Theatrical Review: Fantastic Beasts- The Crimes of Grindlewald

Date- Sunday November 11 2018
Time- 11:35am
Location- Cinemark at Stroud Mall
Party-  2 (my mom and I)

Director: David Yates
Writer (book AND screenplay): J.K. Rowling
Composer: James Newton Howard

Returning Cast:
Newt Scamander- Eddie Redmayne
Jacob Kowalski- Dan Fogler
Tina- Katherine Waterston
Queenie- Alison Sudol
Credence- Ezra Miller
young Grindewald- Jamie Campbell Bower

Newcomers:
Grindlewald- Johnny Depp
Theseus Scamander, Newt's older brother- Callum Turner
Nicholas Flamel- Brontis Jodorowsky
Nagini- Claudia Kim
Albus Dumbledore- Jude Law
Leta Lestrange- Zoë Kravitz
Duration: 134 minutes (+8 trailers)

Write-up:

Opening Remarks

There was a bit of hype leading up to this movie... at least among Harry Potter fans. First off because it's another of the series. And it also includes a younger Dumbledore and shows some scenes at Hogwarts. It's somewhat of a homecoming, even though it's only for a few short scenes, including some flashbacks. 
The theater was kinda empty at first, but it quickly filled up in that half hour we were sitting there. And it got pretty quiet once the movie started... but we also had to get through tons of commercials and trailers first.

Trailers:

I'd been saying the last few posts that 7 seems to be a common number because it's happened several movies in a row... well, we finally broke the pattern and got one extra trailer. Are any of them worth seeing? ...not really sure. I was expecting a lot of repeats from previous theater trips, but only one repeated. 
And it was the "Kid who would be King"- where a bullied 12 year old in private school pulls the sword from the stone and it brings all kinds of monsters (and Morgana) from Camelot into modern day England and they have to fight them. 

As for the other 7: 

"The Secret Life of Pets 2"- a teaser trailer, really... Leonard the poodle is left at home again and as soon as his master leaves, a dance party ensues with tons of other dogs. And there's this little Chihuahua tries to put on Copacabana and it falls on deaf ears. 
(Have yet to see the first one, but I'd like to at some point)

"Mortal Engines"- funny how quickly this trailer started circulating... we saw it and when we got home, it came on multiple times. It's directed by Peter Jackson (of the LOTR/Hobbit franchises) and it looks like his work... really huge visual effects. What I gather is that it's a post apocalyptic story about cities becoming moving machines and London is the bad guy. And the female protagonist has scarring on her face and her mom was involved in this conflict in the past. Nothing about this really grabs my attention- it could be a huge success or huge flop, depending on how many people see it and how well it's written.

"Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse"- this is animated and it's about a bunch of Spider-men in different alternate universes trying to defeat some bad guy. It looks like it'd be fun for kids, but as a superhero movie, there doesn't seem to be a lot to it. Although not every movie has to be as jam packed as the last Avengers film. 

"Bumblebee"- this is another installment of the Transformers franchise. And this time, it's a girl (Hailee Steinfeld) who bonds with the machine. But instead of a Camero, like Shia LeBoeuf found all the way back in the first Michael Bay film (15 years ago, I think... wow, a lot's changed), Bumblebee is an old yellow VW beetle. And Michael Bay isn't directing, so it may have a chance to be halfway decent with its story and not being completely overtaken by effects and explosions. 

"Five Feet Apart"- kind of an interesting teen movie... it's about a couple of kids who are in the hospital all the time, sick with cystic fibrosis and they fall in love. The guy is Cole Sprouse, who was Cody from "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody"... dang, that feels forever again and he looks so different now, it's crazy. But he's kind got a defeatist attitude about the whole thing and they start taking their meds together and falling in love, but they can't really interact physically cuz they could catch each other's germs and die. It has potential to be good... I just don't know how good. 

"Detective Pikachu"- yeah... so many feelings about this one. This is one of those movies that could either be good or be a complete disaster. There's a video game that's been out for a while, my sister has watched playthroughs on YouTube, where Pikachu actually speaks words with kind of a deep voice and he's a detective, obviously. They actually brought Pikachu and the other Pokémon into the real world and they're animated so they kind of look like animated stuffed animals. I cannot begin to say how much I love this franchise, but depending on how this is done (I doubt I'd get to a theater to see it even if I wanted to), I could love it or really hate it. I'm already kinda weirded out about Pikachu talking like a normal person. The trick is that only this one teenager can understand him and they work together to solve a crime. Oh, and Ryan Reynolds is Pikachu, so there could be that whole self-deprecating Deadpool sense of humor (PG-rated, of course, this is a kid's franchise) involved that makes fun of the franchise. It's an interesting match-up, but I won't know until I see it if it's gonna work. At least for me... this is a side-mode game I don't see myself getting into. I personally just love the general franchise. Hard to believe next year will mark 20 years since I started playing the game, starting Blue and going onward. I actually took a break for a number of years, but I got back into it in 2015 when 2DS finally went down in price to $80... just in time for the Nintendo Switch, my timing totally rocks #Sarcasm

"Shazam!"- this has nothing to do with the Shaq movie from the 90's... it's another DC supehero where this teenager comes across this power and everytime he says the titular phrase, he turns into Zachary Levi and has super powers. It looks like it could be funny, but at the same time, I'm starting to get a little sick of superheroes. I don't know about everyone else. 

