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    Unintended Parody

    Laughable Insurgent comes off like parody of young adult dystopian genre

    Alex Bentley
    Mar 20, 2015 | 12:00 am
    Laughable Insurgent comes off like parody of young adult dystopian genre
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    Just after the release of 2014’s The Maze Runner, Saturday Night Live parodied the ever-growing genre of young adult dystopian films with the aptly named The Group Hopper. It was a clever take on how the films — or, specifically, the books on which the movies are based — force people into somewhat random groups in order to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

    Although the genre’s progenitor, The Hunger Games, and its sequels have managed to overcome the inherent faults of the subset, Divergent and especially its sequel, Insurgent, could almost pass for the SNL parody.

    Insurgent picks up with hero Tris (Shailene Woodley) on the run with her boyfriend Four (Theo James), her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and her rival Peter (Miles Teller). The five factions of futuristic Chicago — Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite — are starting to splinter, and Amity gives the foursome refuge from Erudite and its power-hungry leader, Jeanine (Kate Winslet).

    If you have to keep explaining the groups to the audience, chances are you don’t have a very solid story in the first place.

    While Divergent had the thrill of discovery of Tris’ divergent skill set, Insurgent attempts to rev things up with the rumblings of war. The trouble is, the story is mostly bluster and little action. The filmmakers want you to believe that Tris and her friends are in constant danger, but the way it plays out, that threat is hardly ever palpable.

    With the main quartet now essentially factionless, the story takes great pains to make sure each group that they come across is defined and redefined. However, if you have to keep explaining the groups to the audience, chances are you don’t have a very solid story in the first place.

    Also, although it might not affect everybody, having Elgort, Woodley’s love interest in The Fault in Our Stars, and Teller, her love interest in The Spectacular Now, play two of Tris’ key allies can be a bit distracting. Instead of focusing on the particulars of their characters in this film, you might find yourself daydreaming about the unintended cinematic love rectangle of Woodley, James, Elgort and Teller.

    As if the story weren’t bad enough, the film’s special effects detract even further from its goal. A third act sequence in which Tris undergoes trials within a computer simulation seem designed to wow with digital trickery. Instead, they’re almost laughable due to the poor computer imagery, which dulls the film’s climax.

    The third book in the series, Allegiant, is being split into two films as is the custom with such series nowadays. However, the relatively happy-go-lucky way in which Insurgent ends provides little forward momentum for two more installments, seemingly backing its into a narrative corner.

    As youth dystopia films go, Insurgent is lacking on multiple fronts. With an uninteresting story, an unnecessarily confusing structure and competition from similar films, it’s among the weakest in the now-overloaded genre.

    Theo James, Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller in Insurgent.

    Theo James, Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller in Insurgent
      
    Photo by Andrew Cooper
    Theo James, Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller in Insurgent.
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    Movie Review

    Horror film Bring Her Back may shock even fans of the genre

    Alex Bentley
    May 30, 2025 | 1:33 pm
    Sally Hawkins and Sora Wong in Bring Her Back
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Sally Hawkins and Sora Wong in Bring Her Back.

    While there have been plenty of great horror movies that have come out of the United States, there are also many examples of other countries delivering films that put American ones to shame. Whether it’s the freedom of working outside the U.S. studio system, different sensibilities, or something else, international horror movies often hit way harder than domestic ones.

    The latest example is the Australian film Bring Her Back, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, the same filmmakers behind the 2023 sensation Talk to Me. The fantastically unnerving story centers on Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sister, Piper (Sora Wong), who’s legally blind. The two are put into foster care after the death of their father, finding a home with Laura (Sally Hawkins), a former social worker. Laura is enthusiastic about having Piper, who reminds her of her blind daughter who passed away, but Andy feels a coolness toward him right away.

    Also living with Laura is Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), whom Laura says has been mute since her daughter’s death. But Oliver’s actions are much weirder than him not being able to talk, and Laura alternates between being dismissive of him and overly attentive. Things start to go off the rails when Andy witnesses a horrific event, and he and Piper - along with the audience - are unprepared for how awful things will get.

    The film, written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, ranks extremely high on the list of most disturbing films you’re likely to see. It’s not just the blood and gore that can be found in many other horror movies; it’s the manner in which the carnage comes about that may haunt the dreams of viewers. The things that the filmmakers choose to show are so shocking that it’s fair to wonder what kind of a mind comes up with such atrocities.

    But the Philippous have more on their mind than trying to traumatize viewers visually. It’s a movie about grief and a broken foster care system mixed with a tinge of the supernatural. While it’s not entirely clear what’s going on with Laura and Oliver, it involves something spooky that has affected both of them in inexplicable ways. The film combines the horrors of real life and the incomprehensible for a highly effective story.

    The film also veers far away from your typical horror film arc. While Laura is the “villain” of the film, she’s also a victim in a certain way, and the filmmakers have empathy for the trauma that she has endured. They don’t excuse her actions, but the reasons behind them are explained, and so the journey that Andy and Piper go on becomes more meaningful than if it involved a monster with no back story.

    Hawkins, who’s been nominated for two Oscars, elevates the film with her high-level acting. No matter what kind of weird thing Laura does, it feels grounded because Hawkins is bringing it to life. Barratt and Wong play their roles well, but it’s Phillips who’s the real revelation. Without speaking a word, he turns in a supremely creepy performance, one that’s especially amazing for the physical things he’s asked to do.

    Even horror film aficionados may not be able to anticipate the level of depravity on display in Bring Her Back. Unlike other movies in the genre, it’s not out for cheap thrills. The Philippous give it heart and soul, along with some of the most messed-up scenes you’ll see this year.

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    Bring Her Back is now playing theaters.

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