Theatrical Review: Allegient

Date: Sunday, March 20, 2016
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Time: 1:40pm
Party: 3 (my mom & aunt who introduced us to the trilogy)

Director: Robert Schwentke

Duration: 121 minutes (+3  trailers)

Cast:
Tris Prior- Shailene Woodley
Four/Tobias Eaton- Theo James
Caleb Prior- Ansel Elgort
Peter- Miles Teller
Evelyn Eaton- Naomi Watts
Joanna, leader of Amity- Octavia Spencer
Tori- Maggie Q
Christina- Zoe Kravitz
Edgar/Edward- Jonny Weston
David- Jeff Daniels
Matthew: Bill Skarsgard

Audience and Previews:

The movie only made $29.1 this weekend?
What happened to the following this book series had with the first two movies?

We were only among a dozen people in the theater. Not even.

And it felt like they had ten minutes of commercials and one fake trailer (it was for Chevy) before getting on with it... seriously, I don't come to the movies early for the same commercials I can see in my own freaking house!

Three trailers. None of which were for "Batman vs. Superman" (thank God!)

The Ghostbusters reboot- it's probably not going to live up to all the hype and might be stupid. But I still think I want to go and see it. Kate McKinnon might have found a role that works for her- at least in my mind. [She doesn't exactly impersonate a lot of people I like on SNL].

X-Men: Apocalypse- the only X-men movie I ever saw in theaters was the origin movie for Wolverine. Enjoyed it with my college friends, but I hadn't seen it since.
But considering Oscar Isaac plays the villain, I might be compelled to go.

At first, I thought the last trailer for the Jungle Book... but instead it was for a new live action Tarzan called "The Legend of Tarzan."
Christophe Waltz we recognized right away. I thought maybe he'd be Clayton, but instead he's someone called Captain Rom. Who may/may not be the bad guy.
Margot Robbie (she's in a bunch of movies this year, including "Suicide Squad" where she plays Harley Quinn... they're really pushed her as the next big thing) plays Jane. And Tarzan is played by, who my mom, dad and aunts affectionately know as Eric from "True Blood," Alexander Skarsgard and he is CUT.
Should be interesting, but at the same time, I'm still pissed that Kellan Lutz (Emmett from "Twilight") was talking about how he was going to play Tarzan and that movie never got any hype-- maybe because it was ANIMATED? WTF, he has the perfect physique to play Tarzan. How could they just screw him over like that?
You'd think they don't want any "Twilight" actors to be successful... except Anna Kendrick. She's doing amazing and I love her.

Opening Remarks and Synopsis:

for my reviews of the last two films, visit the links below:
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2014/03/theatrical-review-divergent.html
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2015/03/theatrical-review-insurgent.html

It'd been a couple years since I read the book so I can't exactly do my whole book vs. movie discussion. Perhaps another time I'll go through this and "Insurgent" and go into further detail down the road.

Going by my memory of the book alone, this is what happens:
And course... SPOILERSAt the end of "Insurgent," Tris unlocked a box placed in the city by its Founders. It contained a message basically saying that if you're seeing this, you have one Divergent and the experiment of the city succeeded.

Tris, Four and a bunch of their comrades will go past the wall to see who is waiting for them on the other side. And it's a situation similar the allegory of Plato's "The Cave" as told through "The Truman Show"... although at the end of The Truman Show, we don't see what happens to him after he breaks through the literal 4th wall.

It's a bit of a disorienting experience for everyone- not only finding out that all these people outside the wall know who they are because they spent years watching them grow up on TV, but learning that you were all part of experiment.
Not to mention Four believing he and Tris were equal because they were both Divergents... and for whatever reason, the leader of this experiment, David, says that Tris is the only true Divergent from the city and everyone is "Genetically Damaged."

Much of the book for me got bogged down by technical talk. I'm a math/science person who took classes like Physics and Calculus, so I understand a lot of that stuff. But being heavy-handed with all that jargon took away from the book's enjoyment. I'd rather just spend time with our main characters and seeing how they deal with it.

