Cert 12A
121 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence
In the last week, I have been off work so have taken the chance to catch up with the 2016 box office hits which I have missed.
First up, at Showcase's Foresters' Park cinema in Derby, was the latest in The Divergent Series - the adaptation of Veronica Roth's novels.
Teenage girls have been bragging on Twitter that they have watched Robert Schwentke's Allegiant multiple times (one claimed eight!) and I can see why they would fall for Four (Theo James), have a soft spot for Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and find Tris (Shailene Woodley) heroic.
Throw into the mix that the trusted adults (Naomi Watts and Jeff Daniels) are two-faced and power-hungry and it becomes a teen's dream.
I have to reveal that I departed my teens 33 years ago but I found Allegiant an entertaining if not brain-challenging couple of hours in which the special effects were rather more impressive than the quality of the acting.
If you are reading this review, I am presuming a bit of background knowledge of previous Divergent movies.
So, Allegiant begins with Evelyn (Watts) allowing power to go to her head by closing Chicago's city walls and ordering executions of key Erudite and Dauntless conspirators.
This goes down badly with her son Four and reluctant Divergent leader Tris who organise an escape into the outside world.
There they find a highly advanced city and are welcomed by its outwardly benign leader, David (Daniels).
Tris and Four are again faced with the question of who they should trust with the inevitably answer being very few.
Allegiant is another engaging Divergent movie but, again, I couldn't help thinking it was in the shadow of The Hunger Games whose recent finale was just better in terms of acting quality and bigger in terms of scope.
Nevertheless, it has more edge than the The Maze Runner series and certainly much less slushy than Twilight.
I was thankful that I watched it at the end of its run and had the screen to myself, apart from the smooching young couple on the back row.
Reasons to watch: pretty engaging adventure
Reasons to avoid: starting feel as if the franchise is stretched
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7/10
Star tweet
Ansel Elgort Who's excited to see Allegiant !? 
me! I haven't seen it yet I'm jealous of these people who got tickets to pre screenings...
me! I haven't seen it yet I'm jealous of these people who got tickets to pre screenings...
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