It must be these scenes that earned the film a 15 instead of the usual 12A; there’s a dark familiarity that we haven’t seen in the more distant dystopias of other adaptations.
This twisted tone does not last, sadly. As soon as Cassie meets a boy, Evan ( Alex Roe) , who is a bit different from the other boy she likes, Ben ( Nick Robinson) , the mood swings away from Cassie as a woman of action to Cassie as a woman able to sigh in a variety of locations.
Cassie sighs at Evan as he chops wood. Cassie sighs at Evan as he rinses his pecs in a lake. If there’s a sequel, perhaps we’ll get to see Cassie sigh as Evan cradles an injured puppy or builds an orphanage. Of course, romance is an important part of many young-adult films, but couldn’t it be done with more dynamism? A bit more than the basic ‘he’s complicated; she’s confused’ schtick? Admittedly, she’s weak from blood-loss for part of their acquaintance, but the lightheadedness lasts far too long.
The adults also get short shrift. Blakeson had the foresight to cast the likes of Maria Bello and Liev Schreiber to add some weight, but they simply don’t have enough space to make an impact. By the time we reach the second hour, it’s all box-ticking. Kids outsmart the grown-ups? Done. One of the romantic interests turns out to be more complicated than he seems? Yup. A whole lot of questions about what’s going on, virtually none of which are answered because you want people to come back for a sequel? Wearyingly, yes. This began with the promise of a braver tone than most of its predecessors; it ends content to blend into the crowd.