And of course the one thing I remember most was the ending and how it pretty much destroyed me.
And considering this book is being idiotically (and greedily) split into the two movies, to me, it's like the first movie will be running me through with a knife and the second is twisting said knife.

Discussion:

By the end of the movie, it was starting to feel more like 1984 than The Truman Show. In that David was Big Brother... the creepy level reached a whole new level.

On the plus side, the technical talk was toned down.
And it wasn't nearly as dark and helpless as it seemed in Mockingjay.

The CGI and visuals were fantastic. I got swept up in it and I was in the realm of the movie for the long haul.
A few times throughout the movie, my mom and aunt whispered about stuff about not being what it seems. I wanted to believe the lie until it became absolutely clear and the tide of action completely turns.

I wrote in my "Divergent" review how the movie was like experiencing everything through Tris's eyes. We feel as she does and go through the same things on an emotional journey. Until she started to realize the truth, I wasn't ready for it.
I guess I really do love her more than Katniss. I mean, Katniss is bad-ass, but I don't know. There's a certain intensity about her that maybe I have a hard time latching onto where I feel like I was in her shoes.

For the record, I referred to the factionless guy as Edward in my class list because I am convinced that Edgar was meant to be that character in the book. Edward was the top member of the Dauntless transfer class until Peter attacked him in the night and forced him out.
That guy was really obnoxious to deal with because he just kept coming.

Peter started as everyone (well, maybe almost everyone's) most hated character. Now he's despicable and self-serving, but there's a comic relief aspect to him. The few people in the theater laughed a few of his lines.
All of the downturns he experiences is good karma for how terrible he was in the first movie. Can't wait for him to get some humility in the final installment, but it's almost more than he deserves.
Kinda like the deal Tobias's father Marcus got... I still think they should have killed him. Peter, maybe not, but Marcus Eaton- absolutely. Freaking child abuser- reading the book dedicated to Four made me hate him all that much more.

I don't remember how much of a role Joanna had in the book, but it was cool seeing Octavia Spencer as one of the voices of reason in the city. Even if that voice wasn't heard. "Allegient" is the name adopted by Joanna and her followers. I guess they're the people who want to stand outside the faction system. Opposed to Four's mom, who allows the traitors to be executed and wanted to keep everyone inside the city.

In the back of my mind, I was worried about where the movie would leave off. I kept hoping that everything would happen and we wouldn't have to deal with the knife-twisting agony of the final installment.
Thankfully, it was a satisfying ending. The business with David isn't quite finished, but for now, the good guys have won their latest battle.

I have no idea how much of the book we have yet to go through. How much is from the book and how much was manufactured just to get another two hour movie?
There's a whole other year to wait for it, but I still have a lot of books yet to get through. Chances are I'm going to read through all of them again after the final movie. I thought maybe I'd do that after we saw the final Mockingjay movie. That was such a letdown after all that- it'll be awhile before I have any desire to read those again.

Maybe the one negative... it's a race against time in the final minutes of the movie to stop a memory serum from taking over the town... the stuff was in the air long enough where it technically should have already worked. It stretches the confines of realness a bit too much.

And Tris and Four have very little screen time together. So I guess what I'm saying is that they better have a sex scene or something in the final movie.
The book was written from both of their perspectives and the movie captured that really well.

Grade: A

Theatrical Review: Insurgent

Date: Sunday, March 22, 2015
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Time: 1:15pm
Party: 3 (my mom & aunt who introduced us to the trilogy)

Director: Robert Schwentke

Duration: 119 minutes (+ 4 trailers)

Cast:
Tris Prior- Shailene Woodley
Four/Tobias Eaton- Theo James
Caleb Prior- Ansel Elgort
Peter- Miles Teller
Jeanine- Kate Winslet
Evelyn Eaton- Naomi Watts
Joanna, leader of Amity- Octavia Spencer
Jack Kang, leader of Candor- Daniel Dae Kim
Eric- Jai Courtney
Tori- Maggie Q
Uriah- Keiynan Lonsdale
Christina- Zoe Kravitz
Marcus Eaton- Ray Stevenson

Opening Comments and Previews:

The theater was almost empty when we arrived. By the time the movie started, more people were still coming in. Among them were a family with half a dozen kids... even then, it boggles my mind that people can still be late to the beginning of a movie.

