Only HALF of a decent movie.
It's hard to say how exactly it got started (*cough* Harry Potter and Twilight *cough*), but somewhere along the line filmmakers realized that people absolutely OBSESS over Young Adult fiction. In fact, they love in so much that they'll buy two tickets just to see that last story split in half across two movies. Sometimes, that works out okay. But usually, the result is two bloated, confused films that struggle to maintain a compelling plot through the whole thing.
Unfortunately, Allegiant might be the worst of these YA offenders.
Continuing the story started in Divergent and Insurgent, Allegiant tells the story of Tris and Tobias as they venture outside of the walls of Chicago for the first time. There, they discover the hidden history of the Factions and must decide the best way to bring peace to their society (and maybe save the whole world) once and for all. Romance, intrigue, and violence ensue!
Let's get to the review.
+ Great production design
Not many people think about it, but every element of a film production has to be carefully thought out and selected. Nothing happens by accident (most of the time). Production design is the process that makes sure all of those pieces fit and form a cohesive, unique whole. The Divergent series overall has had pretty stellar production design. From the unique style of clothes, to the bombed out architecture, to the advanced technology, everything really seems to fit into one awesome-looking world. Of course, some of the technology is a bit outlandish (more on that later), but it still looks cool.
+ Stellar sound
Like production design, the sound of a film is often overlooked but nonetheless integral to the experience. The sound track here is nothing splendid, but it fits the action nicely. And the fight sound effects, both ballistic and physical, have a real crispness that really highlights the action without overwhelming the viewer. It's a nice change of pace from the usual barrage of sensations in most action movies.
+ Crisp, clean action
Of course, cool sounds would be ridiculous without the fights to cause them, and Allegiant has those nailed. I can't remember the last time I watched an action movie where I could actually follow all of the different fights; far too often, filmmakers use so much chaos that it just looks like a mess of limbs. Here, though, you get to see every devastating hit, and the movie is better for it.
+ A few good actors
Miles Teller is something of a hot topic in Hollywood these days, being hailed as one of the next great generation of actors following his role in the Academy Award-winning Whiplash. In Allegiant, he's obviously not given as much great material to work with, but he really owns the snobbish cunning of Peter. Jeff Daniels, as a new figure of power named David, is a surprisingly good fit, with enough charm to make his motivations a real mystery.
- A lot of bad actors
Unfortunately, the few standout actors just serve to highlight the lack of energy in the rest of the cast. Shailene Woodley and Theo James are near-wooden as Tris and Tobias. As one might expect, this makes it difficult to root for their troubled romance -- a subplot that only serves to clutter a confusing story even further. Naomi Watts also struggles as primary antagonist Evelyn, resulting in a central conflict that barely seems to hold any weight.
- On-the-nose dialogue
The most difficult lesson for any screenwriter is learning how to convey the necessary information to the audience while still creating characters that talk and respond like normal human beings. Amazingly, Allegiant manages to fail on both of these fronts. The characters continuously spout remarks that seem directed straight at the audience, but overall plot is still as jumbled as ever.
- Ridiculous technology
You know how I said earlier that this film takes the futuristic view a little too far? It gets ridiculous. Not only is the level of technology massively advanced beyond a reasonable level for the supposed time period (about 300 years into the future), in a lot of cases it just doesn't make sense. I don't want to spoil anything, but it seems like the filmmakers wanted to include anything that might look cool, regardless of whether it served a purpose.
- Some rough special effects
Of course, with all that crazy technology thrown in, the special effects budget was probably pushed to its reasonable limit. That shows, with some very rough patches of CGI. The worst offenders are the green screen moments, where it looks like the actors are standing in front of a two-dimensional screen. Occasionally, there are also some rough 3D models, with too-low polygon counts and muddied texture work.
* This is not the plot your looking for
Just a fair warning: don't expect this movie to line up with the book at all. Supposedly, it should tell the first half of the story. In reality though, it tells the majority of the book's story, while leaving out several crucial details. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Ascendant (the second half) comes out next year.
* What year is it?
This is more a preference than anything else, but I really wish the films had stuck with the level of technology found in the books rather than giving it a massive upgrade. In the books, technology has essentially remained the same since the 21st century due to the constant fighting. This seems like a far more realistic projection, and also results in a more relatable story.
What's the score?
It comes as no surprise that Allegiant feels like only half of a decent movie. Sure it shows some promise, but a lot of that goes undelivered. Perhaps Ascendant will be able to fill in the gaps next Spring, but that doesn't change the fact that this movie only deserves half of a decent score.
