{"id":2029,"date":"2015-09-07T23:23:03","date_gmt":"2015-09-07T23:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bryanbuser.com\/365moviesbyday\/?p=2029"},"modified":"2022-01-09T21:16:29","modified_gmt":"2022-01-09T21:16:29","slug":"insurgent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/365moviesbyday.bryanbuser.com\/insurgent\/","title":{"rendered":"Insurgent (2015)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I mentioned near the end of my review on Divergent, what is Kate Winslet (The Reader<\/a>, Little Children<\/a><\/em>) doing in a movie franchise like this? Anybody could have played the role of this minor character. There isn’t any depth to her character. The movie isn’t going to win any awards. And Winslet could be spending her time in movies that bring out her acting prowess. I understand it from the film’s standpoint. Why not get another big name? Even if it costs 10+ times as much money as getting an unknown actor, it makes sense. The movie, more or less, covers its costs in the first week or two anyway. I’ve always come back to that appearing in movies such as\u00a0Insurgent\u00a0<\/em>allows her to sustain her way of life to take on more roles in independent films that can’t afford to pay her as much because they won’t make as much at the box office. And if this is the reason, then I am cool with it. I am willing to give Naomi Watts (The Ring,\u00a0The Impossible<\/a><\/em>), who also appears in this movie, the same leeway. It does bother me that these talented actresses are merely supporting less talented actors and actresses in a film that relies on young adult fantasy and adventure scenes rather than the performances of its leads. Nonetheless, I’m willing to accept this with the hope that Winslet and Watts will continue to put out Oscar-contending performances in future films.
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I liked\u00a0Divergent<\/a><\/em>. I know this has been the decade for\u00a0Dystopian novels, films, and shows. From\u00a0The Hunger Games<\/a><\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0The Maze Runner<\/a><\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0Oblivion<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0Looper<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0Elysium<\/a><\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0Snowpiercer<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0The Walking Dead<\/em>, we have bombarded in recent years with this genre. It’s not a new genre. Some of the most classic movies (RoboCop, Total Recall, The Running Man, Mad Max, Death Race<\/em>) and books (The Giver, Brave New World, A Clockwork Orange, 1984, Farenheidt 451,\u00a0Children of Men<\/a><\/em>) are based around this theme. Still, it has only come recently when our screens have become over-saturated. But that hasn’t stopped the mass-producing or kept people away from spending their dollars. It’s safe to say that this genre will continue to be popular, and we will see more and more films, shows, and books with the end of the world\/society type themes. We can only hope they can continue to be more like\u00a0The Hunger Games<\/a><\/em>\u00a0in terms of production and execution and less like\u00a0Insurgent<\/em>. The\u00a0Insurgent<\/em>\u00a0story in itself isn’t bad. I haven’t read the novels, but I know they are very popular (especially with young adults).\u00a0Shailene Woodley (The Fault in our Stars, The Spectacular Now<\/em>) is a terrific young actress. She’s not Jennifer Lawrence yet, but she’s closing the gap with each performance… except for\u00a0The Divergent<\/em>\u00a0series. Lawrence’s portrayal of\u00a0Katniss Everdeen in\u00a0The Hunter Games<\/em>\u00a0is leaps and bounds better than Woodley’s performance of Tris Prior. I think it’s more the screenplay, directing, and overall sub-par performances that\u00a0cause this movie to underachieve.<\/p>\n

It starts up pretty much where\u00a0Divergent<\/em>\u00a0l<\/a>eft\u00a0off. Tris, her lover Four (Theo James –\u00a0Underworld Awakening, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger<\/em>), her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns), Peter (Miles Teller –\u00a0Whiplash<\/a>, The Spectacular Now<\/em>), and Four’s father Marcus (Ray Stevenson –\u00a0The Book of Eli, The Three Musketeers<\/em>) are all in the peaceful Amity faction after fleeing Dauntless by train. The characters are at risk because Jeannie Matthews (Winslet) believes that a box with a symbol of each of the four factions can restore peace to their society. However, the box can only be opened by a Divergent. But based on what happened in the previous movie, Jeannie is the last person, especially Tris, trusts. Tris is also haunted by nightmares of those close to her getting hurt or killed. She’s angry and wants to hurt anyone who killed someone she loved. The story is simple enough. Capture the Divergents and put them through a series of simulation tests that will unlock this box and restore prosperity. The problem is if the subject fails the simulation, they die.<\/p>\n

Insurgent offered nothing new from\u00a0Divergent<\/em>. The best part about\u00a0Divergent<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>was it was new to us. The world was new. The characters were new. The story was new. It was fresh and exciting. That’s not to say\u00a0Insurgent<\/em>\u00a0was old and boring, but when you stack the two movies next to each other, the sequel cannot compare. Sure the displays are still impressive. There is plenty of action. It’s hard for me to believe many 12-20-year-old people wouldn’t like this movie. But for those of us older than 20, I don’t know. It just becomes another fantasy\/action flick with less than desirable acting. It might be a fun ride for a while, but it doesn’t challenge us, and the payoff isn’t there at the end. I imagine I’ll watch\u00a0Allegiant<\/em>\u00a0to see how\u00a0this all ends. However, I am not expecting much from this movie. And just like with\u00a0The Hunger Games<\/em>\u00a0franchise, I am beyond frustrated that they are breaking the final installment into two films so that they can milk money from its fans. I get it, but there is something about its ethics that is not right. Just like\u00a0Mockingjay<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>suffered by being split into two films, so will\u00a0Allegiant<\/em>, regardless of how good either of these films might be on its own.<\/p>\n

Plot 7\/10
\nCharacter Development 6\/10
\nCharacter Chemistry 6\/10
\nActing 6\/10
\nScreenplay 6\/10
\nDirecting \u00a06\/10
\nCinematography 9.5\/10
\nSound 8.5\/10
\nHook and Reel 7\/10
\nUniversal Relevance 7\/10
\n69%<\/p>\n

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