At this point, I expected an "Avengers" trailer... no such luck... but I'll still wait for it to come to me before I go deliberately searching for it. [I want that shock & awe to be genuine].

1) Tomorrowland
- a more in-depth trailer than we got the previous time ["Into the Woods"]. And it would seem George will get a lot of screen time, playing a character very different than his usual. We also caught a few glimpses of Hugh Laurie [who may/may not be the villain]. The special effects scenery does look pretty amazing, although it looked a little too much like The Capitol from "The Hunger Games"... or one of the cities shown in "Guardians of the Galaxy".. either way, everyone seems to think the future looks the same.

...still waiting on those flying cars, guys!

2) Pixels
-supposedly the time capsule we projected into space in the 80's where we professed peace... it was misinterpreted... and aliens have sent down giant replicas of vintage video game characters to destroy us. We're talking Pac-Man, Galaga, Centipede, Donkey Kong, etc. Even though it stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James, not known for making the best movies, I can only think "Let the Nerdgasm Commence!" It looked amazing! :P

3) Paper Towns
- I swear, this was trending on Twitter not even a day ago... supposedly the trailer had just been released. And what a better place for John Green's next book-to-movie adaption than during a Shailene Woodley movie. [It did wonders for "The Fault in Our Stars," which she was amazing in, by the way]. It looks like such a great young adult story based on the trailer, but I've got a bad feeling I won't be able to find the book on a shelf for a while.

4) Mockingjay: Part 2
- It was practically the same teaser trailer they showed for the previous two films... they just did more with the Mockingjay logo and added more dialogue... November is just too long a wait, especially with the previous ending. [I should stop here before my mind starts spewing more ill will towards Peeta... NOT his biggest fan in that book]

Write-up:

[I started my "Divergent" review the same way]


http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2014/03/theatrical-review-divergent.html

As of writing this review, Insurgent has earned $54 million in its opening weekend. ["Divergent" made $56M]Unlike my previous book-to-movie entries, I won't be going too much into how good the adaptation was. Even though I read this book only a year ago, I have very little memory of it. So I was practically like any movie-goer who hadn't read the source material...

Save for the fact I already knew the characters, of course.
[I will also continue on assuming the audience is already familiar with this series, either from reading the books or seeing the previous movie]

There be Spoilers Afoot...
The movie starts out very disorienting... as can be expected given the circumstances.

The faction of Abnegation has been decimated by Jeanine's covert operation with the leaders of Dauntless. Only now, the operation is rumored to be the work of Divergents, rebels and their sympathizers. We also learn that the attack of Abnegation wasn't just about uncovering their supposed corruption... it was about locating an object...
This box becomes a major piece of this film's plot. Within in it is a message from the Founders of the city and only a Divergent who can pass the simulations from all five factions will be able to open it.

When we last left our heroes, Tris Prior and Four, they were on the run, along with her brother Caleb and fellow Dauntless, Peter. They are currently lying low in the faction of Amity, which promotes peace and kindness. Tensions are still high between Tris and Peter, so obviously, not all goes according to plan.

The disorientation comes in from multiple factors.
Firstly, in the first scene with Tris, it starts out like a rather normal introduction. But it quickly accelerates when the blood on her hands becomes visible. When I saw Christina and Will [her parents came later], I knew then that it couldn't be real. Several dream sequences follow... or should I just call them Tris's nightmares?
Secondly because the heroes spend a lot of this movie on the run from Jeanine's forces to the various other factions. Out of nowhere, there'd be explosions or shots fired. Nowhere appears to be safe... with the exception of the bunker where the Factionless stay. Nothing even came there, but there were still plenty of fireworks.
Thirdly... we have more simulations [something that was a big part of Tris's Dauntless initiation in the previous film]...

