Divergent Movie Review

DIVERGENT

You can’t throw a stick in a movie theater anymore without hitting the poster for a YA book-to-movie adaptation. Between Harry Potter, Twilight, The Mortal Instruments, and Percy Jackson, it’s quite evident that the movie studios are doing everything they can to attract teenage dollars. But, for every quality film like the Hunger Games there’s a dozen limp and uninspired Vampire Academy wastes of time. So, with Hollywood’s latest YA offing – Divergent, based on the novel by Veronica Roth – should you head out and plunk down your dollar to see it? Let’s find out.

One thing I should note before we go any further – I’ve read the book this movie is based on (I’ve read all three, in fact), so some of my opinions regarding it could be colored by that. Now, let’s proceed…

Divergent is the story of Tris Pryor, a young woman who’s grown up in a dystopian post-apocalyptic Chicago. Everyone within the city has been sorted into one of five factions – Erudite, who focus on knowledge and learning; Candor, who believe in the truth and nothing but; Dauntless, fearless defenders of the city; Amity, who till the soil to feed everyone; and Abnegation, who believe in selflessness and giving. There’s also the Factionless, those who fell through the cracks and have no other home, but they won’t become important until the next film. Tris was born to Abnegation parents, but when he time of choosing comes she opts to join Dauntless. Why she makes this decision and what it has to do with her being Divergent is what the movie is all about.

The first step to getting a film like this right is to hire the right cast, and Divergent was fortunate to get a great group of actors together. Shailene Woodly, who carries the brunt of the movie on her slender but strong shoulders, is nearly pitch perfect as Tris. Her slow transformation from timid Abnegation girl to powerful Dauntless fighter is handled well and believably.

Theo James portrays Four, her mentor and eventual love interest, much better than I expected, which is no insult to the actor. I’ve just become accustomed to sloppy characterizations in these types of movies. He is cold and indifferent when he has to be, but tender when their lives are turned upside down and they have to depend on each other to survive. Jai Courtney is a… well, revelation isn’t the right word, but I was definitely impressed by his take on Eric. I never cared for his character in the books, but here on film he actually makes more sense. I think this is the best performance by him yet.

There are several other actors, all with mentioning – such as Ashley Judd, Zoë Kravitz, and Tony Goldwyn – but I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a word to Kate Winslet, who has the unenviable task of playing the villain of the piece, Jeanine. In the novel she always came of as too arrogant and transparent, but in the movie Winslet softens her edges and presents her as more an ill-advised believer than an out and out heavy.

But, no matter how good the people are in front of the camera, if the people behind it aren’t of the same high caliber then it’s all for nothing, and again Divergent was blessed. Director Neil Burger, who also directed Limitless and The Illusionist, does an amazing job of bringing us Veronica Roth’s core story without any unnecessary baggage, nor does he try to cram too much into too small a time. One of my biggest complaints with book adaptations is that they all too often feel rushed, like I’m in a speeding car being driven through everything they think I need to know to understand what’s going on. Thankfully Burger doesn’t do that. His pace is unhurried without being slow, and we’re given only what we need to go on. Some of that credit should go to Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor, who wrote the screenplay. Together they created a film that hit all the beats it needed, didn’t try to rollercoaster through endless exposition, and presented everything that made Roth’s book so good.

If I have a complaint with Divergent, it would be the music. There is a sad trend with YA movies being heavy with indie pop and acoustical soft rock – I call it the CW Effect – and Divergent is no different. Fortunately, while the songs are too willowy and sagging for this reviewer, there aren’t too many, so it’s a minor complaint at best. I wish more movies of this type could say the same.

By the time the credits rolled I was pleasantly surprised by what ‘d seen. There were so many ways the movie could have gone off the rails, so many opportunities for it to get lost in the mire so many other book adaptations seem to find themselves in, but Divergent smartly sidesteps all of them and ends up being a success that can easily be put next to The Hunger Games as an example of how movie studios should handle YA adaptations. Will Insurgent, the next film in the trilogy, be as good? Only time will tell, though the fact that they’ve gone to another director – Robert Schwentky of R.I.P.D. and Red fame – and new writers does cause some concern. Still, Catching Fire ended up being a better film than its predecessor despite crew changes, so there’s always hope. Divergent deserves a bright future.

If $10 is the full price of admission, this one is worth $7.50

Justin Macumber
The Hollywood Outsider
www.TheHollywoodOutsider.com