Review of Insurgent (2015) by Thequietgamer — 26 Aug 2015

It's better than the first movie, but still just a poor man's Hunger Games. Unfortunately there isn't much of a reason to get invested in it's characters or world. It's generic dystopian world is filled with talented actors playing generic archetypes we've seen before. Thankfully they did do a good job at ramping up the pace from the first movie. It doesn't happen too much in the plot department, but there is some visually impressive action to hold audiences attention this time around. Just hold in your disbelief that the only people capable of aiming around here are our heroes.

The movie definitely has excellent performances all around. It's a shame the cast isn't giving more to work with. Woodley is left to mope about how "deadly" she is, Theo James is left to mindlessly follow her, and Winslet is just there so the film can have a villain. With all of these actors left with little interesting to do, the only character worth rooting for is Miles Teller's, who was annoying and pointless in the last film. Here he is the comic relief character and really the saving grace of the cast.

With the plot there isn't much to say. It isn't only until the end where things actually happen. Until the last few minutes all we get is a seemingly endless build up to a revolution while "Tris" (Woodley) deals with her new sense of regret. Maybe it would have been more interesting had either side of the plot been more interesting and less generic. Unfortunately things here feel familiar. That's because we've seen it before.

The movie is made more watchable than it's predecessor though thanks to the increased amount of action. The enemies the heroes face might be incapable of proving to be an actual threat, but at least there's some flash onscreen, and what pretty flash it is. Stunning visual effects create some really cool looking scenarios. These scenes add some much needed life into the overall movie, as well as the series as a whole.

"Insurgent" is a slight improvement. Unfortunately though it is just another dystopian future YA novel turned movie. The same themes and even the same characters are presented once again only in a less interesting package. One that's going to have a hard time pleasing even it's intended audience. It lacks the punch of Hunger Games, the mystery of Maze Runner, and the heart of any of it's competition. It's not bad, but it can get pretty darn boring. The few bits of added flair can't save it from mediocrity.