I was initially worried about how Insurgent would turn out. It's my least favourite of all the books, but I still really enjoyed reading it, so I wanted greatness. The trailers and teasers made the film look really different to the book. All of the trailers seemed to be completely centred around Jeanine and her box; a box that wasn't explained properly and didn't seem to be included in the book. However, the film turned out quite different to what the trailers made it out to be.
Spoilers ahead...
You have been warned....
Insurgent starts out with a message from Jeanine regarding how dangerous the Divergent are. We then see Tris, Four, Caleb and Peter seeking refuge with the Amity. It's clear at this point that Tris is in a bad state (and possibly has PTSD) after having to kill Will and watch her parents die. From this point on, the film pretty much follows the same (or similar, at least) storyline to the book. It really surprised me how faithful the film actually was to the book. Of course, they have to make some changes otherwise they wouldn't have fit it all in, but as book to film adaptations go, this one wasn't bad.
There were, however, quite a few problems with this film that I think I ought to discuss.
First up, I didn't like the choice of actors for some of the roles. While I'm sure Naomi Watts is a great actress, she looked more like Four's sister rather than his Mum. It just didn't work. I had expected more of an 'Alma Coin' (From Mockingjay) approach to Evelyn, but she just didn't work for me. She's supposed to be the leader of the Factionless, but she didn't really seem the type. I have no problem with Watts' acting, though. Like a lot of the faults in this film, it was down to the screenwriters or director rather than the actors, who were only playing the roles they were given.
I felt this way about how Four and Tris were in this instalment, too. It seems they were acted brilliantly by Theo James and Shailene Woodley, but just some of the things they did seemed out of character. For example, when Tris wakes up from being 'dead', her and Four stand hugging for a good minute, all while they're being hunted down by the Erudite, and it's Peter who has to step in and tell them to get a move on. They just wouldn't have done that. They would have sprung into instant action and stated running.
I feel like a lot of vital information and detail was excluded from the film, too. The first bit that hit me was the fact that Tris was carrying a gun throughout the whole film! What happened to her fear of guns after she killed Will? She had a lot of dreams about him, but it just didn't seem as important in the film.
I thought that the whole conflict with Christina was just skimmed over and not done properly in the film. This is a really big part of the book and leads to Tris making a lot of decisions, so to just move past it as if it wasn't much of a big deal was a bad decision.
I also thought that the situation with Caleb wasn't done in enough depth as it needed. In the book, Caleb essentially delivers Tris to her execution and is happy to see her die, whereas in the film, he merely watches Jeanine putting her in simulations. It just didn't have the same 'betrayal' effect. This is making me wonder how they'll pull of Part 2 of Allegiant (if they do still split it) because Tris makes her decision at the end (you know the one I'm talking about) because she wants to forgive Caleb and is refusing to deliver him to his execution.
Another point, or person in this case, who wasn't in it as much as they should have been was Uriah. Uriah wasn't in Divergent at all, so I was glad that he would have an actual role in this film. I had hoped that he would have quite a big role, though, so that his fate in Allegiant would actually mean something to the audience. He only seemed to be in one scene though, having only a tiny part. I'm now starting to doubt that he will actually have a role in Allegiant, which would be a shame.
I thought the 'scanning for Divergence' was so cheesy. It honestly made me cringe when Eric and Max were scanning people and it showed their percentage of Divergence. It made it even worse when Tris got 100% Divergent. I know she's less damaged than most people, but her test only gave her aptitudes for Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite. Not Candor or Amity. It really confused me how Tris unlocked the box's tests for these factions, because it's clearly stated that she's not Amity or Candor.
I thought the end of this film was great. It was different to the book, yes, but it was a really effective ending and had me going 'Oh my gosh! Wow!'
Yet this also confused me. Why did Evelyn get to kill Jeanine when it was Tori's role? Why was the projection of Edith Prior shown to everyone in Chicago? And why isn't Edith named? The whole cliff-hanger at the end of the book was the fact that Tris was related to her.
I'm slightly concerned how they will do Allegiant now, because it was only Tris, and a small group of her friends and the factionless who discover that there is life outside the walls. How will it work if everyone knows and is headed to search for it?
I have absolutely no problem with the acting in this film. I like, if not love, all of the actors in it, even if some of them aren't completely suited to their roles. Yes, some of their lines are a little cheesy and possibly out of character, but they were still acted out well. My main issue with it, which ties all of its problems into one, is how it was adapted into a film, written as a script and directed as a whole. I think I would have preferred it if Neil Burger has carried on and directed the rest of the series, as he did a brilliant job with Divergent. I just didn't like the way Insurgent was put together. The scenes didn't fit with each other; things were mentioned in one scene and then completely forgotten about in the next. Having both simulations and dream scenes was a bit too much, and it made it confusing. I just didn't like the way it was put together and it definitely could have been done in a different way.
I thought that the whole conflict with Christina was just skimmed over and not done properly in the film. This is a really big part of the book and leads to Tris making a lot of decisions, so to just move past it as if it wasn't much of a big deal was a bad decision.
