March 20 was an exciting day not only because it was a Friday, but because “Insurgent”, the sequel to last year’s “Divergent”, premiered in theatres.
The first movie was boring and conversational but “Insurgent” was filled with action and graphics that amazed viewers. The additional characters and the plot twists really engaged the audience and there was a lot of tension and commentary while the movie was showing.
A few things that were enjoyable was Tris’ brother Caleb, played by Ansel Elgort (“Men, Women and Children”), who ended up being a key role to the story when in the beginning he was not. The struggles between both Tris, played by Shailene Woodley (“The Fault In Our Stars”), and Caleb as well as watching the distinct differences between them made their scene toward the end more powerful. A new faction called Candor and Amity were introduced when in the previous movie we only knew of Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite. Candor are the honest individuals, so it was no surprise when they wore black and white because that is how they see life. The costume designer Louise Mingenbach did an amazing job with Candor’s clothing as well as Amity who wore colorful and cheerful clothing to match their personalities.
The make up artists work was not impressive because the order in which they shot the scenes were obvious. For example Tris was bleeding and bruised when she meets Four, played by Theo James (“Underworld: Awakening”), but when they start to run away from the guards in the Erudite building a few moments later her face is spotless. This happens many times with multiple different actors. Also Naomi Watts (“St. Vincent”), who plays Four’s mother, Evelyn, was not cast appropriately. They made her character look less like a mother and more like a teenager. When she appeared on screen for the first time it was hard to believe she was a mother. When Marcus, played by Ray Stevenson (“Big Game”), Four’s father, and Tris’ parents are shown we can see the parenting and age in their faces but not with Evelyn.
Ultimately, “Insurgent” had its great moments, but it also had its not so great ones. It is suggested that true fans read the book because it is much more detailed and interesting because it is shocking that Ms.Roth would let her book be produced as it was. Key details were left out that would have made the movie more compelling and more true to the book. It is understandable that they only have 120 minutes as a director but it was used wastefully. Even though the average person does not go out of their way during a movie to point out symbolism and motifs, it is still important to add that somewhere within a movie. It is very disappointing not only with the “Divergent” series but other series that are currently failing to truly capture the essence of their book.
