I enjoy dystopian YA novels and series (for the most part).
It's a trend that I've found over the course of the last few years where I'll check out this "hip" new book series and I plow through the books within a month or so.
Although a lot of these books are littered with annoying, poorly written (even if the rest of the book is fantastic), and clichéd love stories, I find interest more so in the sci-fi elements of their dystopian universes. Obviously, they all borrow from one another but I find that each series has its own vices, feel, and themes, most of which I usually really enjoy. I would rank The Hunger Games as my favorite (assuming we aren't including Mr. Potter), followed closely by The Maze Runner (I found that it faltered a bit in the third book), and then the Divergent series.
For those of you keeping close track of Rath's Reviews, you'll see that I didn't review the first film. I can't exactly remember why I didn't, seeing as how I was looking forward to it, but I would guess that I got busy around that time. Worry not though, I've read all three books so I know generally what is going on.
As for the novel series itself, I would recommend it IF you've enjoyed other similar series. Unfortunately, the Divergent series is plagued by a horrendously amateur love story. It's really corny and it drags the first novel down significantly, but luckily it eventually matures a bit near the end. The series as a whole however, is probably the darkest of the three that I mentioned. It's pretty violent and ruthless and I really applaud author Veronica Roth for taking some leaps of faith, especially in the third novel.
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"Tris, who are you going to make out with first?" |
This all being said, I should say that Insurgent is not as special as those films above. I mean that mostly as a warning; if you DO NOT like YA adaptations, chances are Insurgent won't do much for you. It's a strong film, with a few problems, that does a good job at honoring the source material while providing the setup for the final film. But it doesn't really have a leg up on The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner (although, this could easily change with the third film should they follow the novels).
Insurgent picks up very shortly after the first film where the Dauntless faction has escaped and are planning their next move. Meanwhile, the Erudite, led by Jeanine (Kate Winslet), are attempting to open an artifact by using Divergent. Tris (the always fantastic Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) are plotting to kill Jeanine in order to stop her recent reach of power. Tris' brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Peter (Miles Teller) are also with them. *Side note*: given that Woodley has had romantic films with each of the actors listed, it makes for a somewhat amusing film without it even trying to be. That tidbit aside, the film unfolds somewhat slowly, much like Mockingjay, as not much happens from beginning to end, all things considered. I wouldn't say that it manages it's time as well as Mockingjay did (come on guys, it wasn't boring) and it glosses over some key scenes, leaving some character decisions to come across as incredibly stupid. There is also some really wonky camera work during seemingly normal scenes. This isn't shaky cam, but unnecessary zoom-ins on character faces, and even a camera 180 upside-down rotation during a calm scene of characters walking down a flight of stairs. It's flair that feels out of place, especially in some of the more tame scenes.
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Tris, unable to make her romantic decision among her co-stars, plans her escape. |
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Tris makes her decision: kill all previously romantic co-stars |
This seems like one of those reviews that is more a discussion about my history with the series and my general inclination to like dystopian stories so I'll keep this paragraph to the point. Insurgent is a generic YA adaptation. It's about a dystopian society, has a female protagonist, a love story, and a bunch of teenagers saving the world.
But generic isn't always bad, and Insurgent is a good example of a series that, while it has its unique aspects, is good enough as a competitor. It's for those who enjoy this type of material, and not much else. Much like the book series, I would recommend it if you are a fan of this sort of story, and if not, feel comfortable knowing that you're not missing the crème de le crème of the YA craze.
CONS:
- Some weird camerawork during calmer scenes
- A few scenes where character decisions are glossed over, making the decisions look idiotic
- Not much is accomplished from beginning to end
- The movie is confused on its stance of killing for the first half hour (i.e. Tris throws someone off a train but is still haunted by a death from the first film)
- The cast is great all around. Woodley does a great job maneuvering through her graveyard of romantic co-stars and giving us a strong, multi-dimensional, Tris
- A good adaptation of the novel, from my memory
- Some well filmed action and decent drive throughout
- Awesome simulation scenes with great special effects
- Surprisingly strong original score
- Solid ending
Rath's Review Score: 7/10
That 7 is very generous, you need to raise your standards just a bit. Especially when you look at other reviews of yours. I think you are too easy on movies unfortunately
ReplyDeleteI don't NEED to do anything, thank you very much. If you were/are a frequent visitor to the site, you'd know that a 7 coming from me is very similar to a 5 or 6 coming from other critics. If you look at my "Score Data" tab, you'll see that a 7 is labeled as just above average in the "good" zone, which I would say Insurgent belongs in.
DeleteThanks for the read though!
Also, just a side note: leaving a snippy comment as "Anonymous" is pretty ridiculous.
Dear anonymous, let us know where your blog is and we'll come over and check your scores out!
DeleteHaven't seen this or Maze Runner. My lads are reading the Maze books so we might watch them. I'm still reeling from that deathly dull Mockingbird Pt 1!!
ReplyDeleteMaze Runner is pretty awesome, and I'm betting the next one will be too. It's the third book that was kind of a departure from the series that I connected with less.
DeleteThere probably isn't too much reason for you to dive into the Divergent series unless they start reading those as well.
To each their own on Mockingjay...I really enjoyed the propaganda aspect of it, but I admit, it was a bit on the boring side compared to the first two films.
Thanks for the support :-)
Very nice review Jordan. We really share practically the exact same opinion on YA dystopian stories. I think some people (mostly critics) have a ridiculous idea that there can't be more than one of them or something. Sure Divergent isn't as good as The Maze Runner, which isn't as good as The Hunger Games, but all of them are perfectly enjoyable in their own right.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Insurgent yet, but am planning to soon, and your review makes me confident that I'll enjoy it, even if it falters occasionally. :)
Thank you for the kind words Sarah!
DeleteI agree! We have multiple superhero films, why not dystopian YA novel adaptations? As you said, this one is enjoyable, even if it isn't the best of them out there.