Insurgent (2015)

“One choice can transform you-or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors.War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships. Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.”

Director: Robert Schwentke

Writers: Brian Duffield (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)

Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James

Runtime: 119 minutes

Synopsis:

"The Divergent Series" has always been judged against movie series’ like "Hunger Games" and "Harry Potter". While the concept is a bit alike, the story got its' own plus points. Continuing "Divergent", "Insurgent" isn't really like its' predecessor. It's faster and more thrilling than ever, filled with breathtaking hunts and chases as well as ingenious visuals.

"Insurgent" follows Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), and the others on the run from Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) who is hunting divergents (first movie is recommended to understand the story that follows in this movie). Another plot that includes a mystery box, which only divergents could open through simulations, is also pretty inventive.

Doubting it would be good, it turns out to be better than expected. Not only the story is faster, the risks are higher and it creates a darker tone. The actors were well suited for the characters similar to the first installment. It is the change of director that marked an advancement over the last one. Robert Shwenke gives more anxiety to the audience with enough visuals that could make your heart race.

Not saying the movie doesn't have any flaws. There's a bit of problem with the script which is either the movie's strength or weakness. Some scenes are not very well executed. But, that doesn't really matter to the experience as a whole. Thankfully, the action scenes overcome its flaws.

Looking too closely into the book series and comparing it to the film, yes of course there will be many things missed and left out but what can you really do about having a limited time span and budget? As true fans, I would believe the love of the books should extend to the love of the film because that’s what true fans do. Not to mention, the effort from the filmmakers to maintain the identity and integrity of the books in the movie, is a job well done.

If you loved "Divergent", there's no doubt you're going to love this. All in all, it’s a pleasing experience.

Cast:

	Kate Winslet	...	Jeanine
	Jai Courney	...	Eric
	Mekhi Phifer	...	Max
	Shailene Woodley	...	Tris
	Theo James	...	Four
	Ansel Elgort	...	Caleb
	Miles Teller	...	Peter

Divergent (2014)

Director: Neil Burger

Writers: Veronica Roth (based on the novel by), Evan Daugherty (screenplay)

Stars:  Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet

Duration: 139 minutes

 “Set in a futuristic dystopia where society is divided into five factions that each represent a different virtue, teenagers have to decide if they want to stay in their faction or switch to another - for the rest of their lives. Tris Prior makes a choice that surprises everyone. Then Tris and her fellow faction-members have to live through a highly competitive initiation process to live out the choice they have made. They must undergo extreme physical and intense psychological tests, that transform them all. But Tris has a secret that she is Divergent, which means she doesn't fit into any one group. If anyone knew, it would mean a certain death. As she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly peaceful society, this secret might help her save the people she loves... or it might destroy her.”

Synopsis:

Divergent – A movie based on Sci-Fi novel of the same name is a story of a girl searching for her true identity in a world so systematically configured that a single point of disturbance may cause havoc to the whole system. This single point is nothing but a girl named Beatrice aka Tris, who unintentionally falls in the category of a debarred community of Divergents characterized for their independent thinking, whom the government think of as threat and uncontrollable.

In a futuristic dystopian Chicago, the society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). The Factionless have no status or privilege in society. When children reach the age of 16, they are subject to a serum-induced psychological test which recommends their best-suited faction, then are allowed to choose any faction as their permanent faction at the subsequent Choosing Ceremony.

Tris is a born Abnegation, but contrary to that she always admired the Dauntless in their fearless and free-to-move spirit. This makes her choose the Dauntless as her faction in the ceremony. Initially she struggle with the Dauntless trainings, but slowly improves as the timeline grows. In the next phases of training, the trainees are subject to psychological simulations where they face their worst fears. Tris' divergence allows her to excel at the tests, defeating them in unusual ways, but Four (Theo James) warns her to hide her abilities and solve the challenges as a normal Dauntless. The rest of the story goes on her search of true identity and the question as to why being a Divergent was so much a threat to the government, and who is responsible for making everyone against them.

