'Insurgent' trailer shows protagonist Tris in action

Tris (Shailene Woodley) appears to perform a death-defying rescue in the new clip from the movie.

The 'Divergent' film series stars Shailene Woodley (l.) and Theo James (r.).

Jaap Buitendijk/Summit Entertainment/AP

November 13, 2014

A new trailer for the next film in the “Divergent” series, “Insurgent,” finds heroine Tris (Shailene Woodley) apparently trying to save her mother.

In what seems to be a kind of simulation or dream, Tris sees her mother (Ashley Judd) standing inside a house that suddenly catches on fire. The house then takes flight and Tris must throw herself off a building in order to grab a rope hanging off the house. She appears to have grabbed her mother at the end of the clip, but what really happened? 

The “Divergent” series, which is based on the books of the same name by author Veronica Roth, follow Tris Prior, who lives in a dystopian version of America. Her society is divided into factions and when she goes to take a test to figure out which one she belongs in, she finds she is “divergent,” meaning she is matched not just with one faction but with multiple factions. This status is considered dangerous in her world. She chooses to join the Dauntless faction and there meets the instructor known as Four (Theo James), but must also try to conceal her divergent status, particularly from Jeanine Matthews, the leader of the Erudite faction. 

In Kentucky, the oldest Black independent library is still making history

The movie was not well-received critically and currently holds a score of 48 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic. Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press wrote in her review that “Shailene Woodley delivers a crucial dose of humility, sensitivity and intelligence in this showcase role. And it's no surprise, either, that she generates nice chemistry with her… co-star, Theo James,” but that “’Divergent’… ultimately feels so lackluster. For a film predicated on the principle that being different – or ‘divergent’ – is what makes you special, ‘Divergent’ just doesn't diverge enough from the pack.” 

“Insurgent” is directed by “R.I.P.D.” director Robert Schwentke, who is coming on board the franchise for the first time. The film will be released this March.