'Insurgent' Movie Review: Safe Young Adult Movie, But Needed a Dash of Actual Divergence

"Insurgent," the second installment of the Divergent series, was released to the viewing public on Wednesday, March 18, immediately drawing mixed reviews.

Reviewers praised individual performances like those of Shailene Woodley, who plays the main character Tris, and Miles Teller, who plays Peter.

They also commented on how the movie doesn't stray too far from the path already set by other Young Adult movies that are set in a dystopian future, like The Hunger Games series, Maze Runner, The Giver and others. A review from usmagazine.com actually coined a phrase that ring true—Young Adult Dystopian Fatigue Syndrome.

Considering that the theme of "Insurgent" and the entire Divergent series is about saying "No" to conformity, the fact that the film "conformed" to the tried and tested formula for Young Adult dystopian movies is a disappointment in itself. There was nothing that set it apart from the other movies, actually. It is predictable, and Teller, thankfully, provide some lively comic moments, as if he has never received the "memo" to look sullen and serious that the rest of the cast did.

The premise of the Divergent series is the factions that each person, at 16 years old, will need to choose where to belong, based on a test that reveals each one's dominant characteristic. Each one belongs to only one faction and they stay there for life. Woodley as Tris is someone who was tested to have no dominant characteristic but a plethora, which makes her uncontrollable. She ultimately chose to join the Dauntless faction, where she met and fell in love with Four (played by Theo James) and together they stop a plot by the city's overlord, Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) to control its citizens.

Insurgent starts three days after the events of the first movie, with Tris and company hiding out in the Amity faction. Jeanine is out to get Tris and a bounty is put on her head.

Admittedly, "Insurgent" has improved visuals and the fight scenes are better choreographed. There is an endless flow of escapes, surrenders, rescues, executions and even some threatened suicide. But much of the drama and most of the visually arresting scenes deal with the virtual reality where Tris faces various simulation challenges, forcing her to deal with her guilt at the death of her parents in the first movie.

While the movie does not really stand out, Woodley and Teller gave very good performances, elevating the movie a bit. Just a bit.

It is disconcerting though to see Woodley sharing the screen with Ansel Elgort (who plays her brother Caleb), her co-star in "The Fault in Our Stars," and with Teller, her co-star in "The Spectacular Now." Both those movies are anything but ordinary, which makes watching "Insurgen" with these performers even more...disappointing.

The final Divergent book, "Allegiance", will be split into two movies – now why aren't we surprised about this? After "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" did the same, it was practically expected that "Divergent" would follow suit.