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.

THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

With Shailene Woodley and Theo James returning as the protagonists, Tris and Four, Insurgent is an exciting and thrilling sequel to Divergent.
The film picks up straight where Divergent ended, with Tris and Four fighting to stop the discrimination against 'Divergents'. In the first film, it was discovered that Divergents are a group of people that fit into more than one or all factions (Abnegation; Dauntless; Erudite; Candor and Amity). Meanwhile, the antagonist, Jeanine (Kate Winslet), wants all Divergents to be found so she can use them in a simulator to open a mysterious box.
I thought this was a lot better than the first film in the series. There were plenty of action sequences and great character development, especially with Tris. In the beginning, she was so ashamed of being divergent and didn't want to admit it to anyone. Now, she's accepted herself and along with her love interest, Four, who is also divergent, they fight against the prejudice. They are both likable protagonists. There's no need to compare Woodley to Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss in The Hunger Games. Both characters are just as fierce and brave as each other. It's in this sequel that we learn more about Four and his past in a scene where he is reunited with his mother (Naomi Watts). However, this scene is far from heartwarming as Four has a negative relationship with her due to her leaving him when he was young. It's in this scene that we finally understand and feel sympathy for him.
Winslet gives a solid performance as the antagonist. She'll do whatever it takes to get what she wants, even if it means harming young teenagers.
The film has a great supporting cast including Ansel Elgort who plays Tris' brother, Caleb. Both Woodley and Elgort starred in the romantic drama, The Fault In Our Stars, as two characters in a relationship that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. In Insurgent, their characters are the opposite. Tris is determined about defeating Jeanine but Caleb isn't so sure. As an audience, we think that he would support his sister, but, in a shocking twist, we see him side with Jeanine. This is such a heartbreaking scene that we forget that the two played a couple just a couple of months ago.
Overall, Insurgent is a brilliant follow-up to Divergent.
7/10
Read my review of Divergent here.

DIVERGENT REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Divergent is set in a futuristic dystopia where the current society is divided into five factions (Erudite, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless and Amity) that each represent a different virtue and teenagers must decide which faction to live in. Do they stay with their family or leave them behind for a new life? This is decided through an initiation and the results will tell them which faction they belong in. This system works for everyone, except for Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley). Her results are Divergent, which is a very rare outcome and means she fits into all five factions. In this society, Divergents are pre-judged as they are different and seen as dangerous. This leads to Beatrice making unpredictable choices and hiding who she truly is.

I actually quite enjoyed watching this film. When it was released last year, in March, it got mixed reviews. While it's not up there with The Hunger Games, it is still a good film. There are some similarities to The Hunger Games such as: a female protagonist; a dystopian future where the human race is split into different homes and a male love interest for the female protagonist, ect but there are a lot of differences as well as I know the writer of the book, Veronica Roth, would want to stay way from any Hunger Games references so she has her own ideas as well. I have read the book of this film and I do have to say, the book is better but then again, the books are always better as they have a lot of things that are not included in the film. I think the director of the film, Neil Burger, did a great job as he shows the action really well but also manages to tell the story through Beatrice's point of view, like in the book.

While this film isn't as good as The Hunger Games and the book is a lot better, on it's own, it's still a really good film but I'd definitely recommend reading the books to get an 100% understanding they are brilliant.

6/10
Read my review of Insurgent here.