After being exposed as Divergents – people who don’t fit neatly into one of the five societal
classifications or “factions” – Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) find
themselves on the run from Jeanine (Kate Winslet), the power hungry leader of Erudite
faction. As the traitorous Dauntless troops under Jeanine’s command prowl ruins of
dystopian Chicago rounding up Divergents, Tris and Four traverse the city hoping to find
allies among the Candor, Abnegation and Dauntless factions – as well as the rebellious and
impoverished mass of factionless. Although heartsick and guilt-ridden over the violent
deaths of her family and friends, Tris tries to uncover the secret her parents sacrificed their
lives to protect – the very secret that explains why Jeanine will stop at nothing to capture
her. Desperate to avoid causing pain to any more of her loved ones, Tris faces her darkest
fears in a series of near impossible challenges as she seeks to unlock the truth about the
past, and ultimately the future, of their world.

“After a shaky opening, The Divergent Series, as the movie franchise based on Veronica Roth’s YA novel trilogy is now officially called, offers a more cohesive and involving second installment with Insurgent. In part, the improvement is a function of storytelling logistics: Having defined the rules of its dystopian future world in last year’s Divergent, the saga is considerably less encumbered by exposition and setup. Shailene Woodley’s Tris Prior, the reluctant chosen one at the center of the postapocalyptic thriller, is on the run, and there’s narrative momentum in pure kinetics.” – Hollywood Reporter

*“Improvement, however slight, can be detected as Divergent morphs into Insurgent onscreen. There's less exposition, more action and a discernible spark in the acting that was missing before. But let's face it, the trilogy of young-adult novels that Veronica Roth cooked up to rival The Hunger Games never loses the stale odor of also-ran. The Divergent Series, to be completed by carving two films out of Allegiant, the third novel, isn't being goosed by inspiration — try box-office gold.” – Rollingstone

“A step up from the expository creakiness of the Divergent series’ dystopian first instalment (although still hobbled by a wobbly sub-Hunger Games premise), this finds Shailene Woodley’s defiantly uncategorisable Tris wrestling her inner demons while presenting a seismic threat to ice queen Jeanine (Kate Winslet) and her perfectly ordered society. This time the settings are more expansive, venturing from the eco-domes of Amity to the Mad Max-industrial functionality of the Factionless lair, and on to the more pristine worlds of Candor and Erudite.” – The Guardian