Manfred ThamMovie Review: The Divergent Series: Insurgent
Admittedly, we knew from the get-go Insurgent is not a movie for us. We didn’t enjoy The Hunger Games and we don’t fit the target audience. Nonetheless, we still held out hopes for some good action, meaningful dialogue and stunning visuals for this sequel to last year’s Divergent.
However, only 1 of the 3 was delivered; the rest were prematurely dashed within mere minutes of the start. Directed by Neil Burger, Insurgent continues the tale of a dystopian Chicago in the future, where the survivors of a devastating war live within the confines of its walls. In this city, survivors have been split into 5 factions based on personality traits. However those who fit into more than 1 faction are “divergent” and thus considered a threat to the fragile peace.
A divergent, Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley), aka Tris, and her boyfriend Tobias Eaton (Theo James), aka Four, are evading their captors after foiling an attempted coup in the previous film. Whilst hiding, they formulate plans to seize back power from one of the faction’s leaders, Jeanine, who had orchestrated the mass murder of the entire ruling caste.
Both Woodley’s and James’s acting, though hardly laudable, are convincing and breathed some semblance of life into their stiff roles as unimaginative teen movie protagonists.
Insurgent shines in its presentation though, with top-notch visual design and aesthetic thanks to its massive budget. During the abysmally long 119 minute runtime, many scenes stand out for their immense potential as laptop wallpapers. It also captures the look of a dystopian post-apocalyptic society well, contrasting the sterile white and blue of the high class against the drab khaki and earthy tones of the rural farmers.
Top off the visuals with Hans Zimmer’s impeccable soundtrack and Insurgent has the proverbial bones to place substantial meat onto.
And that is where Insurgent falls flat on its face. It has nothing to boast for dialogue and screenplay as they’re made entirely of clichés from self-help books to James Bond’s signature introduction. Even the twists are predictably clichéd. The entire plot essentially serves only to set up for the inevitable Part 3.
Despite focusing on the courting couple of Tris and Four the whole time, Insurgent still lacks meaningful character development. In fact, we were far more intrigued by some side characters like Uriah (Keiynan Lonsdale), a new divergent who pops up mid movie and Evelyn Eaton (Naomi Watts), Four’s mother, who were not explored at all.
However, the main qualm people may have with Insurgent is not the plot nor the characters; rather, it’s the film’s blatant pandering to insecure teenagers. The film constantly tells Tris she’s special for not “conforming” to the factions and that everyone cares about her despite her sinking into self-pity. It’s cringe-worthy, incessant and too pervasive in the film.
Insurgent’s intended audience and its fans will love this movie. However, if you’re not part of the demographic, you will dislike it. It has merits but they are hidden behind many glaring issues.
Worst of all, it emphasizes the problem with following trends in film, where movies are churned out for profit over the delivery of a captivating story. It is another book adaptation that was greenlit after the success of The Hunger Games and it surely won’t be the last. We do hope that more films be made not to please bank accounts but rather, audiences and creators.
[xrr rating=1/5 display_as=textstars label=”Our Rating:”]
Tell us what you think in the Comment section below!
Information:
Release Date: Mar 19
Runtime: 119 minutes
Language: English
Censorship Rating: PG
Genre: Science Fiction, Action
Director: Neil Burger
Main Actors: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney
Photos courtesy of Golden Village