Insurgent (2015)

We were so close to having a nearly good new movie series with the “Divergent” adaptation. While the first movie was admittedly mediocre with some entertaining aspects to it, “Insurgent” takes that big leap in to pure abysmal depths and never quite comes up for air. “Insurgent” begins on a high note and never quite recovers, transforming in to a mind bending journey through the consciousness that is dull, monotonous, and painfully tedious. I was bored senseless through “Insurgent,” which is a feat because almost anything starring Shailene Woodley grabs my attention.

Set shortly after the events of “Divergent,” heroine Tris is haunted by the souls lost during the big break out and is dead set on the road that lies ahead of her. She and her friends are on the run and find themselves in the wilderness looking for some kind of sanctuary from the leader of the Erudites Jeanine. They’re now in hiding in a serene village called Amity where Dauntless leader Eric and his soldiers have tracked them down and are looking for other Divergents. They’ve found a secret box that Tris’ mother left behind and it can only be opened by a Divergent’s minds. Erudite mastermind Jeanine is hell bent on opening it to see what secrets it holds. Now Tris and co. are on the run and Tris learns that she, of course, is the key to opening the box.

She has no choice but to give herself up when she finds out other divergents and factions are being programmed to commit suicide, and decides once and for all to prevent more lives from being lost in the middle of her war. From thereon in, “Insurgent” is a colossal bore with tedium at the forefront. A lot of the action that’s featured, with hand to hand combat and exciting chase scenes are dropped in to the back burner for a more cerebral journey involving Tris trying to discover the secrets of the top secret Macguffin box. For all intents and purposes, “Insurgent” garners a remarkable supporting cast with Octavia Spencer, and Naomi Watts being introduced to the cast.

Meanwhile, Kate Winslet returns as the Erudite commander who will sacrifice anyone if it means learning the secrets hidden within Tris’ box. Jai Courtney returns as the menacing villain Eric who is (surprise surprise) quite memorable. Shailene Woodley also pulls off the role of Tris well, transforming her in to a compelling and flawed heroine who doesn’t mind throwing down when the occasion calls for it. The fact is though that “Insurgent” is brutally disappointing in the way it eliminates all the finer qualities of the first film in exchange for a toned down narrative that doesn’t raise the stakes all that much. There’s nothing more I hate than a sequel that’s just intended to set up the next movie, and that’s what “Insurgent” ultimately becomes.

It’s boring because it’s entirely nothing but set up for the third movie and its big clashing of worlds from the dystopian factions meeting the real world that lurks outside. Everything from Tris learning about the secrets of the box, Jeanine’s ultimate downfall, and Tris’ relationships that are on the brink of collapse left and right is all nothing but foundations set for the real events that will likely unfold in the third movie. Because of that, “Insurgent” ultimately feels like a colossal waste of time. It should have raised the stakes and increased the action, but everything from the urgency to the tension is gone. I hope the third part in the series is so much more complete and worth the time spent setting up the massive finale.