The Divergent Series: Insurgent
Brian Duffield
Akiva Goldsman
Mark Bomback
119 mins.
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
March 20, 2015
Rated PG-13 for intense violence and action throughout, some sensuality, thematic elements and brief language. (MPAA)
YA (Young Adult) fever has a stranglehold on the world’s cineplexes. Most of the blame (almost all of it, that is) lies with “The Hunger Games” and its sequels. That film franchise opened the floodgates for similarly themed and styled movies to enter the fray. They include “The Maze Runner,” “The Giver,” and “The Divergent Series.” Unlike “The Giver,” though, “The Divergent Series” has done very little to distinguish itself from “The Hunger Games” franchise. While “The Giver” has many flaws and was less successful at the box office, it does attempt to wax philosophical much more than its recent YA film counterparts. In contrast, “The Divergent Series” is content to merely conjure a sense of déjà vu. But déjà vu is potent only when it’s overwhelming. It needs to get under your skin. “Insurgent,” the second film in “The Divergent Series,” doesn’t quite accomplish that. It’s only OK, which makes its premise a tough sell.
At its opening, Kate Winslet, as Jeanine (the Erudite faction leader), provides a grounded introduction to the current state of affairs in this film’s post-apocalyptic world. As before, this is set in a Chicago of the future, and the events of this sequel pick up days after “Divergent,” the first film in this franchise. But everything looks like a copy of “The Hunger Games”: It’s a somewhat sanitized, post-apocalyptic presentation with forested areas thrown in for good measure. It’s a sterile grab at the YA audience’s money.
So, bits of the first film’s storyline are reintroduced. Of course, Tris (Shailene Woodley) is haunted by the past. After surviving Jeanine’s attack, which was featured in the previous film, she and Four (Theo James) are in hiding while they plot a way to defeat the opposition forces. But, during the first half of this film, there’s a lack of urgency. You don’t sense any threat. Yes, Tris certainly is suffocating under the weight of her past actions, but we don’t feel it. We just see it. That’s one of the downfalls of “Insurgent.” Even when fights break out, your likely response will be, “So what?” The tension does increase during the second half of the film, though.
Despite that, “Insurgent” isn’t horrible. It’s surely better than its predecessor, which, admittedly, isn’t much of a feat. The pace still moves fairly briskly, and everything looks and sounds the part. (The section that depicts Tris’s experience in Jeanine’s simulator is a true highlight.) Director Robert Schwentke, whose work includes “Flightplan,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” and “RED,” definitely knows how to craft a shot. His tracking shots, closeups, which he zooms in and out of, and the like work fine here. But it’s largely the script that lets him and his cast down.
The writers (including Akiva Goldsman, a real pro) failed to generate dialogue that flows. For instance, when Naomi Watts (as Four’s mother) says, “I’m factionless because I don’t belong to any one faction,” it lands rather awkwardly. How could it not? The lines are shallow. These actors need to be supported more fully. Everything works much better when there’s less talking.
“Insurgent” is a passable entry into the house that “The Hunger Games” built. But, unlike “The Hunger Games” series, “The Divergent Series” isn’t getting worse. However, to be fair, this series doesn’t have as many installments at this point. Also, considering each series overall, “The Hunger Games” series is still the clear winner. Regardless, I wouldn’t mind taking a break from both.
Verdict: OK
About: (Source: insurgent)
The Divergent Series: Insurgent raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.
