I really liked the first Hunger Games, but the two entries in the Divergent saga are more even, diverse, and satisfying as individual films than the Jennifer Lawrence’s franchise.

The mix of small, dialogue-driven moments and CGI spectacle in Insurgent is perfect. The story grows in scope by adding interesting characters, but the strong narrative core remains Tris, fantastically played once again by Shailene Woodley.

Insurgent-movie

While most action stories ignore the psychological effects of violence, here we have an entire movie -a blockbuster mainly targeting young people- where the protagonist deals with the aftermath of, pretty much, a civil war.

On the less positive side, the amazingly talented Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Miles Teller and Kate Winslet don’t have a chance to shine. And, yes, the whole plot surrounding the magical box with a hidden message is just a ridiculous excuse for virtual reality sequences (those are very well crafted, though).

Nevertheless, Insurgent is a very effective entertainment piece that gives you a bit of everything, and -surprisingly for a second chapter- a lot of closure.

THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT is now playing in theaters.

One choice can transform you-or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves–and herself–while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable–and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships. Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.