I wouldn't go as far to say the disorientation is a bad thing. I'm sure some people might find it a little off-putting that things are so unstable. That there really isn't a concrete storyline for a good portion of the film. But it does keep you on your toes. Among all the YA book-to-movie adaptations, "Insurgent" is easily the best example of an action film I'd ever seen.

Some people might also find it off-putting that the movie relies a little much on special effects to sell itself. Anyone's entitled to that opinion. That being said, the effects are AMAZING. Even more impressive than in "Divergent." You can easily see why a 3D version was also released in theaters. I'm just not sure if I'd recommend it because the realism is far too believable. There was a point in a simulation where Tris fell thousands of feet and I felt my stomach drop like I was on that rollercoaster myself. I also had a couple moments where I cried out in shock or surprise because things were happening so fast. But that's part of the thrill.

It should also be important to note that the movie has a lot of heart to it as well. The chemistry between Tris and Four doesn't get nearly as much screen time, given the circumstances. But we get to see her grow even more as a person through these circumstances. She's still, understandably, dealing with the loss of her parents and blaming herself for the things that went wrong.
Octavia Spencer doesn't get a lot of screen time as Joanna- the leader of Amity- but she has some thoughtful advice for Tris. About not blaming herself for what happened and trying to forgive herself. A nice warm spot in a film that has a lot of darkness. Another highlight, easily, is Daniel Dae Kim as Jack Kang- leader of Candor. It took me a little while to recognize him [I only saw a couple episodes of "Lost" and spent the reminder of its run wanting it to end badly... and I got my wish... seriously, you can only drag that kind of series out for so long].
I don't know what it was, but I liked his screen presence. His character commanded a lot of respect without coming off ridiculously intimidating. He was fair and honest... although maybe not as fair to Tris when she had to endure the truth serum.

Whenever Shailene Woodley breaks down and cries, it's gut-wrenching. She does it so naturally and so well. Here, she was forced to come clean about Will's death and how she caused it. It bordered on excruciating [not to the point where it was unwatchable, mind you] because she had so much regret and also didn't want to lose Christina's friendship over it.
...that was one of the book's negatives for me. Christina spent so much time mad at her even though it was done out of self-defense. Thankfully, the film didn't prolong it quite as much.

We get a little more back story for Four when we find out that his mother is still alive, leading the Factionless. The tension is definitely there and very convincing coming from Theo James. But there's still much more to learn about Four that hasn't been explored yet (there's a book dedicated to him, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet).

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a violent person, but I had moments throughout this movie when I was cheering for the villains getting their comeuppance.
I do take it seriously when certain characters get on my nerves [in TV and movies], to the point where I hope for ill-will and groan when it takes AGES for it materialize. I was grateful to be in a world where evil would get its just reward.

When Eric finally got killed, by Four no less... I wasn't the only person in the theater cheering. [Maybe one or two other people sitting rows behind us].
Then the moments where Peter was getting a taste of his own medicine... he is such a despicable character that Miles Teller plays SO well [he's one of those up and coming young actors, so I can't help but take notice... I'm also thinking that I'll have to hunt down "The Spectacular Now" where he and Shailene Woodley have a more amiable relationship]. Ultimately, Peter does what's best for himself. And there are moments where Tris gets the better of him that I either laughed or cheered for.

One small nit-pick I have is that they introduced a couple of other characters, but never gave their names.
Like the leader of Factionless. Had they kept his part of the movie in the theatrical release [opposed to the DVD extras], we'd have known it was Edward... the #1 initiate at Dauntless before Peter cut his eye out in the middle of the night... but the guy with the Mohawk couldn't have been Edward because he had both eyes.
Uriah, I recognized right away... he comes on the roof and chats with Tris before Candor falls under attack... they didn't even mention him by name... so people not familiar with the books wouldn't know any better. In however little screen time he had with her in that scene, I found his presence comforting. I can't quite say why.

