A star rating of 3 out of 5.
This review is based on the first two episodes of The Beauty.
After the 2025 release of All’s Fair, a legal drama that received negative reviews and starred Kim Kardashian, Ryan Murphy is returning with The Beauty. This new series offers a somewhat shallow look at society’s focus on physical appearance and the extreme measures people take to attain it.
Based on a comic book from 2015 by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, the show takes place in a dark, futuristic world. It centers on FBI agents Cooper Madsen (played by Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) who are sent to Paris to investigate a strange series of deaths. The victims are all new models who have died in a bizarre and unsettling way – they’ve inexplicably overheated and exploded.
Okay, buckle up, because this movie takes a seriously weird turn. What starts as a fairly standard investigation quickly spirals into a wild, over-the-top thriller. Think glossy visuals, a healthy dose of dark humor, and some genuinely unsettling body horror. It all centers around a mysterious organization – ‘The Corporation’ – run by a tech mogul (Ashton Kutcher, surprisingly effective) who’s developed a drug promising ultimate beauty. It’s campy, it’s satirical, and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.
The product claims “One shot makes you hot,” and it delivers on that promise – but with some serious drawbacks. It painfully transforms your body into what’s currently considered attractive, and ultimately, leads to death.
There’s also a concerning issue: the injection is derived from a sexually transmitted disease, and that disease is now spreading within the population.
The film presents a darkly humorous idea: the more attractive someone is, the more danger they pose to those who desire them. It also playfully touches on current conversations about drugs like Ozempic. Director Murphy embraces the absurdity of it all, creating a lot of wonderfully silly and enjoyable scenes.
However, this method also makes the social commentary feel shallow and obvious. Murphy often uses a heavy-handed approach, as seen in an awkward conversation between Cooper and Jordan—who are in a relationship—where Cooper directly states that the desire to be attractive ultimately comes down to sexual motivation.
“The Beauty” joins a recent wave of films and shows exploring how societal pressures – like those around health and beauty – can manifest physically. This trend is seen in works like Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” and the TV adaptation of David Cronenberg’s “Dead Ringers.” Given its similar story – a character using a substance to achieve an ideal appearance with unexpected consequences, much like Demi Moore’s in “The Substance” – comparisons are likely.
Though films like The Substance and Dead Ringers deeply examine their characters’ inner turmoil using intense body horror, The Beauty doesn’t go nearly as far. It only offers a shallow understanding of what motivates its characters – for instance, a woman’s desire to be a model, or a lonely man’s longing for connection.
The initial body horror transformation is shocking, but after that, the show’s mutations seem to fall into a pattern and become somewhat predictable. At least, that’s true for the first two episodes we’ve seen.
The story really pushes forward with a lot of plot development, which is quite interesting. Things seem to be escalating quickly, especially after episode 2 when Cooper realizes The Corporation is pursuing him.
The show is beautifully made, which is typical of Ryan Murphy’s work, and features a strong cast. Naomi Hall and Evan Peters are especially good as characters who question their superficial society, and there are also some enjoyable cameos, including one from Bella Hadid.
The Beauty will premiere Thursday 22nd January on Disney+ in the UK.
Authors
Molly Moss writes about the newest happenings in television, movies, and other entertainment for TopMob. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has also contributed to major news outlets like The Guardian, The Times, and The Sun Online.
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2026-01-21 20:07