Movie Review - Divergent

Divergent  $$$ 1/2

 

PG-13
 

139 Minutes

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, and Jai Courtney.

Director: Neil Burger.   

 

            This is one of those cases where the trailers hadn’t convinced me to see the movie, but I went along with my son and was glad that I did. I guess I should listen to his suggestions more often.

            After a war in the future, the survivors in Chicago have devised a system to ensure a peaceful existence for society. They have divided everyone into five factions. Amity, the peaceful, are farmers. Candor, the honest, are involved in matters of the law. Erudite, the intelligent, are scientists and thinkers. Dauntless, the brave, are the police and soldiers of this society. And Abnegation, the selfless, are the leaders.  

When teens reach a stage of accountability, they take an aptitude test which will tell them which of the factions is best suited to their talents. They are free to choose whichever faction they want, but once they have they must remain within that group for the rest of their lives.

            Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) comes from an Abnegation family, but is not happy in this faction. She wants more than the selfless acts of service required by the faction. When she tests, the results are inconclusive. She has aptitude for multiple factions and must choose on her own which one to join.

            But that’s not all. Soon after she joins Dauntless, the reborn Tris finds herself in the middle of a plot to overthrow the faction system.

 

            This is how I rated Divergent: 

1. Fun – I enjoyed the film. It turned out better than I had expected. I gave Divergent a full MB for popcorn-munching entertainment.  

2. Story – This was the weak point of the film. Several flaws with the premise subtracted from the movie experience. And frankly, it felt like more of the same. I have read and seen plenty of dystopian stories that follow a similar path. The lack of a truly original story only rates half a MB from me.  

3. Technical – The film had a wonderful dark-future look to it. The costumes, sets, lighting, and special effects all convincingly transported me to another world and earned a full MB.  

            4. Acting – Shailene Woodley did a good job with the title-role, but I can’t say that I sympathized with her character. Her performance was not that strong. On the other hand, Theo James had my complete attention whenever he was on screen. The supporting cast brought unique personalities to their characters without upstaging Shailene Woodley – just as they are supposed to do. I give this portion of the film a half MB for a good, but not great performance from Woodley.  

            Divergent earns a rating of 3 Movie Bucks. This is a film well worth experiencing in the theaters and is probably more suitable as a matinee or other discount showing. 

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.