As for the technicality perspective, the cast looks at first a bit clumsy, but as the movie goes on, it somehow fits with for all the characters. Direction is good and portrayal of a whole new different world with different rules and categories shows how much effort has been put to craft it that one may think of it as real at some point of time while watching the movie. Story is straight-forward but it works as the individuality stands here in it.

As a whole, "Divergent" has an interesting plot line that moves well. There is nothing confusing about it. It follows the book (which is also quite good!) pretty well.

Cast:

	Shailene Woodley	...	Tris
	Theo James	...	Four
	Kate Winslet	...	Jeanine
	Jai Courtney	...	Eric

Tomorrowland

Director: Brad Bird

Production: Walt Disney Pictures

Writers: Damon Lindelof (screenplay), Brad Bird (screenplay)

Stars: George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy

Duration: 130 minutes

“Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as ‘Tomorrowland’”.

Synopsis:

The latest outcome from Disney’s wonders of imaginations is Tomorrowland. The film tells the story of a former boy genius (Clooney) and a young girl (Robertson), who travel to an ambiguous dimension known as "Tomorrowland", where their actions directly affect the world and themselves. This movie kickstarts with the notion of Not-Losing-Hope and Not-Giving-Up attitudes, but as the timeline grows the plot looses its grip in somewhere, Still the basic concept remains with the audience which makes it an inspiring movie than being tagged only as a sci-fi adventure.

Well, Tomorrowland is a city in a parallel dimension to our own where some of the brightest minds -- both creative and scientific -- convened to try and create a better future for our tomorrow. In the film, teenager Casey Newton (played very likably by Britt Robertson) is given a tiny pin with the Tomorrowland logo on it that when she touches she is presented with visions of Tomorrowland. These visions set her on a quest to figure out what this amazing place is that she is seeing, and on that quest she meets an android girl with some pretty awesome martial arts moves named Athena, a cadre of robots hunting Casey down trying to keep her from uncovering the secrets of Tomorrowland, and a grumpy George Clooney, who portrays Frank Walker, a former child genius who once lived in Tomorrowland but was exiled. Frank is the only one who can take Casey there, and thus their adventure to reach Tomorrowland shifts into high gear.

Very few movies today give us the motivation to think beyond what we see, to think optimistically about the future. This is one of those movies, which will appeal to those who still dare to dream out of their ways, crafted in old fashioned sci-fi movie style.  Some scenes which were made so beautiful that the theatre leaving audience will always remember  whenever they think of this movie. The one where Frank shows his Jet-Pack to the judge and explains beautifully about how that would be helpful in making world a nice place to live. Another one where Casey calms down her father for him going to lose his NASA job and motivates him with the story of Two Wolves (with analogy to Light and Darkness), was another beautifully crafted scene. These will leave you with inner happiness even after the movie ends.

For the technical aspects of the movie, Casey Newton played a powerful role which even side-kicked George’s Frank character at some points. And for Athena’s character, Raffey Cassidy successfully leaves a mark on audience’s mind and it would not be easy to think of Tomorrowland without her beautifully played character. Director Brad Bird has crafted this film which mixes mystery, wonder, and suspense wonderfully with touching human moments between characters, both man and machine, and some remarkably executed comedic beats as well. Direction and screenplay were both great from the start, but when the story moves forward, it somehow loses the track and leads to a climax which may leave many people disappointed at the end. CGI graphics and other technicalities were good only, as a proper Sci-Fi movie fan would think it as old-fashioned one. Still, from start to end, Tomorrowland somehow works.

To cut things short, we are all too pessimistic to think straight most of the times, we watch death and destructions with too much fun nowadays, but when a movie like this comes, which really talks about the inspiration and optimism in future, the tenacious attitude to live with and most of all, Not Losing Hope, then it should be watched for at least Fun-cum-Inspiro-tainment.

Cast:

	George Clooney	...	Frank Walker
	Hugh Laurie	...	Nix
	Britt Robertson	...	Casey Newton
	Raffey Cassidy	...	Athena

Parallels

Director: Christopher Leone

Writers:  Laura Harkcom (story), Christopher Leone(story)

Stars:  Mark Hapka, Jessica Rothe, Eric Jungmann

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Mystery

Runtime: 83 minutes

“PARALLELS is a science-fiction adventure series that follows the story of a small band of people travelling across parallel earths. The group is led by an estranged brother and sister, Ronan and Beatrix Carver, who are looking for their father. What they discover is that their family is shattered across multiple earths. The question is: can they put their family back together again?”

