Insurgent: A Review

Set in a dystopian world, the Divergent series is set in Chicago, where society has been divided into five factions: Erudite, Abnegation, Amity, Dauntless, and Candor. Each faction values different traits and skills, and these factions are employed in order to maintain a peaceful and balanced society. But when a new group of people, known as the Divergents, are not able to fit into any one faction, society begins to crumble as many discover that the faction system was not what it seemed to be. Divergents are hated, feared, and hunted down, as they are seen as a threat to the structure of society.

In the first film, the protagonist Tris Prior discovered that she was Divergent. Insurgent sees Tris exploring what it means to be Divergent while also dealing with the repercussions of her previous actions and the guilt of endangering people that she cares for.

Insurgent sees Tris and her boyfriend Four once again running for their lives in order to escape the diabolical Jeanine Matthews and save the rest of the Divergents. The narrative is fast-paced and relentless, and there are frequent action scenes. The relationship between Tris and Four is also explored more thoroughly as Tris deals with the guilt of killing her friend and not having been able to save her parents. However, Tris’s relationships with other characters besides Four are often ignored in order to provide more time for the action and violence.

Shailene Woodley, who has recently come to prominence with the Divergent series and the movie The Fault in Our Stars, once again shines in her role as Tris. She is able to give Tris the perfect balance of kindness, guilt, rage, and selflessness. Theo James is also memorable as the brave but troubled Four. Kate Winslet portrays the logical, icy, emotionless Jeanine perfectly. Other notable performances include Ansel Elgort as Tris’s brother Caleb Prior and Miles Teller as Peter.

If you’re a fan of the book series, Insurgent may be a slight disappointment to you. The movie often changes entire plot lines or skips important scenes completely. This is obviously done in order to condense all of the material in the novel into one movie, but it can be confusing at times.

Teenagers and fans of the book series will most likely enjoy this movie, but other than the handful of great actors who carry the film, it doesn’t have a lot to offer. It’s a satisfying sequel to Divergent, but in a world filled with dystopian teen novels and movies, it doesn’t seem very unique.

Insurgent should be seen simply for the quality of acting seen in the lead roles rather than a great story line. Fans of the book series should expect to see many of their well-loved secondary characters pushed aside in order to focus on Tris and her growing anger, violence, and plans of revenge on Jeanine. Although this is necessary for the story line, it also takes away some of the fun that was present in the first film.

You can expect to see the third book in the series, Allegiant, also adapted into a two-part movie. part one is expected to be released in theaters in March 2016 with part two following in March 2017.