ALLEGIANT Movie Review

ALLEGIANT (PG-13)

Released by Summit Entertainment
Reviewed by Adam Mast

Congratulations, ALLEGIANT.  You have now made it even more difficult to differentiate  between THE HUNGER GAMES, THE MAZE RUNNER, and the DIVERGENT series. There are so many similarities between these popular young adult fiction movie adaptations, in fact, that a couple months from now, one might question whether they will actually be able to remember which one is which.

Not that this is necessarily a new thing. Hollywood often jumps on whatever is popular and tries to duplicate its success. With some of these books, however, it appears that  tinsel town may have gone too far, because clearly, the aforementioned movies feature various plot points that have seemingly blurred into one.

ALLEGIANT is based on the third book in a series penned by Veronica Roth. It finds warrior-for-the-people, Tris (Shailene Woodley), her dreamy soul mate Four (Theo James), and a  resistance team venturing beyond the massive walls of a war torn (and politically divided) Chicago where they find an even more ravaged outside world. Eventually, our fearless crew befriend a society they never knew existed and ultimately, Tris is brought face to face with David (Jeff Daniels), a TRUMAN SHOW-inspired God-like figure who may, or may not have a hidden agenda.

Actually, there are hidden agendas aplenty in the world of the DIVERGENT series. Many of the characters throughout these stories simply switch sides if it will ensure their survival. Just ask obnoxious Peter  (played by Miles Teller of WHIPLASH fame), a character so flip-floppy, you’ll ponder why Tris and crew didn’t kick his ass to the curb two movies ago.

This much can be said for ALLEGIANT.  Tonally, it couldn’t be any more different from the last chapter.  With the cat out of the bag and the primary characters coming to grips with the fact that there’s an entire world aside from the one they’ve always known, ALLEGIANT opts to amp up the sci-fi angle in a way that was only touched upon in INSURGENT.  Despite the tonal difference though, this movie is dull and convoluted,  and while it may look a little different from its predecessor, it’s all too familiar in other ways.

It’s confusing enough that this series is so blatantly reminiscent of THE HUNGER GAMES and THE MAZE RUNNER,  but now, it’s throwing in elements of THE MATRIX, OBLIVION, and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, too. And the whole film is underlined by a Joseph Trapanese composition that sounds  like the kind of stuff Daft Punk would have deemed too weak to include in the TRON: LEGACY score.

There’s some big time talent in this picture. Shailene Woodley is an outstanding actress. You don’t need to look beyond her effective performances in THE DESCENDANTS, THE SPECTACULAR NOW,  and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, to realize that.  In ALLEGIANT,  Woodley is certainly cute and, to a certain extent, spunky, but she lacks the sort of fierce spark here that took Jennifer Lawrence to such dramatic heights in the stronger entries of THE HUNGER GAMES series. Translation: Woodley’s Tris is simply too soft to buy into as a real savior for the people (Woodley looks far more badass in that poster than she ever does in the actual movie.)

Elsewhere, ALLEGIANT is populated by reputable A-listers like Naomi Watts, Jeff Daniels, and Octavia Spencer, and even they are unable to breathe life into the rather dull proceedings.

To call ALLEGIANT a straight up bad movie wouldn’t be entirely fair. There are a few cool isolated sequences worth mentioning. The scaling of the Chicago wall is well done and there are a couple of hand on hand combat scenes that are more than competently staged. Thing is, there’s a lot of familiarity, boredom,  cheese, and undeniable groan-worthy ridiculousness to go along with the few moments that are worth noting.

Again, ALLEGIANT isn’t the worst movie to hit theaters recently (it sure beats the hell out of THE 5TH WAVE) but it’s a largely lifeless and forgettable one. And the very idea that we still have one more  cinematic chapter to go (ASCENDANT  is slated for 2017) is enough to cause your eyeballs to roll into the back of your skull.

About Author

Adam Mast

Adam Mast has been a lifelong film enthusiast dating back to age 6 when his parents took him to see a little movie called JAWS at a drive-in theater in Northern California. This would lead him to several writing stints for various publications and outlets. Mast would also have a hand in several film projects of various shapes and sizes. In 2014, Mast would join forces with colleague John Pugh to create Cinemast.net as a means discuss film from a fan and analytical perspective. Together, Mast and Pugh would also create the 501 (C)(3) nonprofit, Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU) in 2017. FMASU’s mission is to encourage, inspire and educate filmmaking talent and to preserve film history. Adam currently resides in southern Utah with his amazing wife, Tonja, and their four wonderful children.

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