'Insurgent' could use more divergence.

• Author: Coyle, Jake
• Position: Living

Byline: Jake Coyle

'The Divergent Series: Insurgent'

A Summit Entertainment release

Rating: PG-13 for intense violence and action throughout, some sensuality, thematic elements and brief language.

Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes

Given that conformity is the scourge of the "Divergent'' series and much of its young-adult ilk, it's a shame that the films, including the new "Insurgent,'' do so little to stray from well-worn YA paths.

For a series that waves the banner of individualism, they make a poor case for it. Instead of throbbing with a teenage spirit of rebellion -- or things like youthful wildness, humor or sex -- the two "Divergent'' movies are curiously content to eke out a rigid, lifeless fable in drab futuristic environs.

The answer, here, to the question of what are you rebelling against isn't "Whaddya got?'' but the slightly less visceral "An elaborate, highly metaphorical dystopian system of militaristic control.''

But even faint, fantastical whiffs of teen insurrection carry enough potency to drive feverish young audiences. Why? Much of it has to do with the stars.

Say what you will about YA movies, but they've been an efficient star-making machine that's produced Jennifer Lawrence, Kristen Stewart and Shailene Woodley. We should be happy to have them: good actresses all, who easily lead their respective films over their male counterparts.

The YA men aren't as fine a bunch but here include the hunky Theo James and the excellent Miles Teller. Predictably providing "Insurgent'' with its only lively, comedic moments, Teller looks as if he didn't get the note that all must be sullen and serious.

A quick summary. Based on Veronica Roth's trilogy of best-selling novels, the "Divergent'' films are set in a walled, post-apocalyptic Chicago, where survivors are ritualistically sorted into five factions. Every 16-year-old is tested for which faction suits them, and then must choose one and remain there forever.

Tris (Woodley) chose Dauntless, who are known for their bravery and, it seems, their proclivity for train hopping. But her test revealed her to be "divergent'' -- someone who has no dominant characteristic but a plethora -- and this makes her uncontrollable. In "Divergent,'' Tris came to embrace her fate, find a boyfriend in Dauntless leader Four (James, who has a natural chemistry with Woodley) and stop a plot by the city's overlord, Janine (Kate Winslet) to make zombies of its citizens.

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