Thursday, March 31, 2016

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: ALLEGIANT


The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 
on ALLEGIANT (2016, 120 minutes, PG-13)


The Quick of It -
ALLEGIANT is the start of the conclusion to the Divergent Book Series by Veronica Roth, which will be followed by ASCENDANT.  Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) must find their way outside the wall, to discover what is beyond Chicago.  What they find is that the world they knew was not all that it seemed, and must make hard decisions with no one looking out for their or their people's betterment.  

The one impressive piece to this film is the tech.  The large structures, the military and vehicle technology, and the surveillance system made for some sweet goals for the science world.  Without the level of detail applied to this project, the sense of future would have been distracting.  Instead, I sat in awe while the story unfolded.  

 
The acting is fair, the tween moments get a little sappy, and the action still cutting.  Although Tris was the center of the story, Four was the standout character.  His quick, violent fighting style and pragmatic approach grounded the plot and made you root for them.  On the opposite side, Miles Teller's self-serving bastard of a character, Peter, is the sorta-bad guy you relate to and also root for.  Sorry... not sorry.


To finish off the series, this is eventually a 'must see', which has been better than most in this genre.  Beyond that, the movie is entertaining, but it does require you to have seen the previous films to know what is happening.  ALLEGIANT did a far better job on splitting the final book, unlike MOCKINGJAY.  So catch up on the previous films and save those 'damaged' peeps. 

Grade: B-

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