“Insurgent” is the second film released from the book series “Divergent” written by Veronica Roth. The film was released under production company Summit Entertainment, and was directed by Robert Schwentke. It stars Shailene Woodley (Tris), Theo James (Four/Tobias), Kate Winslet (Jeanine), and Miles Teller (Peter). The series follows a girl named Tris in a post-apocalyptic Chicago that divides the entire population into five “factions” (groups based on people’s personality). In the first film, “Divergent”, you watch the society slowly disassemble as Jeanine begins to take over the faction system. In the second film, “Insurgent”, Tris and Four begin the fight to uncover the secrets of their society to find why they have been divided into factions for so long.

Although this film is considered a science fiction geared for teens, it is as action packed as any big budget Hollywood blockbuster. There were many fighting and combat scenes from beginning to end, some hard to watch for those who are sensitive to violence. The film also had several moments of comedic relief thanks to Miles Teller, and several very tense scenes between Theo James and Naomi Watts (Evelyn).

I would give the film an 8/10, this is due to the fact that several (seemingly important) portions from the book were left out of the film. However, with that being said, the story works itself out perfectly. At the end of the film, if you do not know the book series, your mind will most likely be a mess of “What does this mean for the next movie?” or “Why did that happen, what happens now?” I would advise being familiar with the book series, or at least watching the first film before seeing this one.

The cast of the film clearly has a strong, close relationship that was displayed on the screen. The director did a great job of bringing Veronica Roth’s vision to life, and overall, “Insurgent” was very entertaining. I would recommend it to fans of both teen novels and action movies.