A brief recap of the events of Divergent: Tris conceals her identity as a Divergent and joins the Dauntless faction, where she meets an instructor named Four (Theo James), who's also a secret Divergent. During Tris' training, the two fall in love, but they learn of a plot by the Erudite faction to overthrow the ruling Abnegation faction by pulling Dauntless into a war. The pair's identities are discovered, and Tris' parents die trying to protect her. Tris and Four escape, but the Erudite leader Jeanine obtains a special box (protected by Tris' parents) whose mysterious contents are rumored to be able to destroy Divergents. The only thing is, Jeanine needs a pure Divergent to pass all the simulation tests for each faction in order to open the box. Hence the bounty on Tris' head.

Insurgent picks up shortly after Divergent ended: Tris, Four, and some other Dauntless are on the lam, but have taken refuge in Amity's hippie commune. Traumatized by the death of her parents, Tris cuts her hair short because that is what tormented women on screen do (it’s okay, though, her boyfriend reluctantly approves). Tris and Four spend most of the film running away from Jeanine's henchmen, getting caught, and then slipping away again, a cycle that continues on and on until the last moments. The pair is so often rescued by the auspicious arrival of allies that any suspense concerning their survival feels coerced: Clap right in front of someone's face once, and they'll jolt. Keep doing it, and they'll still flinch, but more out of instinct or habit than genuine surprise.

It's the job of a sequel to complicate themes and problems laid out in the first film, but Insurgent's plot holes raise questions that distract more than they stimulate. Why does Jeanine think the box holds the key to eradicating all Divergents when she doesn't even know what's inside? How does the much-discussed issue of "jurisdiction" work in the justice system of Divergent's post-apocalyptic Chicago? Why has no one ventured beyond the wall that surrounds the city to see if there's any life left? In what world could people with too many talents (Divergents) possibly be seen as more dangerous and worthy of derision than people with minimal to no talents (Factionless)?

As Noah Berlatsky has pointed out, the illogical nature of the Divergent world has its roots in the works of the science-fiction author Philip K. Dick, who created self-aware, discontinuous universes, forcing the audience to fill in the gaps. It's maybe a more generous reading than Insurgent deserves: Roth herself has acknowledged that the narrative disjunction between the first and second novels was due to overlapping drafts. The film tries to smooth over this laziness with white-knuckle chase scenes, dramatic confrontations, and mind-spinning simulation sequences. Sometimes, the action (especially when viewed in IMAX 3-D) floods the senses to the point where the bigger, clunky themes of the movie blissfully vanish, and all that matters is that the protagonists outrun the latest wall of bullets.