But those are simply minor details. Certainly not enough to keep this movie from succeeding.

The big second half of the film unfold when Tris surrenders herself to Jeanine.
During the raid on Candor, it was discovered that Tris was 100% Divergent and everyone had devices attached to them. These devices would allow Jeanine to control their movements. This becomes clear when Christina and two other Dauntless attempt to jump to their deaths [one doesn't make it], chanting to hand over Tris or more will die.
Tris sees no choice, despite Four's protests, but to give herself over to Jeanine.

Months ago, I cried foul at the teaser trailer of this movie because it looked nothing like the book... apparently, the scene they used was a simulation... which explains SO MUCH.

First is Dauntless, where Tris has to chase after a floating burning building to save her mom. All kinds of craziness that could only happen in a movie... there's just no way.
Next was Candor, where she told her mom the truth about her feelings about everything rattling her brain... considering all the action in this movie and how unsettling some of it is, it was a relief that this simulation wasn't particularly difficult. Plus, it was good catharsis for Tris.
Then there was Erudite... a point where I thought we were out of the simulation, but not quite... I believed it so easily [with the explosion that began it... it was hard not to... I screamed then because it was so sudden and loud]. The dead giveaway was Four repeating something Tris never said to him, but to someone else.
Abnegation apparently came about because Tris chose not to shoot Peter.[One previous pay-off I forgot to mention... Tris giving Peter physical hell when he was alone with her in the simulation room... that was just fun to watch :P]

The only unfortunate part about this part of the movie was what happened with Caleb. The degree of betrayal that went down on his part... looking back to the books, I never quite forgave him for it, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a grudge.

There were plenty of surprises over the last 15 minutes of the movie that I won't go into too much detail about... except that I remembered that part of the book literally as it was happening... and it made the scene all the more enjoyable.

The box does open and the message from the Founders was revealed and later spread throughout the city.
And the movie ends on a great note. Not just Jeanine getting what's coming to her, but also the ending credits where the symbols of the factions disintegrating... a nice touch.

Grade: A (for the target audience), A- (for those not fond of excessive special effects)

Theatrical Review: Divergent

Date: March 23, 2014
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Time: 11:30
Party: 3 (mom & YA book loving aunt)

Director: Neil Burger

Duration: 140 minutes (+3 trailers)

Cast:
[Abnegation]
Beatrice/Tris Prior- Shailene Woodley
Caleb Prior- Ansel Elgort
Andrew Prior- Tony Goldwyn
Natalie Prior- Ashley Judd
Marcus Eaton- Ray Stevenson
[Dauntless]
Tori- Maggie Q
Four/Tobias Eaton- Theo James
Eric- Jai Courtney
Peter- Miles Teller
Christina- Zoe Kravitz
Will- Ben Lloyd-Hughes
Al- Christian Madsen
[Erudite]
Jeanine- Kate Winslet

Previews:

When we first turned into the theater corridor, it looked empty. At second glance, there were maybe a dozen people there. Not a huge crowd.

There were three trailers, all of which were brand new.

The first was more or less a teaser for Disney's newest project, "Maleficent," where Angelina Jolie plays the title role. I'm on the fence about it because I'm not a huge fan of hers in general, but I don't know who else could have brought this wicked Disney villain to life in live action. It also seems like they took a little poetic license here. Aurora was blissfully unaware of any danger in her life as was meant that way by the fairies. Here, she's talking about Maleficent being this shadow that's always followed her. I'm not sure what part of the story they're showing here, but Aurora is supposed to be short of turning 16 before she fulfills the spinning wheel prophecy. She didn't look older than 10.

