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I walked into the first film DIVERGENT with much apprehension. Some were quick to call it a poor man’s THE HUNGER GAMES – a series I haven’t been a huge fan of – and so I ended up leaving the theater feeling guilty for liking it more than I should. This is in large part due to Sahilene Woodley adding some depth and compassion to a character that might have been just a cliché on the page. DIVERGENT tried hard to give meaning to Tris’ journey of self-discovery, which I ultimately bought into. Her trials to become accepted into a new group felt like the problems teenagers often face. Because of this emotional and physical journey, DIVERGENT is very approachable as a stand-alone film. Any previous knowledge of the book series by Veronica Roth is not really necessary – unless you really want to know all the kooky details about the different factions that don’t really make a whole lot of sense. Than again, I have to remember that this isn’t trying to be high-brow sci-fi either.

Sadly that’s not the case with the occasionally lumbering sequel, INSURGENT. Gone is the journey showing Tris as a quiet, unsure, weakling turning into a self-reliant and confident warrior woman, and in its place is a film about the power of guilt and how important it is to accept one’s “flaws.” You would think that INSURGENT would carry with it a deeper sadness given what happened in the first film and because of the heavier themes at play, but the film gets a little too bogged down in plot and prose to feel the impact of the film’s themes. Sure, we see Woodley cry…and cry…and cry again on screen in her struggle to accept the path she chose for herself in the first film, but keeping track of all the different factions and what they stand for and who is working alongside whom created more exhaustion at times than adding to the drama. Maybe fans of the book will have an easier time following it all or maybe I just don’t have the ability to retain the info as well as some (that may or may not be a trait in one of the factions – I’m only guessing at this point), but I never felt this way while watching DIVERGENT. There’s an ease and simple cohesion to how that film plays out that is missing with this follow-up.

Following the tragic events that culminated at the end of DIVERGENT, the film opens with Tris struggling to cope with the death of her mother and father at the hands of the manipulative leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet) and the militaristic coup she led to overthrow other factions in this dystopian society. Tris is on the run with former Dauntless leader and now new boyfriend Four (Theo James), her brother Caleb, and the snarky Peter (Miles Teller), as they attempt to avoid being apprehended and punished for stopping Jeanine’s plan. Their journey begins in the quiet Amity – the hippie, peace-loving faction run by Johanna (Octavia Spencer) – but is quickly disrupted by pursuing forces, leading them to a group of factionless outsiders led by Evelyn (Naomi Watts). She also has a plan to overthrow the corrupt leader and is hoping that Four and Tris will gather other Dauntless members to fight alongside her group. Jeanine’s hunt for Tris soon is given new meaning when she uncovers a mysterious box that is said to hold a message from their founders. The catch is that only a special type of person can open it. How Jeanine knows what’s inside the box is not really explained, nor for that matter the fact that she miraculously knows that only someone who possesses the traits of all five factions (a divergent) can open the box. That being said, I’m sure you can guess which divergent is going to be captured and forced to open the mystery box. Hint: it’s not Caleb.

Shailene Woodley makes the experience much more enjoyable than it should be. In fact, the whole cast is quite spectacular, even if Kate Winslet comes across as statuesque in both looks and in her wooden performance. Her character is given more screen time than the previous film, which sadly isn’t the case for the grossly underused Zoe Kravitz. A potential setup for a subplot is even established early on between her character and Woodley’s but is forgotten far too soon. Then again, this is Woodley’s show and her take on Tris feels like a richer character because of her genuine personality. Even some sorry and vacuous lines are excusable thanks in part to her emotive eyes and heart-on-her-sleeve persona.

As is the case with most sequels to young adult novel adaptations, the budget to INSURGENT looks like it has at least doubled. The post-apocalyptic world is shown in greater detail, new locations and environments are revealed, and CGI is more pervasive than before. This is both good and bad. Dream sequences that show Tris’ bottled-up guilt are utilized more frequently to great effect. Tris’ nightmares revealing her fear of losing her friends and family sneak in and out of reality in subtle ways like Freddy Kruger. (“Watch Tris survive in the new post-apocalyptic horror film ‘A Nightmare On This-Now-Grass-Covered-Once-Inhabited Street.’”) The bloated budget gives way to some cool imagery including seeing Four disintegrate into a million floating pixels. Then that image is used over again. Then buildings disintegrate before our eyes in the same way. Then more buildings explode into little 3-D bits. A once neat little idea is blown out of proportion extremely fast. What makes it more disappointing is that you would think the 3-D presentation that I saw the film in would add depth to these images and increase the “wow” factor, but it’s not the case. Watching the final CGI fight made me actually want to read the sequence in the book, as I assume what I would visualize in my own head might be more stimulating than what was on the big screen.

Over the past 5 years, a number of young adult books have been adapted for the big screen, with the most popular of course being THE HUNGER GAMES. Looking at just THE HUNGER GAMES and the DIVERGENT series, I have to admit I’m slightly partial to DIVERGENT. Neither are brilliant examples of sci-fi or young fiction done right, but when putting both worlds and characters next to one another, I would rather visit this faction-filled world that Tris is trying to find herself in then the tired games Katniss is trying to survive. There’s a sense of drive to Tris. She’s a complicated character that embraces violence and revenge as much as she values loyalty and love. Most importantly, Tris can show young viewers that it’s ok to be different – to think, feel, and act outside a generic label. Having a film structured around the idea that the differences that set you apart from others is all well and good. Some might say that the idea is rather hackneyed and trivial, but you have to remember we are dealing with a predominantly young adult fanbase. I can see where teens might take away something positive from Tris’ journey of self-discovery and acceptance of her skills and gifts, even if the journey is paved with distracting CGI and a convoluted story. INSURGENT has a muddled plot that gets way too caught up in detailing all the specifics of the book, but the heart is there, thanks in large part to Shailene Woodley’s casting. Fans will no doubt flock to see this new installment and adamantly enjoy every minute (an occasionally laborious 2 hours), I’m just not sure adult viewers will be able to look past some of the film’s weaker traits.

Overall rating: 2.5 out of 5

THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT opens in theaters everywhere March 20