Insurgent is not urgent at all!
It’s that time of the year again when sequels come calling, with shiny two-and-a-half minute trailers and countless promotional interviews bombarding a viewer’s five senses.
And time after time, this pirate believes those promos and goes to the theatre — fully expecting to discover the lost city of El Dorado — only to find it was merely a line drawn on water.
Insurgent is boring, as every middle movie in a series tend to be. This is the second of a four-part movie (the third installment being made in two parts).
The first movie — Divergent — based on the book by Veronica Roth, introduced a dystopian land where humans have been segregated into six harmonious regions based on their skill sets.
They are Amity (famers), Candor (truthsayers), Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (daring) and Erudite (smarties) and Factionless (outsiders who doesn’t belong anywhere).
Tris Prior (played by Shailene Woodley), who shows traits of several factions at once, is considered a Divergent and hence dangerous. The first film chronicled her fight with Erudite leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet), who was intent on taking over the world as they know it.
Insurgent begins just three days after the events of Divergent and Tris is on the run. She also has to deal with tensions within her own camp, all the while relying heavily on her protector Four (Theo James).
Though the director has changed, the continuity is very much there. But unfortunately, things unfurl very, very slowly.
A problem with the Divergent series is that one gets the feeling they’ve seen it all before, thanks to the number of recent young adult fiction movies (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight and Maze Runner to name a few). There is only so much one can take.
Shailene Woodley is the one good thing in this movie. She’s a natural and intense in her scenes. She could be the next Angelina Jolie in the making.
For fans of the Divergent series, this could be a perfect evening out. But for those going to watch a movie in the trilogy for the first time, better watch the first part online or read it up on Wikipedia. There’s no other way you’ll make head or tails of this caper.
VERDICT: A slick two-and-a-half minute trailer doth not make good, gripping movie magic on screen. Strictly for fans of the book. Four out of 10 stars.
