INSURGENT (2015) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

insurgent (2015) movie

Genre              |   Science Fiction

Classification   |   M

Running time   |   119 minutes

Released         |   20 March 2015

cast

Shailene Woodley ... Tris
Theo James ... Four
Kate Winslet ... Jeanine
Ansel Elgort ... Caleb
Miles Teller ... Peter
​Jai Courtney ... Eric
Octavia Spencer ... Johanna
Ashley Judd ... Natalie
Naomi Watts ... Evelyn
Zoë Kravitz ... Christina
Daniel Dae Kim ... Jack Kang

director

​Robert Schwentke

writer

​Brian Duffield ... (screenplay) and
Akiva Goldsman ... (screenplay) and
Mark Bomback ... (screenplay)
 
Veronica Roth ... (novel)

cinematographer

​Florian Ballhaus

music

​Joseph Trapanese

film editor

​Stuart Levy
Nancy Richardson

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box office result

Worldwide               $297,276,329

Australia                 $​9,446,209

North America        $​​​​130,179,072

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the best dialogue

Jeanine: Peace. Long ago, before the Founders established this great city of ours, that word was all but meaningless. An ideal as elusive as a dream. Now, 200 years later, we are, all of us, living proof that peace is indeed attainable. The reason for this is, of course, our Faction System. Erudite, Dauntless, Amity, Candor, Abnegation. In dividing people according to personality and aptitude, we've created a society in which each faction plays a critical role in maintaining the social order. But this harmony we achieved is now under attack from a small but extremely dangerous group of individuals. We call them Divergents. They are, in essence, the worst of what humanity used to be. Rebellious, defiant, and uncontrollable.

Tris: What does Jeanine think is in that box, Caleb?
Caleb: It's a message from the Founders. But the box was to be opened only if the Faction System broke down, which is why it requires someone like you to open it. You are living proof that the Divergent problem has grown beyound all control.

Tris: I miss you so much.
Natalie: I know you do. But I'm still with you. You need to be strong now. Tell me you're gonna be strong.
Tris: I'm trying.
Natalie: You can do this. I know you can. You're brave. Braver than anyone.
Tris: I'm not brave, Mom. I pretend that I am. And I want people to think that I am. But I'm not. I'm really, really scared. That maybe we are actually what's wrong in this world. Divergents. I never wanted any of this. You and Dad and Caleb and then Four. And I can't help but think that if I was normal... we would all still be together. Mom, I don't wanna be Divergent anymore. I just wanna feel safe again.

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INSURGENT (2015) MOVIE IMAGES

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INSURGENT (2015) STORY SYNOPSIS

​Now on the run from Jeanine (Kate Winslet) and the rest of the power-hungry Erudites, Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) search for allies and answers in the ruins of Chicago. They must find out what Tris' family sacrificed their lives to protect and why the Erudites will do anything to stop them. Side by side, Tris and Four face one seemingly insurmountable challenge after another, as they unravel the secrets of the past and -- ultimately -- the future of their world.

INSURGENT (2015) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 20 March 2015
Pop ​Movee Rating ⭐⭐⭐

INSURGENT is a solid, entertaining follow-up to Divergent, the 2014 film that saw Shailene Woodley consolidate her position as one of the best young female actresses. Insurgent has the difficult task of bridging the first and third parts of the DIVERGENT trilogy. This is further complicated by the film's producers the break the final film, ALLEGIANT, into two parts. The impact on INSURGENT results in a film that is caught somewhere between entertaining self-contained action and self-conscious exposition designed to establish the framework to launch the series toward its finale.

In much the same manner as THE HUNGER GAMES films, Insurgent's writers Akiva Goldsman, Brian Duffield & Mark Bomback stay true to the literary source material keep the focus on Woodley's character Tris Prior. Their script does introduce elements not contained within the corresponding novel which enhance the film’s plot. There is a feeling, however, throughout the film’s 119 minute running time that a little more could have been done to create a more evenly-paced story.

At the beginning of the film, Tris is not in the best of places. Events of the first film have taken her toll and she has become consumed by the need to avenge herself upon Kate Winslet's Jeanine. The defection of her brother Caleb, played by Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller’s Peter leaves Tris further deflated, but, at least, Tris’s man stands by her … Supporting Tris in her quest is Four, played by Theo James. James and Woodley make a good couple and good dramatic tension is built-up with Tris’s ongoing concern about Four’s welfare. A reasonable amount of Insurgent's screen time is dedicated to developing the relationship between the two and would indicate that there's some emotional turmoil in store for viewers later in the series.

Among the other performances, Kate Winslet is a touch below her previous turn as Jeanine, the leader of the "Erudite" faction who has seized control of Chicago. Her character is let down by the screenplay, as some of her character's actions conveniently disregard circumstance in order to keep the plot moving forward. Jai Courtney also returns as Eric, but is only present to serve as a one-note villain whose main contribution is to act like a thug and antagonize Tris and Four into action. Naomi Watts also enters the fray in this film as Evelyn, who leads the "Factionless" rebels in their escalating campaign to overthrow the city's faction-based structure. The most uneven performance in the film is delivered by Miles Teller. Part of the problem is his character’s underlying duplicity. One minute he’s working with Tris; the next he’s working for Jeanine and so on and so forth. In the latter part of the film, it becomes clear that Teller is not quite sure how to play his scenes; most of the time conveying bemusement as he holds his tongue in his cheek and tries his hardest not to break the fourth wall and ask the audience “What the hell is going on?”

Director Robert Schwentke does a solid job of moving the story along, but could have been better served by a more even screenplay. Much of the film’s action is loaded into the last 30 minutes, as Tris battles Jeanine in both the real and not-so-real world. During these scenes, Insurgent does feel somewhat derivative of the first film and it’s a point that will need to be considered for the third and fourth films to ensure those entries change-up and deliver material that is more original in terms of its visual execution.

Fans of the first film will love this new entry as it delivers on most of the promises made by the first. It leaves a number of questions to be resolved, but that’s fine. A movie series such as the DIVERGENT series never promises that it will wrap everything up in a nice neat bow in every film. It’s not absolutely necessary to see Insurgent on the big screen, but the visual effects of the film’s finale look much better in their native feature film presentation.

INSURGENT (2015) USEFUL LINKS

The Divergent Series: Insurgent - Wikipedia
​Insurgent (2015) - IMDb
​Insurgent - Movie Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes

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