Yet another YA dystopian adaptation. And given its incredibly poor box office numbers, it will probably be one of the final nails in the coffin before this trend that got started with The Hunger Games dies out (at least for a few years). And this film does indeed have most of the problems that have really started to plague these films; a derivative plot with very little to make it stand out, the violence being severely hampered by its PG-13 rating, and very obvious, unsubtle social commentary. Also, most of the film’s special effects are pretty awful, probably due to its limited budget. As a film, though, this isn’t a terrible experience; the acting is just fine (Amandla Stenberg is an extremely likable and compelling lead), the story is consistent, and I was, at the very least, marginally engaged by what was happening, even if there weren’t really any surprises. This film will probably satisfy anyone looking for a teen dystopian fix (although they’ll probably be frustrated by the film’s cliffhanger ending, given it seems unlikely the sequels will ever be made), but for anyone else, this is just kind of a generic film that is easy to sit through, but you won’t remember.

Rating: 2.5/5