Review of Insurgent

Initial Thought: I really enjoyed the first one in this series. I remember only watching on of the trailers which didn't spoil anything nor really tell me what the story was. I wanted to see this when it first came out, but I didn't really have the time or money. To my surprise it's still in theaters around here so I decided to finally check it out.

Characters/Acting: Of course most of the actors who were in the first one who lived return again here. The new additions include Octavia Spencer, Jonny Weston, Naomi Watts, and Daniel Dae Kim. All of whom are excellent actors. It's too bad that they don't get all that much screen time here. I really liked some of the characters even more than when I watched the first film. I also thought the villains were a bit more intense.

Story: Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side. There were quite a few things that happened here I didn't see coming. This is riddled with plot twists and constant betrayals! I don't know if that was a good idea or just a bit all over the place. I thought the simulations were pretty cool more so than the first film. There are a few pretty intense and somewhat brutal action sequences for a young adult adaptation. I swear it even got a bit darker than it's predecessor. I definitely did not see that ending coming.

Directing/Writing: Robert Schwentke is sort of a slightly above director to a pretty entertaining one. Hopefully here he strays either toward the latter. It took three writers to adapt Veronica Roth's second story into one that apparently wanders wildly astray from the books. This is Brian Duffield's first credited work since Jane Got a Gun still hasn't been presented to the public. Akiva Goldsman is a pretty excellent scriptwriter if you forgive his mistake with Batman & Robin. Mark Bomback has yet to make a film I dislike. Everything I have seen of his has been excellent or fun.

Final Thought: This was fairly different to the first part. I think it was the atmosphere and the style of the story this time around. It still held my attention from start to finish. I can't wait to see how it all ends. This one itself almost felt like it should have been the final story though. I wonder with two more films how everything is going to play out. If you read the books know that this is said to veer off from that. This one caters to the movie fans and doesn't let spoilers happen by changing it up. I say check it out if you liked the first one. Just expect it to be a bit different this time around.