Director: Robert Schwentke
Writers: Brian Duffield (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), 2 more credits »
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James
Storyline
One choice can transform you-or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships. Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.Gladiator Movie Reviews
For those of you who missed the first one, Insurgent is the sequel to Divergent, Divergent is a series aimed at the new teen girl audience, so think Twilight and Hunger games and you are along the right lines. But the reel question is after the disappointment of Divergent will this second be a Maze Runner or just a Runner Runner? If you look at the poster for Insurgent it looks like it's been directed by the Wakoski brothers, with the two main leads free falling in air, shattered glass surrounding them with guns drawn, but the truth is that Insurgent is nowhere near as physisophrenic as any of the matrix movies. No, Insurgent is a film with it's head on it's shoulders and it's goals always in sight.
I think it's this narrow mindedness that makes Insurgent worth watching, you can feel the movements are counting for something, they are part of a bigger scheme, it's not all juts random or pointless, every scene is measured to fit within it's play in the story and that story is buried within the many levels of social commentary that the movie makes.
Insurgent never gives into the pressure of feeling like "the middle child" with not having any real beginning or end, that's the norm for movies like this, but not Insurgent. Instead it has a clearly defined beginning, middle and end, and just to help us along the setting changes for all three times. It's little things like that which can really lift a film out of the ordinary.
Really we should credit the director Robert Schwentkes for this change. Schwentkes has had VERY mixed success, being responsible for last year's awful R.I.P.D. but before that the quite good Red and the very acceptable Time Traveller's Wife. In Insurgent it feels like Schwentkes has found his calling, he makes something as simple as a shower look incredible, with his expert eyes for framing, but it is in none reality when Insurgent really comes alive.
For at least half the film Insurgent is set in this strange SIM reality which is made to test each of the abilities of a candidate. This setting is both surprising and engaging. I think that's a good way to describe all of Insurgent really. Surprising and Engaging.
It's true Insurgent does not mind bringing out the big guns, with mass suicide being one of the major ones, the entire film has an air that anything could happen and in justice often does. I also like that all those things that no one really cared about from the original, for instance, all the different virtues of each discipline. Yeah that's mostly forgotten about in Insurgent and if not it's made REALLY clear what is required from the given party.
It's interesting to me to see how the 3 main teen leads carry themselves and the film, Shaliene Woodly is clearly trying hard to bring out the level of talent that Jennifer Lawrence has as Tris. Theo James looks like he can have the only troubled expression on his face and nothing else and Miles Teller makes it all look so easy. As for the rest of the players they are all fine, especially Nomi Watt's who I personally didn't even recognise.
The truth is that Insurgent is just flat out better than it's predecessor, it is succinct, clever, brave and beautiful, and I've got a feeling the best it yet to come.
