Anything Goes : 4 star review of "Divergent 3: Allegiant" by S.W. Wilcox

That site keeps moving the review back and forth to my private user page, which nobody can read. What's the point? I'll paste the review here, but I don't see an edit button....

So I saw "Allegiant" & "10 Cloverfield Lane" back-to-back today, as Rotten Tomatoes' polarized reviews posed a challenge. In brief, I give them both A's, but the polarity is intriguing as the first is philosophic action while the other is psychological tension. And usually Jules Verne-type futurism is applauded over Poe-esque murder puzzles - but "10 C. Lane" does have a strong dose of H.G. Wells to be safe, lol. Anyhow, here's where I take 10 points from "Allegiant"-- still leaving a 90 for an A-, or 4.5 stars. First, 3 points off for on-the-nose dialog which tries to mask itself with humorous irony. Nope, despite those college 101/102 logic and writing courses which champion irony as supreme wit, film says "no way." Unless we see a missile or craft heading toward the Earth-globe, saying "the whole world" knocks-out scene-believability as sure as a Mike Tyson punch. Take 4 more points off for some clumsy body shots. In the case of the lead Tris, one shot especially accentuates her late-teen gawkiness, while another overcompensates with a too-perfect-nude-silhouette-body-double. Actress Woodley is mesmerizing despite this, as usual, so again just one point off for those, reminding me of the airbrushed rear of Julia Roberts on the "Pretty Woman" poster. The other is when flying (two of those, actually), but that gets into spoilers. Lastly, there's 2 overly-violent fight scenes that, like most of late, just plain fall flat of what master Bruce Lee was doing effortlessly some 40 years ago. And oh yes, no brilliant soundtrack at the end like in Part 2, "Insurgent." Except for one ok song, we just get some phoned-in synth pads.... Well at least that's better than the pitiful techno-pop at the end of Part 1's credit reel. Hopefully we'll get the great music back for the 4th, final film. And oh yes, Watts acts circles around former villain Winslet. And for all the phony reviews out there about "clichéd filler," no we do NOT need to see NY leveled for the umpteenth time (esp. in a Jeep ad). Hell, the falling bridge scenes in the new "X-Men" trailer looks lifted right from Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises." Leave Britney alone? Leave NY the f' alone! 4.5 stars.

Watch this ("Divergent 3: Allegiant") tonight on HBO with a friend for a good discussion on world and future politics --esp. medical ones.