Review of Insurgent (2015) by Joanna B — 05 Jul 2015

As the second installment of the Divergent Series, Insurgent sees our heroin Tris (Shailene Woodley) perpetually on the run, desperately searching for answers and allies in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago.

Hunted by power-hungry Erudite leader, Jeanine (Kate Winslet), Tris and her unwavering boyfriend Four (James Theo) are in a race against time to uncover the secret her parents willingly sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them.

Finding allies among the factions Amity, Candor, Abnegation and Dauntless (as well as the impoverished Factionless) is the lesser challenge as she realizes she must face her own darkest fears to uncover the true meaning of being divergent.

Beginning directly after the events of the 2014 series opener, there is very little lead in before the jarring non-stop actions starts. The narrative is overly cluttered (even with an amazing amount of book content culling) and the visuals, although stunning, are a crux.

Buried within the physically demanding role, Woodley tries her hardest to be endearing but due to the set-up we have very little empathy with her character. Theo and his character seem neutered by overt devotion whilst Winslet plays callous surprisingly well, if not a little wooden.

The Verdict: Angst, action, running, chasing, shooting, punching, smashing, crashing, tossing, freefalling and thrilling. Everything we expect from a dystopian teen drama, but contrary to its attempts, it not a patch on The Hunger Games Series.