“Insurgent” begins where “Divergent” left off, with Tris (Shailene Woodley) dodging bullets and hoping that her paramour Four (Theo James) might, for once, say something interesting. Our heroes are separated from Dauntless, the faction to which they’re sworn, and take shelter in Amity, where people murmur, “go with happiness”-an unnerving behavior for those who haven’t spent time in Berkeley.
A refresher on the factions in this dystopia: Amity (dirty hippies), Abnegation (dirty altruists), Candor (cold truth-tellers), Dauntless (warrior/parkour troupe) and Erudite (2016 Republican Party).
These lifelong fraternities are battling not just for survival but also to see who can wear the ugliest clothes (probably Abnegation, whose monochrome attire falls somewhere between sad sacks and Eileen Fisher).
Tris and Four must save the world from Kate Winslet’s despot, Jeanine, who insists on pronouncing the name of her faction, Erudite, as if it has four syllables. After two films of this torture, any rational person would die to stop her.
The protagonists must enlist the help of the “Factionless,” who are, most helpfully, lead by Four’s mother, Evelyn (Naomi Watts). The first thing said about her onscreen is, “I thought she was dead,” which feels a little harsh (hadn’t they seen “Diana”?). In her defense, Watts plays her forgettable part with an enjoyable Leather-and-Lace-era-Stevie-Nicks vibe.
Director Robert Schwentke would have you focus on the melee between the castes, but the more fascinating consideration is which actress should be most embarrassed by cashing a check for this film: Winslet, Watts, Amity-den-mother Octavia Spencer or Abnegation-dead-mother Ashley Judd?
In “Insurgent” any real danger to the stars turns out to be a bloodless simulation (often precipitated by the injection of a truth serum). It’s a movie based on a book from a genre that demands a climax at the end of every chapter: you can skim it and throw it away.
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“Insurgent” is showing at the Sonoma 9 Cinemas. Rated PG-13 and running time is 1:59. Visit cinemawest.com.
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