Insurgent - Movie Review

Insurgent

Director: Robert Schwentke

Written By: Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman, Mark Bomback (screenplay), (based off the novel by) Veronica Roth

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James

Released: March 20, 2015

119 minutes

Produced By: Neil Burger, Lucy Fisher, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Pouya Shahbazian, Barry H. Waldman, Douglas Wick, and John Wildermuth

I have to say up front that it's been since 2012 that I read Insurgent, and I've only read it one time. Insurgent was such an emotionally draining book that I haven't quite wanted to re-read it yet. Plus with knowing how things end in Allegiant...yeah. Even though this was a really good series, book-wise, I haven't been driven to re-read the 2nd or 3rd books yet. That being said, the little details aren't going to be things that I remember so much as the main events. So keep that in mind when I'm relating something that happened in the movie to something that happened in the book.

Even though I don't remember the little details, there were obviously some fairly major changes made from the book to the movie. There always are. I didn't get bogged down with those too much. I think for the most part, the major events were mostly intact, and if not really intact as far as events go, then usually the emotion behind the events remained. I will say...It was obvious that Tris was really struggling with the deaths of her parents as well as her own hand in Will's death. Shailene Woodley did a wonderful job in the Candor truth syrum scene. But, I still felt like Tris from the movie came off as very strong--even though suffering. That was just not my experience with reading the book. I zeroed in on the way Tris felt in the book. She felt guilt, yes. She didn't feel like she could forgive herself, yes. But it went further than that. When she hands herself over to Jeanine in the book, Tris is doing that more out of self-sabotage or self-punishment than any self-righteous or self-sacrificing reasons. And that is key to the contrast between the events that take place in Allegiant. I didn't feel like the movie did that exactly right.

The actors did a wonderful job. I mentioned Shailene Woodley's portrayal of the truth syrum scene. She's quickly becoming a favorite actress of mine because she really makes me feel what the character is feeling. Theo James did a wonderful job playing Four. He's so tough. Easily believable that he has only 4 fears. And his chemistry with Shailene seems genuine. Ansel Elgort...well that's like a whole different ballgame. I mean in the last movie I saw him in (The Fault in Our Stars), he's playing opposite Shailene Woodley as Augustus Waters--a most beloved character. And so for him to step into the role of Caleb took some adjusting. Yes, he'd played Caleb in Divergent, but he didn't have a huge role, and that was before being Augustus. At one point during Insurgent when Caleb, Tris, and Four are running to jump onto a train and Caleb is struggling to run fast enough, Husband leans over and whispers "He has cancer!!!" I couldn't help but crack up. Seriously though, Ansel does a good job transitioning to Caleb because you can see his cowardice, and you can see at times his struggle with Tris being his sister versus not actually being on Tris's side. I thought that was well played.

Other than the emotional rollercoaster Tris goes through not being quite as brutal as the book, the other there was really only one other moment that caused me to overthink a bit. I don't remember it happening in the book, but I couldn't say for certain that it didn't. And I don't want to really say what it was for spoilers sake--both movie and for Allegiant.

All in all, I thought this was a really solid movie. I really enjoyed it. I love the casting. Visual effects were really good. And even when events from book to movie were different, for the most part the emotion behind the events stayed consistent. I'm giving Insurgent 4 Stars. Have you seen Insurgent? What did you think? Let me know!

Insurgent - Review

Insurgent (Divergent, # 2)

By: Veronica Roth

Published By: HarperTeen May 1, 2012

525 pages

Source: Purchased w/ birthday gift card

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

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Goodreads Description—One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth’s much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

I really enjoyed Divergent and was ready to jump right into Insurgent since I had it on hand. But man do I wish I had given myself some downtime first. This marks a very rare occasion, one that has never occurred before. I literally wish I had been able to have the gap between releases in order to re-cooperate. I don’t think I understood how drained I was after reading Divergent until I moved into this one. Insurgent literally picks up at the exact moment that Divergent ends. And while that was really cool (not many stories do that), I found myself more than anything quite exhausted throughout the entire reading of Insurgent. These poor characters move from one horrible experience to another horrible experience. And just as the characters themselves had literally nil downtime, the reader has nil downtime. Even though I was exhausted, I felt this need to push through the exhaustion and continue moving through the story, much like the characters themselves had to do. My friend, Lacy, told me that she would compare Divergent to The Hunger Games, and while I didn’t agree with her during my own reading of Divergent, I completely agree now. The Hunger Games kept me pressing forward out of this intense fear that something was going to happen at any minute to these characters that I love, but it was mostly the fear that drives you forward. With the exception of the actual Games and the war, there are moments of downtime in that series. You know bad things are ultimately coming, yet you have a slight reprieve for the moment. That was not the case in Insurgent. There is a fear that drives you as the reader forward, but it’s not a fear of bad things happening—because that is a guarantee—it’s more like a fear of the outcome because bad things are happening constantly.

All of that being said, I’m afraid I might have given the impression that I didn’t enjoy it. That’s not the case at all. I was hooked. I was rooting for the characters. And I like the direction this series is headed in. Veronica Roth’s writing is gripping, and her story telling is better than most. Some moments I find to be quite beautiful. I, also, applaud her ability to tell her story without the addition of unnecessary language. That might seem like such a small thing, but I will never forget the idea of not being smart enough to come up with other words, and I apply that to this medium as well. Her story lacked nothing as a result.

Tris was more of a struggle to like in this book for me than in Divergent. As the reader, I was frustrated when Tris went into her moments of guilt and her inability to forgive herself. I can understand the character's need to experience those feelings and reactions, and the story would be less believable had she not. But I was yelling at her (in my head of course) to get over it, to move on, to wake up, to look around her and see what she’s risking by wallowing. And for goodness sakes, no more running off all the time—and I don’t mean off to danger to save the day, I literally mean the escape mechanism she uses. Dealing with this was an essential part of the story and necessary for Tris’s development as well as the furtherance of her relationship with Four (I’m probably always going to call him that, because Tobias is just…well…not my favorite name in the world). That being said, just as most real-life growing experiences aren’t usually pleasant to experience, they’re not always any more fun to read about either. In my personal opinion, it was all worth it to hear Four’s comment to her at the end.

I think that’s it for Insurgent. 4.5 stars. I’m looking forward to the release of the final book in the trilogy, though I am thankful that I have some time before it comes out, because I need some rest. *Wipes sweat off forehead* What did you guys think about Insurgent? If you haven’t read it, it’s a must read, and I have a feeling it’s one of those special series.

Updated: July 7, 2018