The second was for "Moms' Night Out." The only recognizable face in the trailer was Sean Astin, who plays the lead's husband. It's about a couple moms that want a night out away from their responsibilities and all kinds of shenanigans happen through the course of the night. Some of it was funny, some of it looked goofy and stupid, so whether or not it'll work will depend on the target audience.

And not surprisingly, the last preview played up to the insurance that people who see this movie will fall in love with Shailene Woodley and flock to her next role almost immediately.
I've seen "The Fault in Our Stars" mentioned in print, but I didn't know it wasn't another sci-fi/fantasy story. It looks like it will be the newest "Walk to Remember" because her character dealing with cystic fibrosis or something like it and hesitant to fall in love.
Her love interest just happens to be the same guy playing her brother in "Divergent."

Write-up:

As of writing this review, Divergent has earned $56 million in its opening weekend.
To paraphrase the article, this doesn't beat "Twilight" or "The Hunger Games" but ensures the franchise WILL happen for sure.
As if there was any doubt...

As someone who read the source material, I was not disappointed. In fact, I had a blast.
Perhaps if they enlisted YA book fans to write movie reviews, there'd be less negativity brewing around the Internet.
Probably the most insulting remark is the insistence that it's no different than the Hunger Games. It has a strong female protagonist and a dystopia backdrop that involves separate districts or factions. After that, it's its own freaking franchise, so shut up.

The nutshell of this movie's backdrop, you can easily Google, but I'll post it anyway.

In this post apocalyptic version of Chicago, the city is divided into five factions based on one value of humanity.
Dauntless are thought of as daredevils because they jump on trains and buildings, but they're the city's protectors.
Erudite favor knowledge.
Abnegation favors Selflessness and reaches out to the homeless factionless.
Candor favor honesty and always tell the truth whether or not you want to hear it.
Amity favor kindness and grow food for the city.

Beatrice Prior comes from Abnegation and like all the teenagers her age, she must undergo a simulation to determine her new faction. Her results come back inconclusive, making her something called Divergent that must be kept a secret. Anomalies in this society are eliminated because it threatens the breakdown of its structure.
At the Choosing Ceremony, she chooses Dauntless and her personal journey begins.

Spoilers from here on out

If I remember right, I got through the book series between December and January. Some of my memory has already faded, so I can't say for sure they had ALL the details right.
Although I'm pretty sure that Eric (one of the Dauntless leaders) and Jeanine (the Erudite leader played by Kate Winslet) didn't have this much coverage in the books. Minor details I'm willing to overlook.
Unlike in "Twilight," where I got mildly pissed that the nomad vampires got extra screen time... I promise this is the last time I bring it up in this review, but I took that novel to heart so much, I would have written the screenplay to follow the book's layout EXACTLY.

The only negative I felt was the scene where Tris visits her brother Caleb, who made the transfer to Erudite. In the book, she does it at her mom's request. She sees her on Visiting Day and asks her to ask him to look into the simulation serum.
In the movie, the Visiting Day scene doesn't take place and the serum doesn't come up in the conversation Tris has with her mom. She just tells him that she might not be able to survive in Dauntless and might get to transfer out. Granted, this scene does lead into the one where Tris almost gets killed by a few Dauntless initiates including the antagonistic Peter and her former friend, Al. But the only reason it seems to have merit gives way to a conversation between Tris and Jeanine.

A couple of the changes from the book to the movie were favorable, for sure.
Eric's extra screen time allowed him to look more menacing and antagonistic, making Four appear more sympathetic by contrast.
One or two scenes in the book didn't make it to film, but it was probably just as well. Edward, the initiate in first place, getting attacked by Will (therefore becoming Factionless) didn't contribute to the main objective of this screenplay.

And that objective is: taking us on a journey with Tris (when one chooses a new faction, they can change their name, so Beatrice Prior becomes Tris).

Of all the franchises I'd seen in theaters, what sets "Divergent" apart is that it takes the cerebral approach. You go on this journey with Tris, seeing and feeling everything from her perspective. She starts out a little timid, finding it difficult to keep up with her fellow transfer initiates, but she grows in strength exponentially because she must do so to survive.

