By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
Joining the “Harry Potter,” “Twilight” and “Hunger Games,” “The Divergent Series: Allegiant,” the adaptation of Veronica Roth’s popular YA series, divides its conclusion into two separate movies.
In the beginning of this installment, a voice-over explains, “We designed your city as an experiment.” So Chicago’s citizens were rigidly divided into behavioral factions, like Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Erudite and Dauntless.
After a revolution abolished these divisions, militant Evelyn (Naomi Watts) takes charge, opposed by Johanna (Octavia Spencer), whose former Amity cohorts become known as Allegiant.
Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Shailene Woodley), accompanied by her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort), lover Four (Theo James), friend Christina (Zoe Kravitz) and ever-duplicitous Peter (Miles Teller), scales the massive concrete wall that surrounds Chicago to explore the post-apocalyptic world outside.
Captured in the dystopian wasteland after being drenched by blood-red radioactive rain, they’re whisked off to the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, a futuristic fortress located at what used to be O’Hare International Airport.
When Tris meets with David (Jeff Daniels), the smug head honcho, he relates the history of DNA modification and shows how the Bureau keeps Chicago’s citizens under constant surveillance. In addition, she learns that because she’s “pure,” she’s has a special mission. And so it goes.
Episodically adapted with inane dialogue contributed by four screenwriters, it’s directed by Robert Schwentke (“Insurgent”) with an emphasis on repetitive action, including floating CGI “plasma globes,” an orange “memory-erasing” gas, and frog-shaped hovercrafts pursuing those caught “in the Fringe” with the purpose of kidnapping children.
Unfortunately, talented Shailene Woodley is not as convincing in the intrepid heroine-mold as Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss and her scripted indecisiveness weakens her effectiveness. That’s confusing, particularly since her new, sculpted, honey-colored hairstyle and stark, immaculately tailored wardrobe evoke the quiet confidence of Robin Wright’s “House of Cards” Claire Underwood.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” is a flogging 5, awaiting the final sci-fi segment “Ascendant,” set for 2017.
Fans of J.J. Abrams’ “Cloverfield” have been eagerly awaiting “10 Cloverfield Lane” but it’s not a sequel.
While it’s in the same sci-fi genre, Abrams purposely didn’t call it “Cloverfield 2” and he’s ditched the found-footage gimmick. Instead, Abrams dubs the psychological thriller a “spiritual successor.”
Fleeing from a romantic break-up in New Orleans, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is knocked unconscious in a horrific car crash on a winding country road somewhere in rural Louisiana.
When she awakens, she’s shackled to the wall in the underground bunker that belongs to an intimidating, conspiracy-theory-obsessed survivalist, Howard (John Goodman), who claims he pulled her from the wreckage and saved her life.
Paranoid Howard tells her that the Russians – or maybe the Martians – dropped The Bomb, making the Earth’s surface radioactive, contaminated and, therefore, uninhabitable for at least a year or so.
Scared, confused and skeptical, Michelle is not the only one held captive. There’s also creepy, enigmatic Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), a local lad who sought refuge in the subterranean shelter but now seems to want to escape as much as she does.
Created and filmed in near-total secrecy, this character-driven, tension-filled tale of terror was directed by Abrams’ protégé, rookie Dan Trachtenberg, to elicit as much apprehension as possible. The palpable dread is amplified by Jeff Cutter’s cinematography and composer Bear McCreary’s foreboding score.
FYI: If you think you recognize the voice of Michelle’s ex-boyfriend on the phone, yes, it’s Bradley Cooper.
On the Granger Gauge, “10 Cloverfield Lane” is a suspenseful 7 with a scary conclusion.
In “The Perfect Match,” Los Angeles-based talent agent Charlie Mac (Terrence Jenkins) is a commitment-phobic Lothario who encourages a steady stream of women to visit his posh Hollywood Hills pad.
“As soon as I have sex with them, all my interest magically disappears,” he tells his friends.
“You just haven’t met the right person yet,” they reply.
Determined to have a baby, Rick (Donald Faison) and his wife (Dascha Polanco) have eliminated all spontaneity from their sexuality in favor of the optimum timing to achieve pregnancy – while Victor (Robert Christopher Riley) is increasingly anxious about the escalating expenses of his upcoming wedding to Ginger (Lauren London).
Shortly after Charlie accepts their challenge to have sex with only one woman in the month before the wedding, he meets stunning, sexy singer/model Eva (Cassie Ventura). Just out of a long-term liaison, she lets him know she’s strictly into fun and frolic – with no strings attached.
But nothing is as easy as it seems, explains Charlie’s older sister (Paula Patton), a psychotherapist who traces his obvious relationship issues back to unresolved grief over the death of their parents.
Clichés clog the script by Brandon Broussard, Gary Hardwick and Dana Verde, directed by Billie Woodruff. Their congenial characters exhibit neither depth nor development. Charlie’s a hollow cipher and Eva’s curvaceous beauty is strictly skin-deep. And everyone’s problems are solved by the conclusion.
On the Granger Gauge, “The Perfect Match” is a faltering 4, fumbling and forgettable rom-com fluff.
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
