MOVIE REVIEW - 'THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT'

I decided to prepare for this movie the same way I prepared for its prequel, 'Divergent'. That preparation consisted of not viewing any news or trailers so that I'd have absolutely no idea what the movie would be about. This helped me enjoy 'Divergent' a lot, but for its sequel, it didn't work.

Did I enjoy 'Insurgent'? Yes, I did. But only for the fact that it is a continuation to the Divergent series. In a way, I felt that this movie had the same effect on me as did 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' - as it was a disappointing follow-up to its much better prequel.

Let's go more in depth now. The story was good - with gripping drama and unexpected plot twists. The dialogue between characters was interesting, and it helped develop Tris Prior's character more.

The biggest praise I'll give for 'Insurgent' will be for the cast. Once again, Shailene Woodley shows us why she is one of Hollywood's finest young actresses. She was fantastic in this film, and tougher too. Theo James impressed as Four/Tobias again, and he has officially been named in my personal list of possible successors to Daniel Craig as James Bond.

On to the less impressive parts. The directing was a bit iffy here and there. There were moments when I was brought out of the film to think more about something that had just happened, or to think about what was going on. When a movie makes the audience think, it is good. However, when the audience starts thinking too much, that's when the film becomes poor.

The film also plays with the audience's feelings a tad bit too much with its ending. There were scenes where I thought the movie was going to end, but I was wrong. This was repeated many times after, leaving me a bit puzzled when the film finally ended for real.

Take nothing away from the way it ended, though. I really liked how they did it. At least they didn't leave the film on a cliffhanger like what 'Catching Fire' did. 

All in all, 'The Divergent Series: Insurgent' was a so-so sequel to its much better prequel. A good storyline and script is complimented by good acting, but is let down by poor directing and editing. Perhaps it would have been better if they had more time to make it.

6/10.