Allegiant Review

Justin and I saw Allegiant on March 19, 2016! In my opinion, the Divergent series is extremely underrated! Much like Divergent & Insurgent, I thoroughly enjoyed Allegiant. I thought the story was great. It centers around the complexity of human beings. It's really incredible to watch how both main view points of Evelyn & David would end up leading to utter chaos. Tris Prior opens up our eyes to realize human beings choose their own path. Paths and ways of life cannot be dictated to us. The complexity of our personalities and genetic make-up cannot be placed into one category whether it's pure, damaged, or one of the five factions: Dauntless, Erudited, Abnegation, Candor, or Amity. Being damaged as a person shouldn't necessarily be treated as a negative. Tris tells us to embrace our differences and damaged selves rather than strive to be pure. The message of the Divergent series has always been an incredible one, and Allegiant just continues to present an amazing visual representation of this.

Shailene Woodley continues to be one of my favorite actresses as she delivers another solid performance as Tris Prior. She is torn between stopping Evelyn's radical regime & David's vision of perfection. In my opinion, Tris is one of the most amazing literary & film characters in recent years. She's such a strong character that looks at issues from both sides. She has to determine who to trust (which is ultimately herself & those closest to her). She physically and emotionally leads revolutions to produce a society that embraces each other as equals. Woodley's work in this movie perfectly presents the complexity of a human being. She presents both the positives and negatives we experience in every day life. She sells pain & betrayal so well, but also shows the power of hope, trust, and forgiveness. She is the embodiment of yin and yang. She shows the light and the dark in her personality, and shows us that even though she may be deemed "pure", she definitely is "damaged." Being damaged isn't a detriment-it's what keeps her fighting and pushing on. Woodley absolutely owns this. Tris Prior's vision is definitely one that society should embrace.

I think Theo James produced his best work in the role of Four thus far in Allegiant. He had a bigger presence here realizing the flaws in David's plan, and pleading with his mother that her way isn't the way to attain respect and a habitable society. Theo is a gritty, physical being as Four, but also presented how intelligent & mentally pure his mind is. Four is considered "damaged", but it's Theo that delves deeper into the Four role to show us that this is a positive. His outside the box thinking helps Tris to doubt her trust in David (which is ultimately proven to be a good instinct), and he shows great emotion for the children who have their memories wiped clean with the new serum concocted by David.

 Evelyn's radical regime will cause fear & death. David's vision will cause people to become puppets by eliminating their identity & forcing them to think and act as he sees fit. Both Naomi Watts & Jeff Daniels were excellent here. While I find flaws in both their methods, I understand Evelyn's views. She does have a very physical & violent way to get results, but I do think much of this is because of Marcus and her estrangement from Four. Her speeches resonated with me as somebody who has suffered emotional trauma from past events and is now unleashing that physically on the traitors who helped Jeanine. Ultimately, Four will help her realize it isn't the way to produce results. Jeff Daniels was excellent as David. He presented a character in the Bureau of Genetic Welfare that believes everything he is doing will purify society. He wants the faction systems so he can control people. Daniels had a calm demeanor that made David's tone more cerebral & in my opinion sadistic. His plan is truly despicable in many ways. While it doesn't necessarily cause bodily harm, he is still taking away the core of what makes us who we are. Daniels did so well manipulating Tris & those around him to make them believe his message and vision was flawless. Naomi & Jeff needed to be discussed, because they represent the flawed thinking. On one hand you have Evelyn: military/physical vengeance/chaotic factionless system, while on the other hand you have David: a man hellbent on creating mindless sheep that follow what he deems necessary-using the faction system to control society.

I give this movie a definite 5/5 for a great storyline, solid performances, a brilliant study on human beings, and intriguing twists that keep everything flowing.