. While there isn't any graphic nudity at all, there are a couple instances of two male characters in states of undress, though nothing is shown below the waist. Chase Stokes' character Peris undergoes a procedure, and he is undressed except for a cloth tied around his waist. Keith Powers' character David bathes (he's presumed naked) in a lake, though we only see him from behind and there is no nudity shown beyond a suggestive glimpse of the small of his back.

Language and violence

Even though "brief strong language" receives a callout in the reasoning for the PG-13 rating, the strong language isn't really anything to write home about. Some might pick up on inappropriate language, but compared to an R-rated movie featuring heavy profanities, Uglies is tame. You could say the same for the violence and action in the movie, but it's definitely pushing it a bit too much for certain young age groups.

The movie features science-fiction akin to that seen in movies like Divergent, and that includes fighting, weapons, fire, and other sequences involving life or death situations. In one scene late into the movie, a character *SPOILER WARNING* kills another character by snapping their neck. That's definitely not something that parents will want young viewers seeing. The movie also features additional instances of danger, though none quite that graphic.

Overall, Uglies should be appropriate for most teenagers to check out, though parental discretion should be used for potential viewers much younger than that. It's always worth mentioning that the premise of the movie revolves around the themes of beauty and changing one's appearance to become "pretty." Some viewers could find this theme potentially triggering, so proceed with caution. Otherwise, watch the movie and enjoy the action!

Uglies is available to watch only on Netflix.