REVIEW: ‘Divergent: Allegiant’ is a dull movie full of pretty people

Prepare thyself! The end of the world is here and the only people who can prevent it are a bunch of very attractive teenagers. That’s what every film in the recent wave of movies adapted from young adult novels is telling us. It would be interesting to study the psychological underpinnings that drive the popularity of these stories.

It’d be a lot more interesting than the latest addition to the stream of dystopian young adult adaptations, “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” turns out to be.

”Allegiant” is the latest chapter in the story of Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley), a very special young woman who may be the key to saving humanity. To do so, she, Four (Theo James) and some others scale the wall that divides the crumbling ruins of Chicago and head out into The Fringe, a wasteland that lies beyond the wall.

Our heroes are intercepted by representatives of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, headed by the benevolent David (Jeff Daniels). But, as all these dystopian flicks tell us, anyone who presents themselves as benevolent is evil and up to no good. Tris and Four bust out and set about putting a stop to all the scheming.

I understand why these movies get made. They get made because people spend money to see them. But, would it kill the people making these movies to put a little thought and effort into making them decent? Seriously, the story for “Allegiant” carries all kind of ramifications of the character, as well as plenty of action, and yet watching this movie is more sleep-inducing than watching fish in an aquarium.

The actors certainly don’t seem to be trying too hard. Woodley is a talented actress with an emotion-packed role to play, and yet she spends most of the movie looking bored. James gets to mix it up in a few fight scenes, but other than that, he appears as unengaged as Woodley. Any highlights — if you can call them that — are restricted to semi-humorous outbursts from Miles Teller’s character.

Even the more established members of the cast don’t fare too well. Daniels appears to be on the verge of falling asleep in most of his scenes. Naomi Watts is no better than solid and Octavia Spencer is wasted. This is not a movie to watch for great acting.

There are, as far as I can figure, only two reasons to see “Allegiant”. Firstly, the cast is packed with attractive people. Woodley and James are both smoking hot, but the background characters are beautiful. Even Daniels looks pretty dapper in his suit.

The only other reason to check out “Allegiant” is that there are a few interesting visuals amidst the flood of crummy-looking computer-generated shots and the interiors that all look like the inside of the same warehouse. These shots include cityscapes that look like something from some 1970s prog rock band’s album cover and climactic scenes of crowd running scared from mists that look like airborne Cheeto dust.

”Allegiant” is snore-fest. Seriously. That may be great if you’re an insomniac, but it’s no good if you’re looking to be entertained. Fans of the “Divergent” series might get something out of this movie. If you’re not a fan, I think “Star Wars” is still playing…

2 Indy Fedora out of 5

MPAA Rating: PG-13