It's too early in the game for me to start comparing her and Katniss, but one article I read does have a good point.
Katniss has her kick-ass archery skills that set her apart.
But overall, Tris is an ordinary girl that falls into some extraordinary circumstances. Her strength lies in her adaptation, something her Divergence allows her to excel in.

Part of the reason Tris is able to thrive lies in the friendships she gains.
She spends most of her time with Christina, a big-mouthed Candor that gets her off on the wrong foot with Four; Will, an Erudite and Christina's future boyfriend; and Al, one of the weaker people in the transfer initiate class.

Not as much time is spent on Al unless something important takes place. Him supporting Tris, almost getting her killed, and trying to make up for that. The only thing missing was him kissing her... but I guess it was just as well. This series isn't about another love triangle, but as I was reading it, it almost felt that way.

Going into this, I had my reservations about Theo James. Firstly because he's another British import being forced to do an American accent... why the hell do they keep doing that? Are there no good looking American boys? And secondly, he didn't fit the description of Four I got from the book.
I was picturing either Kevin Zegers in "The Mortal Instruments" or Wes Bentley in "The Hunger Games."
But within the time frame of his on-film introduction, I was sold immediately.

Throughout the film, I couldn't wait for him and Tris to get together because I knew they would. The sparks were flying immediately, although there were points early on where I was reminded of Edward Cullen, but that was Four trying to keep the pretense that he was the instructor and she was the student. Totally understandable.
My first inclination in the book they'd have a future was the capture the flag game (I thought I read in the book that it involved paint-balls... not the case here... still one of my favorite scenes with the two of them) and the knife-throwing scene where he says if he wanted to kill her, he would have. Al had trouble with this exercise and Eric insisted he have knives thrown at him... Tris calls him out and winds up taking his place.

Other than the seething romance set to develop between Tris and Four, the greatest part about this movie was the demonstrations of friendship. What Tris's friends do for her and what she does to support them. In addition to the knife-throwing scene with Al, she spurs Christina on when Eric has her dangling from the cliff after she concedes her fight with Molly.
Seeing things from Tris's perspective, you celebrate her victories and fall in love with everyone close to her. This camaraderie feels great to be a part of.

Another thing I noticed from the trailers was the focus on Divergents and eliminating the threat of them. The word "Divergent" was so dangerous in the books that it was only uttered a handful of times.
Somehow, though, this doesn't extend to Four. In the book, he finds out about Tris during the simulation stage and he loses his temper with her, cooling off any possibilities of a romance developing. A very dramatic scene that felt like such a blow... good thing he doesn't stay mad her forever.
The twist also continues that he shows her how to overcome the simulations as a Dauntless so nobody's suspicions of her Divergence will arise.

Following the order of the plot, a big chunk of it is Erudite's simulation going into effect.
Everyone but Tris and Four are in a trance, off to Abnegation to overthrow its denizens.
They're found out by Eric, but Tris manages to subdue him.
I was celebrating her victories throughout the movies, especially when it comes at Peter and Eric's expense because they sure deserved it.

She and Four are separated and her mom comes to her rescue... sadly, not even given 10 minutes to show how much of a bad-ass she is because her unfortunate death.
I almost teared up in response to Tris's grief.

The final confrontation had a few changes here and there. Jeanine wasn't present during Tris's fight with Four in the book, but it led to an even greater pay-off in the end.

So yeah, overall, the movie was great. I was absorbed in it from start to finish and it didn't feel nearly as long as it did. Because films like this are why I come to movies.
Not just to see my favorite books come to life, but to escape normalcy and journey elsewhere, see new and exciting characters you see yourself in or love to be friends with.

As they continue with the franchise, my only stipulation is that I want the final part of "Allegiance" to be thoroughly explained. In the book, the writing was vague, quick and therefore, disappointing.

Grade: A