Kidzworld caught an early screening of The Divergent Series: Allegiant. Does it follow the novel? Is it exciting, boring or satisfying for fans? Check out our movie review.
By: Lynn Barker
In The Divergent Series: Allegiant, after Tris Pryor (Shailene Woodley) and love Tobias (alias Four played by Theo James) found out that Chicago is just an experiment and that somebody is outside the huge walls pulling the strings, they want to know who it is and why. Things are getting very uncomfortable in town with Four’s mom Evelyn (Naomi Watts) and her troops warring with Johanna’s (Octavia Spencer) Allegiant followers. Could life outside the wall be worse?
Lovers Four and Tris before their escape from ChicagoCourtesy of Lionsgate
Blasted Landscape
As tensions grow inside Chicago, Tris, Caleb (Ansel Elgort), Christina (Zoe Kravitz), Four and Tori (Maggie Q) escape over the huge wall and Peter (Miles Teller) escapes separately but all find that a nuclear-blasted landscape is everywhere. Tori is killed during the escape. Is this Mars-like hell all there is out here? Suddenly when Evelyn’s right hand man comes after them, they are rescued by high tech soldiers who take them to a city built on the ruins of Chicago’s O’Hare airport.
Four's mom Evelyn Courtesy of Lionsgate
The escapees outside the wallCourtesy of Lionsgate
Popular with the People
In the city, the group is decontaminated, given new clothes and learns that the whole city of young people has grown up watching them on a direct TV link into Chicago. They are celebs. Their hosts are the Bureau of Genetic Welfare and they are told that Chicago and other cities were an experiment after genetic wars hundreds of years ago. Maybe putting people in factions would make them less warlike toward one another. The leader David (Jeff Daniels) tells Tris that she is the only “pure” person coming out of the experiment.. even other Divergents are “damaged”.
Tris and Caleb at Bureau HeadquartersCourtesy of Lionsgate
Four In the Fringe
Determined to go with soldiers to the Fringe area settlements to supposedly bring kids into town for protection, Four is taught high-tech weaponry and learns outside that kids are being taken unwillingly from their parents. Some of the parents are killed. There is evidently nothing kindly about the Bureau. Tris, who is so far believing David’s benevolent b.s., must be told.
Bureau of Genetic Welfare head David Courtesy of Lionsgate
Tris
When David explains to Tris that her mom was once from the Fringe and went into Chicago to help the experiment, she starts to believe that the Bureau is full of good guys especially when she witnesses her mom’s own recorded memories of her past. David wants Tris to go with him to an even more beautiful city to testify in front of the Bureau’s High Council. She finds that Peter and Caleb have been assigned to viewing pods to spy on what is going on in Chicago for the Bureau.
Tris talks to the Bureau CouncilCourtesy of Lionsgate
Confrontation
On returning from the Fringe, Four asks Tris how she knows David isn’t lying. The Bureau is stealing children and using a serum/gas to wipe their memories. Four wants to head back to the city. Tris isn’t sure what to do. The two have an argument. Bureau member Matthew (Bill Skarsgard) and others say they will fly Four back to Chicago but the soldiers try to kill him and their ship crashes. Matthew is on his side. Four will get to the city alone.
Matthew helps Four to get back to ChicagoCourtesy of Lionsgate
The Truth and a Traitor
Tris confronts the Council on what Four saw in the Fringe. They are still dividing people into factions out here. She learns that David isn’t going to help the citizens of Chicago but wants their memories wiped so he can start up the faction way of life again. He lied to her. Peter takes David’s secret assignment to get back to Chicago and convince Evelyn to release this memory-wiping serum all over town. She thinks only Johanna’s people will be effected.
Allegiant leader JohannaCourtesy of Lionsgate
To the Rescue
Having learned the truth and watching what is happening in Chicago through Caleb’s spy pod, including that Four has been locked up, Tris steals David’s flyer, gets some guns and with Caleb and Christina, rushes back to the city to stop the memory serum/gas from being launched and rescue Four. Will they be successful or arrive to find that nobody knows….nothin’ anymore?
Tris rescues FourCourtesy of Lionsgate
Allegiant Official Trailer “Tear Down The Wall”
Wrapping Up
First of all, huge differences exist between the “Allegiant” novel and this film. The very basic story is the same but some deeds done by certain characters in the novel are done by others in the film. Some story developments don’t happen at all.
A ton of action has been added as well as a much, much more high tech and futuristic Genetic Bureau headquarters in the old Chicago O’Hare airport. Nothing wrong with some futuristic fight action but some fans of the books might be a bit confused or even upset with the changes, especially in Tris’s fate.
Peter and Caleb learn their fatesCourtesy of Lionsgate
Peter seems to be the comic relief with lines like “Gee this is fun. Glad we did this” when everyone sees the blasted landscape outside the wall. Actors are still decent in their characterizations but you get the idea that they are burned out and kind of semi-walking through the film without much commitment. Allegiant is fun to watch with techy gizmos and fight action everywhere but the real heart of the story seems missing. We go 3 stars.
The Divergent Series: Allegiant Movie Rating:
The Divergent Series: Allegiant PosterCourtesy of Lionsgate
The Divergent Series: Allegiant is in theaters now!
Have Your Say
Are you looking forward to this 3rd movie in the Divergent series? Are you okay that some of the novel has been changed? Leave a comment.