The Main Event- 

yeah, we're finally here... I'll put some mild spoilers about the previous Fantastic Beasts, but not so much for this movie... 
But I'll cut to the chase in saying that this was the first time in all the Harry Potter franchise that I left a theater disappointed... as far as sequels go, The Twin Towers (Lord of the Rings), Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars)... even the first of the Deathly Hallows movies, all of them felt like they accomplished SOMETHING even though their purpose was to set up for the bigger picture that would come in the follow-up installments. 

The title of the movie establishes, of course, that Grindewald is the villain and the whole purpose of this side franchise is to defeat him and throw him into Azkaban for eternity. And Grindewald does show up at the end of the prevous film. I just neglected to mention him (or Johnny Depp) in the cast at all because that would be a huge spoiler for that movie. But the HIstory of Magic, as told by J.K. Rowling (and Bathlida Bagshot, the character who wrote that particular Hogwarts textbook) states that Grindewald was defeated in an epic duel with Dumbledore. Heck, in the actual book, The Philospher's/Sorcerer's Stone, it says on Dumbeldore's Chocolate Frog card that he defeated the great Dark Wizard, Grindewald among his many accomplishments, including discovering 12 uses for dragon's blood and he and Nicholas Flamel studied the stone. I just looked it up... this duel takes place in 1945... meaning that we still have less than 20 years until this happens.
Of course, all of the movies will be leading up to this duel... I just hope more happens within this movies, like story progress, to warrant multiple installments. 

I think the thing that really got to me about this movie was that there were a million questions we came into it with. First off, we find out that Credence is still alive... he wasn't killed at the end of the previous film, which I thought was a sad moment because there was a chance he could have been saved. Now, this movie starts with him being revealed to be alive and he's going to Paris to find out who his family is. Multiple explanations are given and they connect him to various Wizarding families familiar to Potter fans... but Grindewald finally gives him answers at the end and we have no idea if he's telling the truth or he's giving him this identity as a way to use him against Dumbledore. 
That's just one example of several. But there were so many questions and by the end, very few of them were answered and more questions came up to take their place. Like trying to kill a Hydra. It's pretty dang annoying. 

We get to reunite with our old favorite characters from the last movie. Newt Scamander is trying to get his travel ban lifted... and Dumbledore more or less helps him navigate around that. In the end, it makes a lot of sense why he does it this way, but Dumbledore becomes even more engimatic than he already is. He has his reasons behind what he does, but he has a real roundabout way of going about that. The Deathly Hallows had this major conflict between Harry and Ron because Ron was skeptical about Dumbledore sending them on this quest to find/destroy Horcruxes to defeat Voldemort when he's given no clues how to go about it. The answers do become clear eventually, but the lack of a road map is frustrating to him. We're all taught to trust Dumbledore absolutely... and maybe it's because it's Jude Law  (who I really like, by the way) and it's a younger version of him, but it was hard for me to completely trust a younger Dumbledore. It's an uneasy feeling... 
It's kinda cool to see him teach at Hogwarts. He's actually the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher and he's teaching the kids how to defeat Boggarts- poltergeists that take the shape of what a person fears and they need to use the Riddikulus charm to turn it into something funny to finish it off. Interestingly, he is relieved from this position by the Ministry of Magic- they're trying to find out what Grindewald is up to, but he's not being cooperative. This brings back the running joke that no DADA teacher has lasted at Hogwarts for more than a year. Although we see flashbacks when Newt and his ex-girlfriend, Leta Lestrange were going to school and they were fighting Boggarts then too. So Dumbledore was in this position for a couple years. I do remember when Tom Riddle was in his 6th year at Hogwarts (based on the flashback in Chamber of Secrets) that Dumbledore was a Transfiguration professor. The whole running joke actually started when Dumbledore refused to hire Tom Riddle as the DADA professor... and the position became cursed. 

