10 Dreariest Film Sequels Released In 2016 (So Far)

In the wake of Twilight, The Hunger Games et al, Veronica Roth’s Divergent series felt like an opportunistic cash-in, all marketing and no substance, and there was nothing in the first two film adaptations (Divergent and Insurgent) to persuade you otherwise. From the teenage leads to the dystopian society, the movies offered a checklist of elements but very little else.

Thanks to the magic of cinema, Roth’s literary trilogy became a quartet of theatrically released movies, or at least it would have if this third instalment hadn’t underperformed. The fourth movie will now go straight to TV, and it’s not difficult to see why audiences stayed away from this crashing bore.

The director is Robert Schwentke of R.I.P.D. fame, and the movie is as listless as that colossal misstep, except the leads here are considerably less charming than Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds. For a series where the constant theme is nonconformity, this is too much like watching a Stepford wife trying to explain how unique she is.