But, my sister raved about the first in the Divergent series which was released last year. She insisted that the sequel would be worth a watch. So, I decided to take a chance and see it on the big screen. But it wasn't just the ravings of my sibling which encouraged me. It was the opportunity to watch something with a strong female lead.
For the uninitiated, the film is set in a dystopian future where society splits people into factions according to their personality. However, the emergence of the divergent (people who fit into more than one society) threatens to cause a war. The divergents include Tris Prior, the heroine of the story, and Four, her boyfriend and protector.
Insurgent, based on the second book of the series, continues where the first left off, with the survivors of the first film seeking out their fellow Dauntless comrades and stop the Erudite faction from completely taking over. Meanwhile, Erudite leader, Jeanine has found a box which she believes contains a message from the founders of their society. However, she needs a strong divergent to open it and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Having never read the books, I could just view the film as it is. Which is good as the film was entertaining with great action, excellent performances and a strong female lead.
Tris is a character who has all and nothing. She blames herself for the death of her parents and is full of anger. But she is also a girl who is in love and her feelings force her to carry on. With so much to convey, other actresses might have lost the audience, but Shailene Woodley puts in a tremendous performance and is engaging and believable throughout.
Another great performance comes from Kate Winslet as the evil Erudite leader, Jeanine. With her porcelain skin and her white blonde hair, she is the perfect ice queen.
The rest of the cast are fine enough, although my biggest gripe is that Four (Theo James) seems so much older than Tris. I admit this led to me feeling a little uncomfortable during the 'sex' scene (something that apparently was not in the book).
The film is just shy of 2 hours, but is well paced. Action and drama are intertwined in a way that allows the viewer neither time to be bored, nor overloaded.
My sister watched the film with me and she was a little disappointed by the changes that were made to the film. Fans of the book will probably have a few issues with certain deviations from the source material. However, as a film on its own, it is impressive and has given me a new fondness for YA adaptations... just don't expect Twilight reviews any time soon!
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