Synopsis:

The most recent outing from Fox Digital Studio (projects created for online viewing and streaming entertainment outlets) has an epic scope; The basic premise of the movie is the building where highly advanced technology is hidden that can be used to traverse through innumerable parallel earths. And that single building has been anchored in the same exact location in every existing world. This might remind long time Sci-Fi fans of the TV series Sliders, but the travelling between parallel worlds makes the comparison ends here.

Until this point, it is good. But when it comes the mystery surrounding building, the doubts everyone will have while watching this movie, like how this building works, who built it and why installed this hidden technology in this building, what was the need to discover how to travel across highly advanced core worlds, and possibly shut down this structure, along with bits and pieces hinting towards a shadowy war between some of the parallel Earths. All the unresolved questions were left hanging in the air.

But the good news everyone, this might seem to be more of a pilot for a series rather than a standalone movie, and hints about upcoming announcements regarding Parallels may tell us when to expect more, either in series format or in successive movies. Either way, the many questions raised by the movie seem to be leading us into a new online series, one that can be looked forward to watch.

Cast:

	Mark Hapka			as			Ronan Carver
	Jessica Rothe			as			Beatrix Carver
	Eric Jungmann			as			Harold
	Constance Wu			as			Polly
	Yorgo Constantine			as			Alex Carver

CHAPPiE

Plot Summary:

The story of a self-conscious robot, CHAPPiE, being stolen and programmed to think and feel for itself, takes turn into a high end heist leading to an epic argument of Good vs. Evil.

Director: Neill Blomkamp

Writers:  Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller 

"In the near future, Indian born Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), is a high ranking executive in a Robotic Police Force company. When he comes up with an idea to make a self conscious robot named Chappie to protect better, his higher-ups disapprove it. Nonetheless, he makes it and when the company finds out, scraps the robot. When 2 small time criminals planning a $200 million heist find Chappie, they kidnap Deon and force him to program Chappie to assist them in their heist. When power-corrupted military general Vincent (Hugh Jackman) finds out, he rallies all forces to stop Chappie, at any cost that leads to an monumental showdown between Good and Evil."

Synopsis:

In the near future, crime is patrolled by an cruel mechanized police force. But now, the people are fighting back. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, it becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for itself. As powerful, destructive forces start to see Chappie as a danger to mankind and order, they will stop at nothing to maintain the balance and ensure that Chappie is the last of its kind.

One of the most remarkable scenes was when Chappie asks its creator that why did he put it in a mortal body and creator answers with a confusion that how could he know or anticipate how far Chappie could develop itself. So there is always a question of existence that pertains throughout.

Chappie is a exuberant, witty, enjoyable, and unexpectedly sentimental movie about a conscious robot being raised by gangsters in Johannesburg. Most of the criticisms regarding single dimensional or illogical character choices are valid, but Chappie's character, the CGI, the humour, and the overall theme of the movie more than make up for these shortcomings.

As a character, Chappie is an unwilling action hero that one can both identify with and admire. Its story is gripping and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately some of Chappie's brilliance comes at the expense of the world around him.

Are there plot holes? A few minor irregularities, but no major ones. The graphics are excellent, the sense of humour is evident throughout, and some of the performances are truly memorable. Sigourney Weaver's hilarious head-over-heels exit from her robot manufacturing plant in the face of total catastrophe is comical in the extreme.

Even though there is a lot of violence which may be a reason for a lot of criticism, still it is a story with a wonderful moral ending (good triumphs over evil) and some really outstanding entertainment along the way.

In short, Blomkamp delivered a beautiful futuristic story that ultimately challenges (or may be changes) our views on what consciousness truly represents. Fueled by amazing special effects, interesting character development, and an intelligent use of symbolism towards life, this film falls nothing short of being a true cinematic masterpiece.

Cast:

Sharlto Copley

Dev Patel

Hugh Jackman