Year: 2015
Director: Robert Schwentke
Screenplay: Brian Duffield, Avika Goldman
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Miles
Teller, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Jai Courtney, Zoe Kravitz, Maggie Q, Daniel
Dae Kim, Ray Stevenson, Octavia Spencer
Synopsis is here:
After spending over four hours in the Divergent universe,
watching Insurgent the day before, I can honestly say that’s all I’ll need. I
don’t regret my time spent with the young adult series. The importance of such
franchises within the cinematic world, is definitely not lost on me. I must, however stress that despite the film’s progression of feminine goals,
narratively, as with the first film, feels cumbersome and confounding at the
worst of times and predictable at best. This is the heroine’s journey at its
most basic. Yet we’re constantly thrown terms and descriptions which seem
awkward for even the actors pronouncing them. Within the first act of this
second entry, as I found Divergent, I felt that Insurgent is probably far more memorable
as a book than a film.
Such discouraging thoughts come easily due to Insurgent’s
ineffective screenplay. It is a film with a mass converging of characters, all
jostling for screen time, yet struggling to gain the right amount of significance
that they actually deserve because the film must push on with the lead
character’s “neo complex”. I don’t mean this to be a negative on the role of
Tris, who is ably played by Shailene Woodley. However Insurgent is so wrapped
up in the character that other, clearly important characters are criminally underwritten.
A perfect example of this is with the character of Tris’ brother Caleb Prior
played by Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars). Far too often the character
makes grand choices which motivate the plot yet are vaguely construed the man
himself. Meanwhile the film’s central relationship between Tris and Four (Theo
James) convincing, yet their connections between everyone else are often weakly portrayed.
Much of the plot is clearly entangled between the youthful leads and their
parents, but nothing is ever given much detail or resonance.
The frustrating thing about Insurgent, as with Divergent, is
that nothing seems to stick. Visually the film is slick, glossy and feels a lot
more open, but is still rather more functional than stand out. I’ve seen The
Maze Runner (2014) and find both Insurgent and Divergent a tad more interesting
(particularly the action sequences), but still quite ordinary when it comes to the
characters and their interactions. It’s a film that has motifs and scenes that
will remind you of more interesting/entertaining features. I doubt anyone is
surprised that the Divergent series gained a greenlight once the likes of The
Hunger Games became successful. I also wouldn’t be surprised if many other
favour Katniss over Tris, although both are still playing an important part in
terms of female roles with agency .
For me it speaks volumes that, as me and my girlfriend left
the cinema, I mention how much of the divergence test in the film made me think
about Luke’s trials in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). My girlfriend, who has
no interest in Star Wars, was taken back by this. I feel one reason being, that such action
packed young adult action has been aimed at guys for so long, that aspects of this
franchise generally feel fresh for females whom have never been interested
before. Perhaps my cynicism gets the better of me. Insurgent works for my
girlfriend, I was merely taken for a ride. Like so many women have been obliged
to when guys get to see boys play with their toys. So as derivative as I may have found it,
it looks to be opening doors for others. So silver linings.
