'The Divergent Series: Insurgent', the second installment in the "Divergent" trilogy, is an average young adult (YA) science fiction film and a solid next step for the franchise. It features extreme fantasy and special effects that are on par with other films of this genre, multiple thrilling action sequences, and dives much further into the world that audiences got a glimpse of in the first film.
Overall, this film is nothing special, and has its share of lengthy talking head bits, overly sentimental moments, and a fair amount of borderline over-the-top drama.
While there are many enjoyable moments and plenty of creative material in this film, 'Insurgent' is really no different than any other YA sci-fi fantasy film. Much like "Twilight," "The Hunger Games," "The Giver," etc., the story features a futuristic fantasy world with a young adult protagonist or hero, who is meant to save everyone and fight back against some corrupt individual or evil group. As more of these types of films are adapted from novels, technology and special effects are improved. However, rarely does a film come along that is in another league of its own, and that is no different here. Like many of these films, if you are a fan of this type of content, liked the preceding film or read the source material, there's a good chance you'll enjoy 'Insurgent.'
'Insurgent' picks up shortly after 'Divergent' ends, with Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) and Tobias "Four" Eaton (Theo James) on the run after thwarting an evil plan by Erudite (one of Chicago's futuristic five created factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite), led by Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet), to take control and rid the community of "divergents," those few who express equal traits of all five factions and possess their own independent way of thinking. Once Tris and Four learn that Jeanine is in control of a secret box or device that may hold the key to their community's survival, they must align with anyone willing to stand and fight, along with the factionless, led by Evelyn Johnson-Eaton (Naomi Watts), Tobias' believed to be dead mother.
Like other sequels or second installments of this nature, 'Insurgent' is in many ways larger than 'Divergent.' The story rapidly progresses with more at stake, the action seems to increase, and the special effects appear on a larger scale. The audience gets to see more of this fantasy world, learn more about the history and story, and meet new characters. In this film, there are several wide shots of futuristic Chicago and other environments that are noticeably heavily computer-generated but overall look pretty cool.
There are multiple action scenes, dream sequences, or simulations that are thrilling and very well put together, as well as a few shots and scenes where pure special effects take over and look like a video game or animation.
In this film, we are introduced to several new characters, which are amusingly all played by recognizable actors. Most notable are Octavia Spencer, who plays Johanna Reyes, a representative for Amity; Naomi Watts as Evelyn Eaton; and Daniel Dae Kim, playing Jack Kang, a representative for Candor. Along with Woodley, James, and Winslet, Jai Courtney, Mekhi Phifer, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Zoe Kravitz, Tony Goldwyn, Ashley Judd, Ray Stevenson, and Maggie Q reprise their roles once again. Most actors give an admirable performance, and while his character seems to be forcibly used at times, Miles Teller's comedic moments are a welcome relief.
As the film dives further into the story, it spends a great deal of time explaining or featuring "talking heads," which is what I like to call it when two or more characters are talking back and forth for a lengthy amount of time. While this does further the plot, one would think that films with sci-fi fantasy material would do better with simpler stories and more action over narrative. There is a good amount of overly sentimental love moments between Tris and Four, as well as various extremely dramatic points and conclusions. The film runs a bit less than two hours -- but had the feel of a much longer viewing.
One element of the film in particular that I was disappointed by was the music. In the first film, Junkie XL composed the score, with Hans Zimmer executive producing the album. Both had worked together on 'Man of Steel', 'The Dark Knight Rises', etc., and in my opinion, the score and soundtrack for 'Divergent' were very appealing. In 'Insurgent,' a different person scored the film, and instead of a song-based soundtrack, the film relies heavily on a score that is more dark and intense than the first film. While the music in 'Insurgent' is very dramatic, I personally enjoyed hearing songs and artists throughout the first film that I was more familiar with.
Not having read the books, it's difficult to comment on whether the film does justice to the book. From reading a brief plot of the book online, it appears that some events are heavily altered in the film. That being said, I don't believe the film differs from the book drastically or ridiculously enough to ruin the experience, because at the end of the day it does present a mildly entertaining YA fantasy film either way.
'Insurgent' is the kind of film that I enjoy seeing, being a sci-fi fantasy fan myself, but it's nothing out of the ordinary and will only be remembered in relation to all of the other films of this genre. I encourage fans to go see this film, but there's no need to rush.
It was recently reported that the third installment of the "Divergent" series, "Allegiant," would be split into two movies, following the strategy and success of other franchises like "The Hunger Games" and "Twilight." 'The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Part 1', will be released on March 18, 2016, while the second part will be released on March 24, 2017.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.
'The Divergent Series: Insurgent' is rated PG-13 for intense violence and action throughout, some sensuality, thematic elements and brief language. Running time is 1 hour and 59 minutes.
