The second installment of the Divergent series shows some symptoms of middle chapter-itis but in the end makes the most of a strong returning cast led by Shailene Woodley, slick direction from Robert Schwentke, impressive effects and a closely guarded plot twist.

There’s no question that the feature is a leaner, meaner affair than its predecessor. That’s not enough, though, to counterbalance the often oppressive self-seriousness (though Miles Teller gives it a welcome shot) or to plaster over the holes in the premise.

Once you swallow the giant pill that is the premise, it just about makes sense, and Woodley sells it with all her conviction.

Considering that Insurgent is meant to represent the series’ great civil war, it all comes across feeling like a tempest in a teapot: a glorified rehash of what came before, garnished with the promise of what lies in store.

The fights are well-staged, the chases dull. But as Insurgent wraps up, it picks up speed and depth, and gives you hope that maybe this series won’t wrap up as the copy-and-paste “Hunger Games” it has felt like, from the moment the books were word-processed onto the best seller lists.