The Divergent Series: Insurgent [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Overview

Directed by Robert Schwentke, the second film in the Divergent series find Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) on the run from Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) while trying to figure out the secret that will help the rebels build a new and better future.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/04/2015
UPC:	0031398224068
Original Release:	2015
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Language:	English
Sales rank:	32,761

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jonny Weston	Actor
Suki Waterhouse	Actor
Octavia Spencer	Actor
Emjay Anthony	Hector
Rosa Salazar	Actor
Cynthia Barrett	Amity Divergent Woman
Justice Leak	Amity Divergent Husband
Lyndsi Larose	Amity Teacher
Charlie Bodin	Amity Server
Konrad Howard	Connor
Lucella Costa	Odessa
Stephanie Leigh Schlund	Amity Hot Blonde,Voices
Leonardo Santaiti	Amity Seth
Ian Casselberry	Amity Dauntless Soldier
Keiynan Lonsdale	Uriah
Kate Rachesky	Candor Teenage Girl
Brigham McNeely	Dauntless Soldier
Manuel Rodriguez	Factionless
Dakota James Alden Lane	Dauntless Rebel
Bradley Bowen	Candorian
David Landry	Dauntless Soldier
Marco Fuller	Candor Member
Rich Graff	Aeneas
Janet McTeer	Actor
Joseph Trapanese	Composer

Technical Credits

Brian Duffield

David Hoberman	Producer,Executive Producer
Neil Burger	Producer,Executive Producer
Todd Lieberman	Producer,Executive Producer
Brian Duffield	Screenwriter
Kevin Cerchiai	Sound Effects
Scott Cannizzaro	Sound Effects
Doug Wick	Producer
Mary Vernieu	Casting
Venus Kanani	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Young Adult dystopian films are apparently here to stay. Divergent, the first book in author Veronica Roth's best-selling YA trilogy, was adapted for the big screen in 2014, and the series is back almost exactly a year later with the sequel. The Divergent Series: Insurgent picks up immediately after the events of the previous movie, as the series' teen heroes Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) flee a walled-in and bombed-out future Chicago. Insurgent jumps straight into the action, and assumes the viewer has seen the first film -- very little ancillary exposition is provided. While Divergent seemed bogged down by the need to explain every detail of its far-fetched world, Insurgent bypasses that for a more driven story. Tris, Four, and the other Divergents are fugitives from the oppressive faction system, which segregates society according to individual character traits. The society's leader, Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet), is hunting down Divergents with a vengeance, believing that one of them possesses the ability to open a mysterious box that has been passed down by the founders of the faction system. Teaming up with other societal outcasts, the Divergents fight back against the oppressive regime. There's a considerable amount of depth to Woodley's performance as Tris this time around -- much more so than the rather one-dimensional character she inhabited in the prior installment. Tris is haunted by the decisions she made at the end of Divergent, including playing a large role in the deaths of numerous people close to her. A reoccurring image throughout Insurgent is the simulation-induced appearance of her mother (Ashley Judd), who was killed in the first film. Tris is burdened with guilt, but still has the ability to express love, empathy, and honesty -- which is fitting, given her class-system-defying status of being Divergent. A notable trend in these YA film adaptations is the presence of accomplished older actors playing authority figures (think Donald Sutherland in The Hunger Games or Patricia Clarkson in The Maze Runner). Insurgent is no different, and benefits greatly from performances by Kate Winslet and Naomi Watts. Winslet is a holdover from the first movie, and her role as the relentless despot Jeanine Matthews remains an important cog in the overarching story. Watts appears as Four's assumed dead, but actually alive mother, who turns out to be the leader of the underground "faction-less" clan. Despite the ensemble cast and some inspiring performances, Insurgent treads water for the majority of its 119 minutes. The action scenes are well-crafted and frequent, but the near-ridiculous concept of the story tends to invalidate the best aspects of the film. The majority of Tris' hand-to-hand combat scenes take place inside simulations, with the character unconscious from a serum. The bulk of the movie is an awkward dance between reality and replication, but surprisingly, it pulls itself together for an effective (albeit convoluted) ending. Teens will love the defiant lead characters and the shoot-'em-up action, but critics should pay special attention to Woodley. She's a tremendous young talent, and while she's tied to the Divergent series for another two films, she seems ready to explode into superstardom soon.