The Divergent Series: Insurgent

It might surprise people to know that out of all the YA book-to-film adaptations, the "Divergent Series" is my favorite. I realize I'm in a minority here, what with everyone so gaga about "The Hunger Games," but there is something infinitely more relatable and emotional about the world of Tris Pryor that I don't find with Katniss Everdeen.

When we first met Tris Pryor (Shailene Woodley), she and her twin brother were set to choose the Faction they would be assigned to until death. After a test they would be told which faction would fit them best, but they were still free to choose. Tris' brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) chose the thinking faction Erudite, while Tris was discovered to have a little bit of all five factions, making her Divergent: Something she was told to keep hush-hush. So the closest faction was Dauntless, the protectors (and action super-heroes)! So she chose that.

Long story short, Tris overcomes her fear and trepidation about her new faction and eventually starts a takeover of Erudite (led by Jeanine (Kate Winslet), who is trying to wipe out Tris' old faction, Abegnation. The story itself had a wonderful character arc for Tris, but also gave her enough moral and ethical dilemmas that when we pick her story up in "Insurgent" her character is rich with backstory that allows us to emotionally connect with her.

I think the thing that makes the "Divergent" story more relatable is that we all have a little of the five factions within us: Selfless, Intelligent, Brave, Peaceful, and Honest. This makes us all a little Divergent, so we immediately connect with Tris Pryor. Even her boyfriend Four (Theo James) has a tattoo on his back representing all five factions because he longs to have a piece of each of them within him as well.

When we pick up the story in "Insurgent" it is three days after the conclusion of the first installment and Tris, Four, Caleb, and bad boy Peter (Miles Tellar) are on the run and hiding out with the Amity faction led by Johanna (Octavia Spencer). At this point -- **spoilers!!** -- both Tris' mother and father have been killed, and she was responsible for killing her friend Will (Ben Lloyd-Hughes), who was under Erudite's influence and about to kill her. All of this guilt runs through her throughout the film, and is the main character trait that will betray her and give her strength throughout this chapter.

Meanwhile, Erudite's leader Jeanine (last seen getting a knife through her hand courtesy of Tris) has lied to their society, stating that all Dauntless are responsible for the manslaughter that recently occurred (even though she had drugged them with a mind-control serum). She has also obtained a five-sided metallic box said to hold a message from the Founders from over 200 years ago. The box is to be opened only when the Factions begin to split apart, and only a Divergent can open it. To do so, a Divergent would have to be hooked up to a simulation device and undergo simulated challenges based on the five factions. Should the Divergent survive them all, the box will open. And guess who the perfect candidate to do that is?

So while Jeanine goes in search of her elusive box-opener, Tris and Four seek the help of the Factionless where they run into Four's long-lost (and thought to be dead) mother, Evelyn (Naomi Watts). She wants to start a war and so does Tris, but Four isn't so sure he can trust a woman who faked her death to escape her abusive husband but forgot to bring him with her.

All of this makes for some nice character work for our actors amidst some fantastic action sequences made electric by director Robert Schwentke ("Red"). This is by far the more action-heavy of the two films, and it makes for an exciting film that never overwhelms any grounded sentiment. From the double-train fight to the various simulations that Tris is forced to defeat, the film is dazzling, surprising, and thrilling.

But while the action has been amped up, so has the personal torment that keeps Tris both fearful and passionate about what she needs to do. When she and Four are required to be put before a jury while in the Candor faction, they are given a drug that will make them tell the truth. This terrifies Tris, as she is afraid the reality of what happened to Will will come to life in front of her friend Christina (Zoe Kravitz), who was dating him when he died. Not only that, Tris feels her existence threatens everyone she loves. This is heartbreakingly and impeccably played by Woodley.

Perhaps it's just personal preference (and I do like Jennifer Lawrence as an actress), but I still hold that there is a blankness to Lawrence's Katniss performance that never lets us connect with her. On the contrary, Woodley is so accessible to her audience that this makes the "Divergent" story so much more relevant. We believe she has become this quiet, meek girl to one filled with the power and rage to do the right thing. She is a character we want to cheer for.

The rest of the cast is now filled with a bunch of actors who have come into their own since the first film just one year ago. Ansel Elgort (Woodley's love interest in "The Fault in Our Stars") has become something of a heartthrob to millions of teenage girls. Miles Tellar's star turn in "Whiplash" has made him an indie It-Boy (and the fact that he, too, was Woodley's love interest in "The Spectacular Now" makes "Divergent" a sort of Brat Pack movie for a new generation). We also have Jai Courtney ("Terminator Genisys"), who seems to be the next action hero, and hunky Theo James ("Underworld: Awakening"), who has just wrapped leads in three films.

While Neil Burger gave us a very satisfying beginning to the world of "Divergent," Schwentke continues the tradition and ups the game. He has made the "Empire Strikes Back" of this series, not only giving the world more depth, but upping the "What is going to happen next?" aspect of the story. He has helped create a larger scope for the world with expert designers who have brought the world to life with terrific set and costume design. The world has become bigger. The stakes have become more global. And by the film's end, everything will change.

Where "The Hunger Games" seems to have a fairly predictable trajectory, the fascinating thing about the "Divergent" series -- and "Insurgent" in particular -- is that unless you've read the books it is impossible to know what's coming next. People die on you. There are twists after volatile twists. Nothing is exactly what it seems. And it is exhilarating.