a5c7b9f00b INSURGENT raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris's family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world. Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side. Probably the worst indictment I can give this forgettable franchise is that the only characters with any level of character development throughout the entire trilogy are bad guys and antiheroes. Our heroes, by stark contrast, start off being kind and virtuous and skilled in every conceivable way and thus are never required to grow as characters. I'm not sure if this is a problem in YA writing, film writing or feminist writing, possibly all of the above, but I can't help but notice similarities between the Divergent franchise and the Hunger Games: both of these purport to present a strong female role-model, and yet neither succeed in presenting anything but a petulant Mary Sue who inexplicably finds herself the center of her respective universe. Despite being an uppity go-getter who smashes through dozens of armed men at a whim, Triss is an object: things happen to her not because of the choices she makes but because she is divergent. In this regard Triss, like Katniss is a strange hybrid between the role of the princess and the role of the hero: both the object of the quest as the person going on the quest for said object. The result is muddled story telling without a point, because unlike a classical hero these spunky heroines never really have to grow to prove their worth; as the princess their value is inherent in what they are.<br/><br/>Now I could go on to describe how this series features every cliché in the dystopian sci/fi genre, but frankly I wouldn't have cared if the material were competently handled. The operative word being "if". Sadly, the introduction to this setting, with its factions and it's bigotry-against-divergents, is done so lazily that you're left yelling "WHY?!" at the screen for two films straight before the franchise even tries to answer basic questions about the premise, despite the fact that virtually all the drama stems from it.<br/><br/>On the plus side, this franchise had a few interesting ideas, albeit poorly executed, and the visuals were not half bad. Overall though, would only recommend as an exercise in critical film viewing, not as a legitimate film-viewing experience. In the sequel to last year's surprise hit Divergent, continues the story of Beatrice Prior and her lover Tobias Four Eaton along with her brother Caleb who are now fugitives from their faction system. Beatrice continues her role as the Divergent and attempting to get over the loss of her parents while feeling guilty about her friend's Will's death at her hands. She discovers that Tobias mother Evelyn who faked her death has been helping the Divergents against the faction system in attempt to find a better solution. However Tris still has to worry about the continued threat of Jeanine Matthews who is still attempting to eliminate her feeling that Divergents are a threat to the faction system and trying to figure out what the puzzle box contains. The film also introduces new characters such as Joanna Reyes played by Octavia Spencer and fan favorite Uriah. While I do feel that the film could have benefited from a longer running time, since I felt certain aspects from the book were changed and certain character aspects not properly fleshed out. However the film does have decent action, great visuals, and some humorous moments from Miles Teller who plays Peter. Can't wait for the two part Allegiant finale. Take everything annoying about a cobbled-together, overly familiar YA adaptation, add the built-in wheel-spinning of a sequel, and you’ve got Insurgent, a film that works best when it places its heroine inside virtual-reality situations — at least then it has an excuse for eschewing logic and context.
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