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Monday, 4 April 2016

THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Allegiant is the third film in the Divergent series and is just as exciting as the previous two installments, Divergent and Insurgent.
Allegiant picks up straight after when Insurgent ended. The main protagonist, Tris (Shailene Woodley), has managed to open a mysterious box that revealed the truth about Divergents. Now, with the antagonist of the previous two films, Jeanine (Kate Winslet), gone, she and her boyfriend, Four (Theo James) are determined to find out what is on the other side of the wall. However, it's easier said than done with Evelyn (Naomi Watts), Four's mother, refusing to let anyone pass it. The people who are guilty for siding with Jeanine are being executed one by one. Tris' brother, Caleb (Ansel Elgort) is one of those guilty but, fortunately, Four manages to break him out and escape along with Tris, her friend Christina (Zoe Kravitz) and the annoying Peter (Miles Teller). When the five of them manage to climb over the wall, it's beyond what they ever imagined. They find a place known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare run by a man named David (Jeff Daniels). He says that Tris is 'pure' and that she is the only one that can save humankind, due to all other divergents being 'damaged' in some way. She trusts David but Four has issues with him and believes he's hiding something.
At the end of Insurgent, the film ends with Tris and Four wanting to find out what's behind the wall. I couldn't wait a year until this film to find out so I read the book from which it's adapted from. I think the book is brilliant. However, the screenplay for this film, like The Maze Runner's screenplay, is completely different to the book. I recognised some characters from the book but the plot isn't the same as what I read. I think the reason the writers changed it was because of the original ending of the book (*spoiler for the book, Allegiant*) where Tris dies after being shot by David. Many readers were shocked by this ending as it's rare that the main protagonist dies. In my opinion, I think it's better that Tris doesn't die as she is a likable heroine. The plot does have similarites to the novel which I appreciate. I would say that this is a better adaptation of Allegiant than Scorch Trials is of its book of the same name.
The acting is strong, as usual. Shailene Woodley is great as Tris, she accentuates the role by cutting her hair to its actual length in the book (Woodley did have short hair for Insurgent but it was the wrong length due to her filming The Fault In Our Stars). Theo James also makes a likable protagonist in Four. His love for Tris has grown and becomes more determined to protect her. However, Tris becomes more independent after meeting David and the two grow distant. Ansel Elgort's Caleb is guilty for siding with Jeanine but, after he's forgiven by Tris, he becomes stronger by helping her instead of doing what he thinks is right. There's comic relief from Miles Teller's Peter, who can be annoying at times due to his choices but his sarcasm made me laugh.
There are some brilliant futuristic sequences with flying aircrafts and new gadgets.
I'm not going to describe the ending, all I'm going to say is that it ends on a plot twist, leading to Ascendant, the final film in the Divergent series. I wasn't expecting the film to end this way as I thought both Tris and Four were safe from the Bureau of Genetic Welfare but the ending implies that there's still more to come.
I was excited about watching this film and my expectations weren't disappointed. This film has made me even more excited for Ascendant, the conclusion in the series.
7/10
Read my review of Divergent here.
Read my review of Insurgent here.

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