Tris, Four and their gang of anti-establishment rogues find out they’re not alone in their search for freedom, in the third part of the Divergent series. In “Allegiant”, we pick up right after the earth-shattering revelations of “Insurgent”. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) must escape with Tobias Eaton (Theo James), and leave behind the mayhem of the crumbling  beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. For the first time ever, they will leave the only city and family they have ever known, on a search for truth about the beginnings of such a place. Once outside, old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless with the revelation of shocking new truths that will leave the group divided. Tris and Tobias must quickly decide who they can trust, as a ruthless battle ignites beyond the walls of Chicago which threatens all of humanity. In order to survive, Tris will be forced to make impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love, while finding the determination inside of her to keep fighting back against the odds. “Allegiant” is rated PG-13 for intense violence and action, as well as partial nudity.

The third installment in the Divergent series is a drastic step backwards, failing on so many creative choices that makes this film series feel like a million miles from where it first began. Throughout the 110 minutes, the film crawls through a snails pacing of terrible CGI graphing, as well as plot holes that are laughable even in the furthest Y-A universe. This one in particular felt like it blended in with the also terrible “Maze Runner 2”. Yes “Allegiant’s” novel came first, but the outline of the stories in general have these forgettable films very comparable. The young adults travel to a mysterious colony inhabited by people who have watched them (Like The Maze Runner 2), The colony looks like a desert wasteland (Like The Maze Runner 2), and the film’s major turning point is when a poisonous gas is introduced to the innocent people below (Like The Maze Runner 2). One could label this as coincidence, but I actually think there are many more things wrong with “Allegiant” than that 2015 mess that I just compared it to.

First of all, the film doesn’t have any heart in set design or innovative land designs. If you enjoy CGI effects, this problem won’t hurt you as much as it did me, but the film seriously feels like one great big green screen effect. Why are we spending so much money and time on a film when our actors can stand in front of a green screen and pretend they are in an apocalypse? The biggest problem is there’s nothing special or standing out about it. There are several times during the film when the personal shots of each character showcases the green screen lines around them. This more than took me out of the film a couple of times, and it’s clear the special effects work just didn’t flow naturally for this project.

The film also introduces us to no fewer than ten different gadgets and weapons in this new world that our characters can use without even one day of practice. It really is a laughably flawed mistake when no expositional backstory is wasted on the trial and error for using these gizmos. Nope, instead the production team would rather you think that these teenagers are the most brilliantly crafted human beings known to man. I know that Tris and Four are well trained as Divergent’s, but this has literally nothing to do with learning foreign technology. I can only hope that the novels explained it better, but because of a problem that I will get to in a minute, the film just doesn’t have the kind of time dedicated to proper development.

The biggest problem by leaps and bounds in this film is the bloated and sometimes incoherrent mess that the film became in the second half. This movie is only supposed to represent half of the final book in the series, but it somehow feels like it took on too much and travels at one hundred miles per hour. So many swerves and changes in character behaviors and ever-evolving plot that you never get time to pause the movie and just soak everything in for five minutes. Some characters changed sides so many times that I got confused as to who I should believe with my trust, and who I should be standing against. If this isn’t enough, the film apparently didn’t have enough time to dedicate to its main protagonist, as Shailene Woodley feels like a supporting character puppet for a majority of the film. It isn’t until the final half hour when the movie feels like it woke up and realized who we have been following for three films now. Her character changed so drastically in this film that she feels like only a shadow of her former self, and not in a good way. In previous films, she is the one who is always kind of leery about meeting and trusting new adults, but now she welcomes the leader of this new land with open arms. More than just Tris’s hairstyle has changed. This is a character that I don’t even recognize anymore.

So what did I enjoy about the film? There were some things that kept my grade from truly treacherous levels. First of all is always charming Miles Teller. Even when the films have been a little beneath him, Teller has repeatedly had the time of his life as this enigmatic character who is always looking out for himself. Teller provides perfect comedic timing for some of the scenes that come across as a little laughable, and his schtick is a welcome breath of fresh air for the long sit. I also dug the art design for the film. I know what you’re thinking; I just got done trashing the CGI designs of the film. Well, what I mean is purely the concept work for those graphic designs were very creative and ahead of their time. It’s just in their cinematic presentation where they get weighed down. I specifically enjoyed a drone that was used as a sharpshooting weapon for the army. The action sequences are also mixed with precision in perfect sound. While there isn’t much one on one combat in the film, the movie doesn’t abandon it’s desire for destruction, as no expense was spared at this crumbling ruins of a colony.

Overall, “Allegiant” is an early favorite for big budget disappointment of 2016. With only one film left in this series, it’s time to get the wheels turning again to where we can not only distinguish what makes these characters and their stories great from other similarly structured films, but make it exciting and intriguing to make it worth four installments. This movie feels like the meeting of studio obligation before these actors move on to something equal to their caliber.

3/10