Ok, have you ever watched a film series and thought to yourself, ‘I’m I watching the same series? Did the writer decide to change genres somewhere in the middle?’ That’s how I feel about the Divergent series now in its third film, the latest called Allegiant. Allegiant is the final book of the trilogy and for money reasons, is part one of a two-part finale. This seems to be a trend that started with Harry Potter and has continued through Twilight and the Hunger Games. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Simply put, none of what we’ve seen or learned to this point makes any sense. In the first film we’re introduced to a dystopian society that had been divided into five different factions and the stories heroine, Tris (Shailene Woodley). We soon discover through some testing that she is what’s called a ‘divergent’, meaning she has equal attributes of the different factions, which for some, is threatening. Her unique distinction puts her at odds with the establishment. In theory, this all sounds great with lots of possibilities. Then, reality hits us over the head and what could have been turns into something that shouldn’t have been. By this time around even the actors look like they are just going through the motion. What’s sad is that this even comes across in the trailers.
The convoluted storyline follows Tris, Four (Theo James), Peter (Miles Teller), Christina (Zoe Kravitz) and Caleb (Ansel Elgort) as they venture beyond the wall that surrounds Chicago. They meet with David (Jeff Daniels) who is a high-ranking lackey from the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. Shouldn’t he have been part of the first film in some capacity or at least in the second? Especially given his position and his creepy lamenting of how “pure” Tris’ genes are. He informs her that she was kidnapped as a child and took part in some experiment. An experiment that we the audience, are left unsure of what exactly it was which only added to the frustration of this film series. Tris makes the mistake of trusting him.
The genius plan David proposes is to put an end to the civil war that exists between the Chicago fractions that’s headed between Evelyn (Naomi Watts) and Johanna (Octavia Spencer). Two and half movies in at this point and I still don’t know what’s happening. And something tells me neither does the characters. In between all the talk (and there’s lots of it), and the below average CGI action, we find out that David has a memory-erasing gas that’s ready to be dispensed at a moment’s notice throughout Chicago’s piping system. What? There are so many moving parts, so many story directions but unfortunately, its destination nowhere for this series that still has one more part left to tell.
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Zoe Kravitz, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts
PG-13 139 Mins
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT – * 1/2 (out of 5 stars)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