I also thought that the situation with Caleb wasn't done in enough depth as it needed. In the book, Caleb essentially delivers Tris to her execution and is happy to see her die, whereas in the film, he merely watches Jeanine putting her in simulations. It just didn't have the same 'betrayal' effect. This is making me wonder how they'll pull of Part 2 of Allegiant (if they do still split it) because Tris makes her decision at the end (you know the one I'm talking about) because she wants to forgive Caleb and is refusing to deliver him to his execution.
Another point, or person in this case, who wasn't in it as much as they should have been was Uriah. Uriah wasn't in Divergent at all, so I was glad that he would have an actual role in this film. I had hoped that he would have quite a big role, though, so that his fate in Allegiant would actually mean something to the audience. He only seemed to be in one scene though, having only a tiny part. I'm now starting to doubt that he will actually have a role in Allegiant, which would be a shame.
I thought the 'scanning for Divergence' was so cheesy. It honestly made me cringe when Eric and Max were scanning people and it showed their percentage of Divergence. It made it even worse when Tris got 100% Divergent. I know she's less damaged than most people, but her test only gave her aptitudes for Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite. Not Candor or Amity. It really confused me how Tris unlocked the box's tests for these factions, because it's clearly stated that she's not Amity or Candor.
I thought the end of this film was great. It was different to the book, yes, but it was a really effective ending and had me going 'Oh my gosh! Wow!'
Yet this also confused me. Why did Evelyn get to kill Jeanine when it was Tori's role? Why was the projection of Edith Prior shown to everyone in Chicago? And why isn't Edith named? The whole cliff-hanger at the end of the book was the fact that Tris was related to her.
I'm slightly concerned how they will do Allegiant now, because it was only Tris, and a small group of her friends and the factionless who discover that there is life outside the walls. How will it work if everyone knows and is headed to search for it?
I have absolutely no problem with the acting in this film. I like, if not love, all of the actors in it, even if some of them aren't completely suited to their roles. Yes, some of their lines are a little cheesy and possibly out of character, but they were still acted out well. My main issue with it, which ties all of its problems into one, is how it was adapted into a film, written as a script and directed as a whole. I think I would have preferred it if Neil Burger has carried on and directed the rest of the series, as he did a brilliant job with Divergent. I just didn't like the way Insurgent was put together. The scenes didn't fit with each other; things were mentioned in one scene and then completely forgotten about in the next. Having both simulations and dream scenes was a bit too much, and it made it confusing. I just didn't like the way it was put together and it definitely could have been done in a different way.
What annoyed me most about Insurgent was the way it was marketed. As I've already said, all of the trailers seemed to focus on Jeanine's box, which wasn't introduced as such a huge thing in the book. From the start of the film, Jeanine introduced the box as a message from the founders, but you couldn't tell this from the trailers. I had assumed that the box would just contain Edith Prior's message, but this was not clarified!
There was so much speculation over the character Edgar, who was introduced by the director, Robert Schwentke and wasn't in the books. There was a rumour going around for a long time that a love triangle would be introduced, with Edgar as the third person. I was really worried about this, as I loved Divergent for its individuality, and the fact that, unlike most YA books, it didn't have a love triangle. However, it wasn't until I had left the cinema that I remembered about Edgar, and I hadn't heard his name in it. As it turns out, Edgar was a replacement for Edward, as a part of the Factionless. I'm slightly annoyed that this wasn't clarified as I know a lot of people were concerned about it. By just announcing that it was Edward with a different name, it would have cleared a lot of things up and avoided all the concern!
I know this has been a bit of a moany review, but I honestly loved the film still. I would probably give it 7.5 out of 10, because I did really love it! There were a lot of problems with it, but it still was an amazing film, particularly if you don't compare it with the book. I love the soundtrack for Insurgent; there are some great songs on it and they really fit with the film!
So despite my complaints, I did enjoy Insurgent and am looking forward to seeing it again!
That's all for now!
Charlotte xxx
There was so much speculation over the character Edgar, who was introduced by the director, Robert Schwentke and wasn't in the books. There was a rumour going around for a long time that a love triangle would be introduced, with Edgar as the third person. I was really worried about this, as I loved Divergent for its individuality, and the fact that, unlike most YA books, it didn't have a love triangle. However, it wasn't until I had left the cinema that I remembered about Edgar, and I hadn't heard his name in it. As it turns out, Edgar was a replacement for Edward, as a part of the Factionless. I'm slightly annoyed that this wasn't clarified as I know a lot of people were concerned about it. By just announcing that it was Edward with a different name, it would have cleared a lot of things up and avoided all the concern!
I know this has been a bit of a moany review, but I honestly loved the film still. I would probably give it 7.5 out of 10, because I did really love it! There were a lot of problems with it, but it still was an amazing film, particularly if you don't compare it with the book. I love the soundtrack for Insurgent; there are some great songs on it and they really fit with the film!
So despite my complaints, I did enjoy Insurgent and am looking forward to seeing it again!
That's all for now!
Charlotte xxx
