Entertainment

Film Review: ‘The Divergent Series: Insurgent’

Published

12 years ago

March 27, 2015

Oakland Post

Octavia Spencer in the sci-fi thriller “The Divergent Series: Insurgent.”

By Dwight Brown
Syndication Film Critic

(NNPA) – Up until now, The Divergent Series couldn’t hold a candle to The Hunger Games franchise, though they are both cut from the same cloth: teen girl hero, sci fi adventure, mean overlords and hunky boyfriends. The Divergent Series: Insurgent doesn’t change that dynamic much, but during its final minutes, it ups the visuals to a level that almost compensates for a weak beginning.

The rehash: The world, 200 years from now has been neatly divided into five classifications or “factions.” The “Divergent” group doesn’t neatly fit into any of the other sectors. They are hunted like deer by the very jealous Erudite faction, which is run by the evil Jeanine (Kate Winslet). The mean queen, who looks like she has swallowed a whole lemon, has confiscated a magic box with unknown powers. Evidently the only way to open it and reveal its treasures is to get a Divergent to go through a treacherous five-stage simulation, which often results in death at stage three.

Jeanine has sent her army out to capture the perfect victim. Meanwhile Tris (Shailene Woodley) and her man Four (Theo James), who are Divergents, are dodging the mean queen’s soldiers, led by Max (Mekhi Phifer). They try to talk other factions into joining them to overthrow Jeanine. Will they be successful?

The first half of this installment doesn’t bode well. The sets, feigning Chicago, look like Legos, the costumes look like hand-me-downs from a high school production of Les Miz and the cast seems bored.

Octavia Spencer plays Johanna, the leader of the peaceful faction Amity, where Tris, Four, her meek brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and their duplicitous friend Peter (Miles Teller, Whiplash) have taken refuge. Johanna, as interpreted by Spencer, stares vacantly like a Charles Manson follower. Woodley has two emotions, cry and fight. And watching her fight grown men takes a huge leap of faith, as her arms are the size of pencils. Elgort is so wimpy you want him to join the Marines. And Teller is way too obviously untrustworthy; you wonder why the other three would trust him with their rent money, much less their lives.

As the film progresses, the chase scenes, action sequences and weak subplots—turns out Four has a missing mom (Naomi Watts) that he can’t trust—unload like debris falling off a slow moving truck. Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback’s ho-hum screenplay feels like it is leading nowhere. Robert Schwentke’s direction makes the fight scenes look over-choreographed and under his guidance the actors are about as animated as robots. For this installment, the writers and director are new. Which begs the question: “Why did the producers pick them?” They are not up to the task.

Fortunately for all concerned, director of photography Florian Ballhaus (The Book Thief) and production designer Alec Hammond (RED) have a deep bag of tricks, which they unleash in the last third of the movie. The visions they conjure are amazing. The decor in the closed glass room where the magic box sits and Divergents are tortured is sleek and artsy. The simulation sequences are mesmerizing to watch: Buildings disintegrate. People too. Tris is haunted by her mom and will do anything to save her; that spirit drives her to be courageous in unique ways. She swings from a rope attached to a burning cinder block room that inflames her mother as it floats in the air above an eerie city skyline. Nice image.

Yes, there is the silly adventure stuff and chest-heaving emotional romantic scenes for the teen girl audience. That’s the first act. The second act is only slightly better as plans for a revolution are made. The visually pleasing third act saves this movie from oblivion, as it progresses to a surprisingly fulfilling ending.

The Divergent Series still lacks the va-va-voom of The Hunger Games. But eventually, it may find its own cannon.

Visit NNPA Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

Published

6 days ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

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From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, September 18, for Coliseum 60, an event marking six decades of sports, entertainment, employment, and community memories at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex. Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum first opened, the celebration featured cultural performances and a mini-documentary highlighting its history. Speakers reflected on the venue’s significant role in the community and its future possibilities. Read more to learn about the individuals and stories honored during this special event.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE moderates a panel discussion at the Coliseum 60 celebration at Youth UpRising featuring Keith Brown, a member of IATSE Local 107; author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; and African American Sports and Entertainment Group President Ray Bobbitt.

By Carla Thomas

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, Sept. 18, for Coliseum 60, a celebration honoring six decades of sports, entertainment, employment and community memories connected to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex.

Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum opened, the event carried the theme, “One Community. One Legacy. One Future. Forward Together.”

The celebration opened with the national anthem performed by sisters Anese Jade, Amina Benjamin and Zaza Benjamin. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company contributed African dance and drumming, bringing movement, rhythm and cultural expression to the program.

A mini documentary highlighted the Coliseum’s sports history and its broader role as an entertainment destination. Archival material recalled performances by Prince and Tina Turner, along with memorable games featuring the Warriors, Oakland A’s and Raiders.

“The Coliseum 60 is about much more than celebrating a building or looking back at 60 years of history,” said event organizer Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE.

“It’s about the people who made that history possible: the families, workers, athletes, artists, community leaders, fans and generations who gathered there and created memories together.”

A panel exploring that history featured author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; stagehand and union representative Keith Brown; and Ray Bobbitt, president of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group AASEG. Lewis described her family as fourth-generation Bay Area pioneers.

“My family and Black families who arrived even earlier helped build the Bay Area, grew businesses and established culture here,” Lewis said. “This should be taught in the public schools.”

Lewis recalled Oakland’s influence on sports, music and literature, from the Raiders’ beginnings at Laney College to stars such as The Pointer Sisters and Rickey Henderson who attended Oakland public schools. She also advocated for school museums, historical timelines, entrepreneurship training and investments benefiting corridors such as Bancroft Avenue and High Street.

Keith Brown, a member of Local 107 of the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees (IATSE) who began working at the Coliseum in 2011, remembered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades, baseball bat giveaways and Nelson Mandela’s 1990 appearance.

“The special events are amazing, but it’s the workers that make the memories real for everyone,” Brown said. “They make the magic happen at the Coliseum.”

The program recognized longtime workers, including beer-stand manager Robert Preston, who served for 40 years, and Kenyatta Gentry, who worked as a vendor for 24 years and used her earnings to purchase her first apartment. Union workers Jose Gonzales and Carmen Sandoval were also honored. Speakers emphasized that Coliseum employment provided generations of residents with union wages and benefits.

Dr. Denise Saddler, the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was also honored. Saddler shared her family’s history of working at the Coliseum.

District 7 Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston discussed the complex ownership arrangements involving the city, county and private interests.

“This was the most complex deal of its kind in the country,” Houston said.

Prior to moving from the East Coast, Alameda County Supervisor and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority Chair Nate Miley recalled learning about Oakland through its three professional sports teams. As an elected official and public servant, Miley fought hard to keep the Golden State Warriors, Oakland As, and the Raiders, but he is hopeful for the future.

“The story is not over for the Coliseum,” Miley said. “We’re entering a new chapter.”

Bobbitt said the departure of three teams had once seemed unimaginable, but he maintained that Oakland’s future remains bright.

“Oakland is a cultural superpower worldwide,” Bobbitt said. “We’re going to write the future where we participate and drive the redevelopment.”

Bobbitt highlighted AASEG’s four-year partnership with Castlemont High School’s architecture program, which engages students in reimagining and creating redevelopment concepts for the Coliseum property. “The youth will always move us forward. They are the future.”

In closing, Atkins said, “September 18 is the celebration, but what we build together afterward is the legacy.”