Director: Neil Burger
Running time: 2 hours and 19 minutes
Divergent is the film adaptation of Veronica Roth's first-of-a-trilogy young-adult-science-fiction novel of the same name. Our female lead is Trish (Shailene Woodley) born and raised in Abriegation, one of the five factions in a futuristic dystopian world (actually only the Chicago area for reasons i don't know yet). It's the day that Trish will take the test. The test that will tell her which of the five factions is the best choice for her. The test that will determine the rest of her life.But nothing goes as planned. What will the results be? What faction will she choose? What is Divergent?
I had heard about the book before going into the movie, read some reviews and, actually started reading it going as far as like 5 pages (i should really start reading more), so i kind of knew what, the movie, was about. That made me pretty excited to go to the movie theater to watch it (the fact that the movie critics were disappointed with the film took some of the excitement,but still).
Let's start with the positive part of my review (it won't be long!). In all its flaws, i have to say that Divergent feels like a movie that prepares you for a much better sequel. Although i thought that the first installment of the trilogy wasn't very strong as a stand-alone film, it definitely open a "door" for something better in the future. SPOILER ALERT!!! The way it ended, and especially with the characters it ended, makes it possible for Insurgent to have a, much more, engaging storyline with more captivating and compelling leads. You've got Trish and Four, but, also, all the other characters that i found interesting, Peter!!!!! (what can i say? I have a big crush on Miles Teller), Trish's cute brother, Caleb (fun fact: the actor who plays Caleb, Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley,who plays Trish, are in an upcoming movie called The fault in our stars, based on a book of the same name, and in that movie they are a couple) and finally Four's dad. But it's not only the characters that will make the sequel (hopefully) better than Divergent, it's, also, the fact that we've passed the parts of the movie where Trish picks a faction and then trains and meets new people and all these, potentially interesting but not in this movie, activities and we are now where things become exciting. Moreover, along the same lines, i have to say that the last third of the movie, when Trish and Four learn about Erudite's plans and try and stop Jeanine Matthews from executing them, was much more riveting than any other part of the movie. Finally, i don't know if it was the character or the fact that Miles Teller was the actor portraying him, but i really enjoyed watching Peter. He appears to be more complex than the other characters in the movie. He is depicted as a "bad" guy but in the end his actions reveal that maybe he is not such a bad guy after all, maybe he just didn't understand the nature of his action.
However, there were many things wrong with Divergent. One of the most important ones was that we, hardly, get any character development. We learn nothing about noone. No backstory, no personality traits (other than the fact that Trish SPOILER and Four are Divergents), not anything. As a result i ended up not caring about any of the leads, their fates or their relationships. And because i didn't have any real interest in Trish and Four's relationship, their moments together didn't "click" for me. I didn't feel the evolution of their connection. Also, it was done way too fast. And what i mean by that, is how quickly their relationship went from nothing to an undeserved "i love you". They met, they slept in the same room, they had 2 or 3 conversations and, suddenly, they were in love. Regarding the "i love you scene", even if we magically believe that the two of them fell madly in love in 3 seconds, the fact that Four is able to get out of the robotic state, Kate Winslet's character put him in, just because Trish told him that he loves him is ridiculous. It is such a teen-love-flick thing to happen and it annoyed me so much. The other important problem with the movie is, that the first half (maybe more) is extremely boring. I found that before the attack and unveiling of Jeanine Matthews' (Kate Winslet) nefarious plans, the pace of the film is too slow. All the specific scenes that clearly have a strong meaning in the book (like the "flying" through building or climbing the Ferris wheel scenes), here lack any emotion and thrill. Finally, i have to say (and i know i am repeating myself) that i am sure this movie is a segway to a much better sequel. Although we are introduced to the idea that the dystopian city,in which the five faction exist, is surrounded by a giant fence/dome we don't ever really dive into the subject. We, never, get told why this fence exists or what is out there. However i feel that it will, definitely, be analysed more in the future movies which brings me back to my previous point: Insurgent will be a much better movie.
In conclusion, not a strong stand-alone movie but a first installment for a potentially good follow-up film. So, maybe, wait for the next one.
Score:57%
m.
Courtesy of
Summit Entertainment
Lionsgate
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