Anyway, I got away from the old characters. Newt is back and we find out the previous movie, he went to America because Dumbledore asked him too. We find out that the Muggle he and the other American wizards befriended... he didn't lose his memory like all of the other Muggles. And he and Queenie have been seeing each other. At the time, it was against the law for people with magic to be romantically involved with Muggles, people without magic. And of course, Newt has his suitcase full of creates and adds a few more to his collection. The Niffler also makes more appearances and it actually has a family now. (The theater was actually selling them for $12 and I was almost tempted to get one... they're so cute!) 
And Newt and Tina see each other again, but things are a little tense because she thinks he's engaged to someone else... his brother is actually engaged to Newt's ex girlfriend, Leta. She's alluded to briefly in the previous movie, but we get to know her better here and she's also on a search to find out more about her family. We already knew the Lestranges were pretty screwed up because Bellatrix is a psychopath. She was the reason why Neville's parents, respected Aurors in their time, were driven to insanity via the Cruciatus Curse. She's very sadistic. And her family really has a screwed up history... we did get a healthy amount of history, but some of it was hard to watch. Interesting thing is that she's nowhere near as evil as her descendant was. I read up briefly on Newt's history cuz I thought he was related to some other wizard (the only connection I found, and already knew, was that his grandson married Luna Lovegood). He was expelled from Hogwarts because of something Leta did that endangered other students and he took the blame for it. There were flashbacks with her and Newt and they were fun to watch. The actors they cast looked a lot like them and had the mannerisms down perfectly. 

The one thing amiss about this movie was that it is called the "Crimes of Grindewald"... he doesn't really have a lot of screen time and he's really not committing any crimes... not yet anyway. Sure, the movie starts with him being transferred from the American ministry to London's ministry and by extension, Azkaban and he escapes custody (the one thing we learn about prison transfers in movies and TV... they never end well) and a bunch of wizards are killed in the process... and he does have some people killed in Paris in order to lie low in their residence... but with that title, you'd expect something more.
Instead what he does is try swaying Credence to join him and he's reaching out to other Wizards and Witches to join him and commit to "The Greater Good"- that phrase has come up once or twice in the Harry Potter books and goes back to him. His goal is to get the Wizarding world out into the open, to stop all the secrery and hiding from the human world. He also shows visions to his brethen of what he sees is the future- tanks, Holocausts and atomic bombs. He more or less predicts the humans will bring the end of the world with World War II. Funny enough, 1945, which is around the time the war is ending... that's when he's supposed to face off against Dumbledore. 

Another character we meet is Nagini. Harry Potter fans know her as the snake that follows Voldemort and ultimately becomes a Horcrux. Here, she's an Animagus that's part of a freakshow cirus. The ringleader says to the crowds that she changes to a snake by night and there will come a time when she'll transform and never be able to change back. Whether that's true or just for sure, it's hard to be sure. I just know that she will eventually become a snake permanently to serve Voldemort. (Speaking of Voldemort, I checked on him and he was born in 1926, so he was a baby when this movie was taking place. And when the duel happens, he's 19... so there is a possibility then that Tom Riddle will appear in one of these movies at some point. There's nothing on his Wiki page that says he was inspired by Grindewald... but JK Rowling could still make a connection somewhere, especially if we see more of Nagini in later moies)

Those who pay attention will see some other cameos of characters that relate back to the other franchise. I noted Jamie Campbell Bower, despite the fact he has no lines, he is shown in pictures alongside Dumbledore and he played him in the Deathly Hallows flashback... I just liked how they kept that continuity... and that they changed his eyes to make him look similiar to Johnny Depp.
There's also a funny cameo from Nicholas Flamel... when Harry Potter was in Hogwarts, Flamel had just celebrated his 665th birthday. This is 70 years earlier, meaning he was just short of 600. He looks pretty ancient as it is :P which is crazy to think he's still alive, but he is staying alive thanks to the Elixir of Life from the Sorceror's Stone. He comments how he hadn't seen any action in decades, but we do see him later in the movie. We find him because he's in charge of the safe house Dumbledore told to Newt. So even then, those two were good friends. 

And to fulfill another curiosity of mine, I looked up Dumbledore because I thought Jude Law looked too young to play him when he looked so much older in the Harry Potter movies. I thought maybe he'd be as old as Nicholas Flamel because of how close they are... not even close... the wiki page says Dumbledore was born in 1881. Meaning he was 100 when Harry's parents were murdered and he was 116 when he was killed. So relating it to the Fantastic Beasts timeline, Dumbledore was 45-46.
Ok, that makes a bit more sense. 

Going back to the movie as a whole, though, it does start up really slow. A lot of exposition where we catch up with old characters and learn about some new ones. But I don't really know what the point of this movie was. Was it trying to stop Grindewald, and failing? Was it trying to kill or arrest Credence, and failing? From what I can tell, it was about drawing lines about what side everyone was on, the "Greater Good" as Grindewald puts it or was it to remain at peace with the muggle world. 
There's some great action with other beasts that Newt befriends, although so much is happening, it's hard to keep track of everything. We start to get some answers about things as we go, but more questions pop up to take their place.
All this movie sees to be is a set-up for future sequels. And I really hope more happens in the next movie to make up for the lack of clarity with this one. 

Grade: B- (I get the feeling a lot of other people, particularly non-Potter fans, wouldn't be nearly this considerate)

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