Yet again, another post apocalyptic young adult novel turned movie is upon us, Divergent. Sharing the same name as the novel written by Veronica Roth and the movie being directed by Neil Burger. The world of Divergent is set 100 years in a futuristic Chicago, people are divided into five distinct factions based on their personalities: Abnegation, meant for the selfless; Amity, meant for the peaceful; Candor, meant for the honest; Dauntless, meant for the brave; and Erudite, meant for the Intelligent. On a given day each year, all sixteen-year-olds take an aptitude test that will tell them for which faction they are best suited. Beatrice “Tris” Prior discovers that she is Divergent, meaning she does not fit into any one faction, and soon she uncovers a sinister plot brewing in her seemingly perfect society.
As far as the young adult novels movie adaptations this is one of the better. It’s unfortunate that a movie like this will be compared to the successful movies that have come before it: Twilight and The Hunger Games. Whether it’s main characters are young and in love or fighting for some freedom weather it be their own or for the greater good. Either way, each new movie that shares the same theme will always fall under the weight of the last one that came out before it. And I’m pretty sure Divergent will sadly fall under that shadow as well. But not in a bad way, but rather in a way that it will be embraced as part of the few good movies we get that share the same themes.
Divergent is a fully thought out world that much of the filmmakers take time to make sure the audience understands. Much of the film takes the time to see the inner workings of the five factions. Or course, some get more screen time and understanding than others, but overall you leave the theater with a strong understanding as to how their society works. You see the bad and the good. You already know who and what you like.
What really makes that understanding of the environment and the world work is the well-used talent of the cast. This cast is made-up mostly of new up and comers in young Hollywood. The movie is lead wonderfully by Shailene Woodley in the role of Tris. She has the movie firmly placed on her shoulders and really carries it well. She has many emotional beats in the films and each is done well for an actress of her age. As does her co-star Theo James. His character “Four”, which starts off the movie by being a real ass, but he comes around and you start seeing his reasons for being hard and unapproachable. He and Tris have a real fear that bonds them in a way not many in their society can understand. Their love for one another doesn’t feel forced. You see it development and grow over the time of the film.
Other members of this talent cast that bring their A-game: Zoe Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Ashley Jud, Tony Goldwyn and Maggie Q. All who have their large or small parts each giving it their own spin and really flushing out the world. As Tris learns and trains you start to go on the same emotional journey that she is going on with these characters. Just as she begins to find friendships you as the audience do as well. You like these characters and you want what’s best for them.
Now, like all good movies, there are a few villains in this. And the actors do their best, to make you hate them, and they succeed by leaps and bounds. Jai Courtney and Kate Winslett play the two lead adversaries against Tris in the movie. Each brings their own take and evil to the role. Jai Courtney’s plays Eric, the harden leader of Dauntless. He has a strong dislike of Tris, from the start and stands to be in her and Four’s way the entire flick.
As much as you hate and want to hit Eric, it’s nothing to the hatred you feel towards Kate Winslet’s character of Jeanine Matthews. She is the leader of Erudite faction. She is the mastermind behind the Aptitude Test, which has to be taken before the Choosing Ceremony, and she creates the serum, which she uses to mind-control Dauntless and with the help Eric, attacks Abnegation sector: Basically to kill all the men, women and children. She dislikes the whole faction and sees it as blight on what she feel is a perfect society under her rule. There is nothing more evil than a character that wants to genocide a whole group of people because they’re different. And Winslet makes this character work on many different levels. Just by a look you know who and what she’s about. This was a good casting choice.
The special effects are pretty good for this type of movie. Small budget with big ideas, that make good use of what they had to work with. The look and feel to the flick isn’t anything new for the post-apocalyptic genera we find ourselves in, but the do manager to make the look their own and feel very real. The landscapes and surrounding areas in the movie all look well used and war torn. The city is surrounded by a giant wall to keep unwanted things out or really, to keep the people in. No one knows what’s on the outside beyond the borders, but as someone who hasn’t read the books, it got me intrigued. I could go for another round in the Divergent world to see how this story plays out.
One of the few negatives the movie does have is the music. If the filmmakers had just kept with the score by Junkie XL and Hans Zimmer it would have been better. Their score, which is strongly heard throughout the flick, would have been better choice to carry it all the way. But many times during the film we get the new cool, hip trendy alternative pop music that just seem out of left field for sure. You understand why they used it, to sell a soundtrack, but it seems forced and really brings the movie down to a “Twilight level” and not allowing to stay up at “The Hunger Games level”.
Over all, not being the target audience for this genre, this was an enjoyable film. It has its issues, but nothing you cant deal with like an adult and move on with. Just sit back enjoy the story and the wonderful acting. There is something about this flick that worked, where so many other movies that have come before it just didn’t: Beautiful Creatures, I Am Number Four or Mortal Instruments. But at the end of the day I’m glad to see that Divergent didn’t fall under the weight of those others and managed to shine though.