"EVERYONE is worth saving."
Hello everyone!
I debated long and hard about what I wanted to talk about tonight in this blog post, as when I browse the web, there are certain things that I don't see, but want to. Like, for instance, recaps of the Poldark episodes, because sometimes I don't have time to actually watch the episode but would still love to learn what happened ...
So I waged an internal battle about whether or not I want to do an ep-by-ep recap of the Poldark season as I did with Game of Thrones, then decided I would compromise and do a review after the first half was over.
For tonight, I needed a different thing, then.
Going to consult my trusty sheep booklet, I perused through the notes I'd jotted down while I was watching different movies, and finally decided on one that I'm so puzzled about that I doubt I've seen the light yet.
No, scratch that, I haven't, let's be honest here.
I'm talking about Allegiant.
Now, allow me to say this: when I watched the first movie in the series, Divergent, I honestly loved it. It was a very good adaptation of the book, the actors were amazing in their roles, the faithfulness to the source material was there, and Theo James is eye candy.
But when it came to the second movie, I began to notice that it was somehow turning well away from its source material, the book (I'll link my review of that one down below, as per usual of these continuous things), and that fans around the globe were enraged because of this. Well, the book fans anyway. I'm not too sure about the people who've seen the movie simply for the movie itself.
So then when it came time to watch the third movie, I went into it with caution. I had seen the trailer and it made zero sense to me at the time.
Granted, it's been a while since I've read the books - at least a year, if not two - but I'm fairly sure my memory is good enough to identify whether or not something that happened was there. And what I watched in those first two or three minutes shown in the trailer were NOT what I recalled.
The movie begins directly where the second one left off: Evelyn (aka Naomi Watts) has closed the city of Chicago to prevent anyone from leaving it after the discovered message that they are not, in fact, the last city in the world. This doesn't sit well with Tris or Four, but they can't do much about it, nor would she really, seeing as she just wants to be free to make her own decisions.
Instead of freedom, what's happening is a series of trials (usually ending with death) for Jeanine's followers (to recount, this was the lady who prety much wanted to control everybody), and the mob is becoming like it used to be in Rome: thirsty for blood.
Tris has other plans: she wants to go over the wall to find the others, and so of course the gang troops off. These include Four, her brother Caleb (who should have been executed but was saved by the boyfriend so his girlfriend wouldn't end up resenting him for doing nothing), Peter (the skunk), Christina and Tori. They're chased, and Tori is killed on top of the wall, but the other five make it across and trek through a barren wasteland.
Things would have gone terribly ill if not for the fact that they reach the apparent border, where a troop of men appears and rescues them from their pursuers, then takes them to their technological marvel of a city and tattoos a code on their wrists.
Each person's code is different - and only Tris has a complete one.
This becomes clear later on after the uncomfortable realization that they've been observed all their lives (creepy stalkerish, much?): the code basically represents their DNA, and Tris is the only one deemed 'genetically pure'. What they also learn is that humanity has messed up DNA big time, and so they created project cells, like Chicago, where they would allow the human genes to repair themselves in their own fashion.
Tris, enthralled by this idea, is sucked deeper into the vortex of what everyone can see is the head honcho, David (Jeff Daniels) alienating her from her friends, while they in turn begin to realize that Providence isn't what it says it is.
Namely: they are told that there are other people, and that Providence saves children from living in poverty and starvation and gives them a better home. What Four and Christina learn, however, is that the children are STOLEN, their memories ERASED, and a new identity given to them so that Providence can train them as they see fit.
Realizing this, Four tries to talk to Tris, but by this point the chasm has gotten deep, and she leaves with David to persuade other Council members (others who preside over the rest of the world) to invest more money.
So her boyfriend eludes getting killed - he's good like that - and treks back to Chicago, where his mother locks him up because she can't trust him. Well, that's one stupid decision, but we'll get back to it.
Tris learns that David has lied to her the whole time and decides to follow Four, with the rest of the gang in tow (minus Peter, this is an important factor) despite David's incredulity and belief she won't do it. Of course he doesn't know that Tris' real loyalty is with Chicago - so they arrive just in time because David is planning on erasing Chicago once and for all.
How?
Why, by having Peter help Evelyn with her control problem, of course. See, Evelyn turning into another Jeanine didn't sit well with a lot of people, and they rose against her in an almost all-out war, but Peter shows Evelyn the forgetfulness serum David uses on Fringe children, and she will now unleash it on the city, believing that only those outside the main building will be affected.
Christina and Tris arrive, first to rescue Four, then to stop the whole thing from happening (but not before we get to see some awesome Four fighting scenes; Theo James kills it!); Peter turns once more when he realizes David has played him and that EVERYONE will be affected, EVERYWHERE.
Tris goes head to head with David who tries to stop her from what she's doing, but in the end she defeats him with his own technology and blows up the main air dispensers that are pumping out the toxic gas.
Sending a message to Chicago, Tris explains about Providence and what they found out, while watching the helicopter fly back towards the border where it explodes; they're all unaware that David is still watching them, the survaillance system intact (somehow they forgot about this detail) while they enjoy what they believe is a happy ending.
This movie was so bizzare it's not even funny.
I mean, okay, things were intriguing from a movie point of view, but since it was supposed to be a book adaptation, I'm on the fence. Then again, they did only say it was 'based off' the book, not actually adapted, which gives them leeway and wriggling room.
STILL THOUGH.
The main reason why the first movie was so successful, and why, say The Hunger Games were so successful, was because they were faithful to their source material. If the characters in this one had been named something else, I doubt anyone would have minded. I feel like it deviated from the original so much. I'm not sure what happened or why anyone even agreed to it, since the whole point of making books into movies is faithfulness, right?
Apparently not.
For a movie itself, it was entertaining, I suppose. For a book adaptation, it fell woefully short.
xx
*images and video not mine
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