Movie Review: Divergent

In a world where young adult novel adaptations are flooding the market, Divergent was in real danger of getting lost in the crowd. Set in a dystopic future, the film follows Tris as she discovers she is part of a group of people who are hunted by the government because she doesn't fit neatly into any of the five factions that comprise all of society.  Directed by Neil Burger who also brought us Limitless, Divergent tries to set itself apart but does it pull that off or is it forever doomed to live in The Hunger Games' shadow?
The Good

I'm a sucker for world building. It's why stories like the Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia or The Hunger Games get me interested. To my surprise, Divergent does this well! Setting up the film's dystopic setting isn't easy to do but by the end, I believed it. After all, is it that far fetched to imagine a society that sees human nature as the enemy and therefore structures everything around suppressing it? No not really.

The acting, which a few exceptions, felt genuine. It's performances that sell these characters and this cast of relative newcomers, with a few veterans mixed in, managed to elevate this movie from average.

Lastly, I have to mention the direction. Neil Burger does an excellent job showing the audience what we need to see to bring out our emotions. One example that comes to mind happens late in the film. The situation is dire, crowds of people are in danger of death. Tris, our hero, is frantically trying to find a way to stop it as she scans the faces of those whose lives are in her hands. Just then, the camera catches sight of a young child, at gunpoint. Immediately, as an audience member, i'm rooting for Tris. That's intentional.

The Bad

The things in this film I would consider "bad" really aren't movie-ruiners for me and are pretty small. For instance, I thought Kate Winslet was underutilized as the movie's main villain and I would have loved to have gotten a closer look at what made that character tick.

The introduction to Dauntless, the warrior faction, was worthy of eye rolling. It felt like a more hokey West Side Story! They run, the jump, they high five! Groan. Later in the film, you get to see how tough these guys are, but the first time you see them is truly painful to watch.

The Verdict

Although it isn't perfect and doesn't rate nearly as high as The Hunger Games, Divergent is a good time and showcases the setting, the talented actors and the skilled direction extremely well. I'm looking forward to the sequel, Insurgent, which is set for a March 20th, 2015 release.

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