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makstracy
Reviews
Insurgent (2015)
More of a film trying to work up to the next one
I've read all the books in the Divergent series and honestly, Insurgent wasn't my favourite. I liked it substantially more than Allegiant, but not nearly as much as Divergent.
With that said, I honestly liked this film more than the first, but that's probably because it was much more visually appealing. I liked the way the film was directed when it came to just looking at the scenes with the volume down, and I liked the cinematography, but I honestly didn't like how the story was told and how much they wasted opportunities to develop the characters.
My biggest issue is with Four/Tobias. The first movie was how long? 2 and a half hours? This movie I'm guessing was roughly the same. We've had five whole hours of film and I still BARELY know the character. He's just a really good-looking guy who says everything like he's in a perpetual bad mood. I wanted to see them work with his character, and try to make something of it. In this movie, that just didn't happen.
My next problem was mainly with the plot. I barely understood the plot in the book - that's probably just because I don't really remember it - but I understood enough of it to know that it was changed in the movie, and honestly I preferred it. It wasn't a strong plot and at times I was thinking 'what the hell is happening? Why is it only Tris who can do this? What is with all this 'chosen one' kind of stuff?', but it was mildly entertaining to watch, and very easy on the eyes with all the special effects that at times didn't really make much sense.
With that said, I was applauding Shailene's performance for almost single-handedly carrying the entire movie. I feel that if she had been given more to work with, she would have made this a wonderful movie with the kind of performance she's capable of. I also liked Miles Teller's acting - I found it amidst the movie's aim to make itself sensible and serious rather refreshing.
I don't regret watching the movie, and I'll probably watch the Part one and Part two of the last book because I feel that I need to watch the movie if I've read the book. I have no idea how they'll manage to salvage anything movie-worthy from Allegiant though, but I'll endure it. -
If I Stay (2014)
I got what they were trying to do but...
LET me start this by saying that I thought that Chloe Grace did a very good job on this film, and I quite liked the performance of the man who played her gramps as well, but the movie itself just didn't SELL it for me.
I understand that Mia Hall is in high school and it's an age when sometimes the wrong things matter the most, but I just didn't like how most of her flashbacks; how most of the things she remembered as something important and a reason to go on with her existence, centered around a BOY. I honestly just don't like that kinda message - how most of the things she thought about when she was unconscious and having an inner debate with whether or not she wanted to live was mostly about this Adam character.
I would have liked to see more about her bonding with her little brother - who's death touched me a lot - or her going shopping for old records with her mother, or her and her father doing a lot more stuff together. I would have liked to see her conversations with her best friend, them talking about things that actually matter to them (the one time I recall seeing them actually talk was about *drumroll* Adam). I would have liked to see her grandparents spoiling her rotten with cookies and old stories.
Still, romance sells. I guess.
I get what they were trying to do, but I don't think they did it how it should have been done. I haven't read the book - which I regret - but if it was as boy-centered as the movie was, I would like to know. It could have been a beautiful tale if Mia Hall was more developed of a character. If she was more...independent. I liked her little moments with the cello, but I felt like there weren't nearly enough.
It was a movie that was tolerable, and at moments very touching, but it didn't quite get THERE. -