I have just watched the movie that has caused a lot of controversy within the fandom! It hasn't been out too long and of course I had to go see.
I think that the movie Divergent (book/movie number 1) was mainly loyal to the book and was much better than I expected it to be.However, when Insurgent (number 2) came out, a lot of disagreements rippled out in the fandom. Insurgent did not follow the book in any means possible apart from the characters and their names (even then, we didn't see all the characters).
A lot of people were very unsure of where this film would take these characters and, in my opinion, even though it still completely veered off from the book, I thought it was pretty good. I went into this film with very low expectations because of the last film.
Yes, I understand that it did not reflect the book at all but, if you separate the book and the film like I have done, you will see that the movie was actually quite entertaining. I think that's the best way to go into it. Pretend that this isn't an adaptation but a whole new adventure for these characters; it makes it bearable and you may even find that you enjoy it.
Overall, I did like this movie and am looking forward to the next instalment... Ascendant...?
If you haven't seen the movie or read the book, I suggest that you leave as this next section will obviously contain spoilers for both. Come back when you have and then we can go through our thoughts together...
SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
The movie kicked off with Evelyn taking over the city and, despite this opinion coming up in Insurgent, I realised again that Evelyn does not in any way look like Four's mother. She looks more like his sister- it was questionable casting.
The first action sequence we got to see was when Tris and co. escaped past the wall. I thought that this was an entertaining sequence but I completely forgot that Tori died! This was the first parallel to the book and it took me completely by surprise! I loved Tori and was devastated when she died in the book. What I didn't like about the film is that they didn't have her brother as a character outside the wall. That was a heart-wrenching part of the book and I wished they had put it in the film.
This action sequence was really cool and it nicely showcased the chemistry between Tris and Four. When Tris went back down the wall Four naturally followed her and effortlessly covered her. They were so in-sync with each other and I loved that. They didn't even talk to each other when Four picked Tris up and carried her back up the wall as she'd cut her harness. They didn't need to talk; they knew exactly what they were doing and I loved this show of their chemistry.
The portrayal of outside the wall was...interesting. I mean...it looked like Mars but, hey, why not? I have no idea what went through their minds when they created this set but it looked they'd just taken inspiration from the movie The Martian. Let's just say, it wasn't at all how I expected it to be.
And how did they travel to the bureau? Freaking bubbles! I could not contain my laughter at this and the people in the cinema were probably looking at me as if I was hysterical. But... Bubbles! They looked like something out of The Wizard of Oz and, man, it looked so weird! They looked unbelievably funny just kind of, sitting/floating in a damn orange bubble. It was bizarre.
When the gang got to the bureau they had some weird decontamination thing and I understand why they needed to but...hell, was it odd! We watched Tris get decontaminated and I cringed through the whole thing! She had to strip off, go through some sort of shower but the orange liquid was disgusting! She got covered in this slimy orange liquid and it literally froze her and it looked disgusting. I mirrored Tris' horrified face when I watched this! It was just too gruesome!
We learnt that Tris was genetically pure whilst the others are 'damaged'. Being a media student, I couldn't help but notice the poorly obvious representation of this division. Tris- being 'pure' spent practically the whole movie in pristine white clothes whereas the others- 'damaged'- always wore dark colours. I, personally think that is such a poor portrayal of the division, I mean, how obvious is that? They could've thought of something a bit deeper. They just stuck her in white clothes every single day!
Some new characters were introduced in this movie and there were a few that I was surprised to see. David was the first but I'd figured that he would come into the loop at some point. In the book, we only start to realise what he's really up to nearer the end of the book but by the end of this movie, he'd showed his evil colours and the memory serum had already tried and failed. I don't really see how the next movie is going to continue- it could've combined into one movie- but my guess is that David will try to destroy the city, meaning the death serum coming in to play, and Tris trying to stop him. That's all I can guess.
Matthew and Nita were two people that I'd completely forgotten about and was surprised to see in the movie. This adaptation wasn't really following the book so I naturally assumed that we wouldn't be seeing them. However, they weren't in that much.
Matthew, in the movie, was so creepy! He was just standing in the background of so many shots with an almost predatory expression on his face. He looked so suspicious that, when he helped Four, I was utterly shocked.
Nita is a character that I'm still not sure that I like. In the books, I remember her to be a bit sly and conniving. I never trusted her. In the film, I felt the same but, honestly, I thought that she was going to make a move on Four. I was kind of expecting it. She wasn't in the film much but I have a feeling that she will be more involved in the next one.
I found it interesting that we got to see Natalie's (Tris' mum) experiences through these little memory thing (I can't remember the name of them). I didn't think we saw enough as I think we should've been able to see her placement in Chicago and her going into Dauntless but, nonetheless, it was cool to see her view of the fringe.
Another thing that I'd completely forgotten from the book is the fringe. Again, I'd assumed that they wouldn't include this but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a cool set but I didn't think that the whole 'steal children and erase their memory' thing was necessary.
The memory serum was put into play much quicker than I'd thought it would. I thought the way they did it was very odd- orange gas? I feel like they had a bit of an obsession with orange in this movie. Will all technology be orange in the future???
Evelyn was unbelievably stupid when it came to the memory serum. She thought it would only take affect on her enemies? It's a gas! How is it supposed to know who and who not to affect? She didn't even warn her own troops to put on gas masks or anything! How in the hell did she expect that to work?
The gas was highly unrealistic, I mean, seriously? There's a gas diffusing into the air but no one seemed to lose their memory? I understand that you had to breathe in the orange gas but how did no one end up breathing it in? They were right next to it! I would have liked Peter to be the only person who got their memory erased - like the book- because I think that would have just been funny to see his plans backfire. Having said that, I wouldn't really want him to lose his memory cause I love him too much!
I was disappointed that we didn't get to see as much of Uriah and Christina though. Those are two characters I really love in the book and I find it unfortunate that are pushed to the side in this movie. Christina was only there for convenience whilst Uriah probably only got in one shot through the entire movie.
One other tiny issue that I have with these adaptations is that they still call him Four. In the book, Tris calls him Tobias and I think that really shows the development in their relationship and shows their intimacy. I don't like how they still call him Four. Small complaint, I know but I can't help it.
I, personally, thought that Caleb and Peter were the two most entertaining parts of the movie.
Starting with Caleb: He was so funny! Every time he ran, or tripped or tried to do anything of action, I laughed at how adorable he was. Trust me, I don't like Caleb as a character- I will never forgive him for what he did in the Allegiant book- but he was so humorous in the movie. He runs like a kid with his arms flying all over the place. It's just a funny image for me. And, say, when they were running up the wall, Caleb, not only tripped, but took so long that, by the time he made his first way up, Tris and Four had beat him after also running up the wall, going back down, planting a bomb, shooting people and coming back up again. And they still beat him! He's so clumsy and hopeless that it's cute!
But, hands down, Peter was my favourite character in this movie. I love Miles Teller and I think he delivers his snarky and humorous lines so well! Everything he said got me laughing and I just love him. When he said the line 'What's in it for me?' I remembered thinking "Classic Peter!" Miles Teller plays his character so well and he's one of the biggest reasons why I enjoy these films.
So, overall, I did enjoy this film and I will be going to see the sequel... Ascendant. Any thoughts on the new title? I don't know how I feel about it...
I'm pleasantly surprised with this movie and am looking forward to seeing where the next one will go.
Thanks for reading. Please comment your thoughts.
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