Insurgent (2015)

“I can’t let anyone else die because of me,” said Tris Prior.

Whether people like it or not, the Divergent series will always be a mirror of The Hunger Games series because it’s, obviously, a reflection for each other. In the light of YA adaptation, they share similar tropes: dystopian world, a troubled heroine, and a trilogy (while the movies are both set as a quadrilogy with the finale divided into two chapters); therefore, comparisons are inevitable.

However, compared to The Hunger Games‘ second installment, Catching Fire—which becomes my personal favorite of the series, Divergent‘s Insurgent was the losing side.

With total duration of 119 minutes, Insurgent is a way too long for a middle film with thin plot narratives. The film is too generic and honest, I must say; every single thing is as important as the whole film itself, yet, those pieces of moments only work as they are—no development, no thrill. Insurgent is just as it is—there’s no enticing fun although the story is equipped with tons of twist.

Divergent was a mediocre film, I personally said, yet it opened up a high expectations about the excellent future of the series. The reason was simple: Divergent managed to have a complicated yet fascinating world—where the factions system seemed to be an intriguing and not-that-shallow system in a dystopian world. People were expecting developments on such premise, however, Insurgent ruined it. Poor writing and directing had given an impression that this film is a carbon-copy of The Hunger Games: a heroine to lead a rebellion against a fascist new leader; although, it actually happened to be an error in the faction system. Given the almost 2-hour duration, Insurgent shifted the build-up of its predecessor into a serious banality.

Shailene Woodley played the dangerous part with her new haircut; she looks thinner but more vicious. She was the best part of Insurgent. Theo James as Four got more screen-time and most character development; his character was important, but there’s inconsistency in his existence. Other ensemble cast (save Miles Teller) were in an inappropriate trail. Too many characters, too long duration, too less development: that’s what happened.

The best part of Insurgent, aside from Woodley, is the ending that works as a clean slate. Hopefully, the series can escalate itself with two films left as a two-chapter finale. Expectation was not as high as it was, though.

VERDICT: Insurgent is too generic: too many characters, too long duration, too less development. All of them wrapped with poor CGI; it’s a great misleading.

Insurgent (2015)

Adaptation, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action Directed by: Robert Schwentke Written by: Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman, Mark Bomback based on novel by Veronica Roth Starred by: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts Running Time: 119 mins Rated PG-13 for intense violence and action throughout, some sensuality, thematic elements and brief language

IMDb | Official Site

Suka atau tidak, serial Divergent akan selalu menjadi ‘cermin’ The Hunger Games, karena terlalu banyak hal yang dimiripkan (keputusan Lionsgate juga mungkin). Keduanya memiliki trope yang mirip: dunia dystopia, heroine yang sama-sama bermasalah, serta sama-sama trilogi (yang bagian finale-nya dibagi menjadi dua bagian); tentu saja perbandingan adalah harga ‘nyaris’ mati.

Namun, dibandingkan dengan instalasi kedua The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Insurgent sebagai bagian kedua Divergent jelas kalah telak.

Dengan durasinya yang hampir 2 jam, Insurgent terlalu panjang dengan plot tipisnya yang ‘dipaksakan tebal’. Filmnya terlalu generik dan jujur—tak banyak pengembangan, tak banyak ketegangan, sedikit hambar. Meskipun dibekali tumpukan twist, film ini malah makin terkubur dalam.

Divergent sendiri sebenarnya cukup medioker, hanya saja film itu punya potensi untuk dijadikan franchise yang kuat. Alasannya sederhana: Divergent punya world-building yang menarik—membagi-bagi orang dalam faksi yang sama sekali tidak dangkal. Berkat skrip yang kurang kuat, Insurgent sebagai sekuelnya malah merusak tatanan yang kuat tadi—menjadikannya tak lebih dari carbon-copy The Hunger Games yang kurang gereget.

Shailene Woodley memang tampil beringas dengan rambut barunya serta tubuhnya yang lebih kurus. PTSD-nya menjadi nyawa Insurgent. Theo James yang memerankan Four—yang harusnya menjadi tokoh yang penting—malah kurang bisa mengimbanginya. Sekali lagi, menilik The Hunger Games: Catching Fire sangat kuat karena para pemain pendukungnya berhasil bersinergi dengan baik; hal sebaliknya justru terjadi Insurgent yang malah mengabaikan karakter pendukungnya.

Yang paling baik dalam Insurgent, selain Woodley, adalah endingnya yang ternyata berfungsi untuk clean slate. Semoga dua bagian finale-nya bisa memperbaiki reputasi franchise ini (disampaikan dengan ekspektasi serendah-rendahnya).