Directed by Robert Schwentke (“RED”), “Insurgent”—the second installment in the “Divergent” series—starts where the first film ended; Tris (Shailene Woodley; “The Fault in Our Stars,” 2014) and her allies are on the run from the Erudite faction and its leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet), who’s on an aggressive lookout for the strongest divergent to unlock and inspect the contents of a cube she has now come into possession of. 

Reprising their roles from its predecessor, the “Divergent” sequel also stars Theo James, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney, and Ansel Elgort, with notable additions in the form of Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, and Rosa Salazar.

While it doesn’t feel any less derivative compared to the first film, “Insurgent” benefits from Schewntke’s trademark visually expansive and action-packed direction and the breakneck pace in its screenplay, thanks to newcomer Brian Duffield and veteran co-writers  Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind,” 2001) and Mark Bomback (“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” 2014). The makers feel more at ease with the source material, which shows.

It’s not all fun and games, though—the talents of Spencer and Watts are severely undercut by flimsy, cookie-cutter character writing; the latter’s almost insignificant presence, in particular, feels like a stickler. Thankfully, there’s more to appreciate here. The performances are generally competent, from Woodley’s wide emotional range to Teller’s fair-weather friend and James’ empathetic-yet-broody love interest.

“Insurgent” also boasts a stunning production design and competent control over its technical craft—its PG13-burdened setpieces notwithstanding. Schwentke regular Florian Balhaus gives the movie a relatively expansive and immersive look and feel. At the same time, its music supervisor Randall Poster drops some of the best singles throughout the film, from electronic act M83 to the widely known pop-rock band Imagine Dragons, threatening to tower the already strong score by Joseph Trapanese (“Oblivion,” 2013).

The added effort makes “Insurgent” a relatively entertaining slice of escapist futuristic action for the big screen. It’s not a groundbreaking achievement on its own, but it’s a blast while it lasts, and—keeping its predecessor in context—is all that matters.