in a distant future the aftermath of a great war. it was decided that the citizens of the world, be divided in the factions based on virtues, abnegation, dauntless, erudite, candor and amity. if you can't thrive in one of those you are left faction-less and must find for yourself on the streets. Beatrice (Tris) was raised in Abnegation, the selfless, the faction that runs the government, at age 16 all citizen must take a test that shows them what faction most suits them, Beatrice takes the test with multiple results and end up what is called "Divergent" which is something dangerous to the system. she is told not to tell anyone of her "divergence" and to hide in a faction. and hope not be discoved and possible killed if found out. she chooses "Dauntless" the warrior faction. duty with keeping the peace. there she meets "Four" a mysterious. instructor with secrets of his own.
Rated PG-13 for intense violence and action, thematic elements and some sensuality
139 mins
So as you can see from the description, it is a somewhat complication story.
and if you haven't read the book could be a bit confusing, I have. so it wasn't and it does a pretty good job of explaining the factions in the beginning.
The film starts out a bit slow, but the pace picks up as it moves on, and is quite interesting and engrossing. I was pleasantly surprised my our lead heroine "Shailene Woodley" who gave a sublet but captivating performance as Tris. as well as Theo James, the male lead and Tris love interest "Four".. it was nice to see a "Teen" film without a love triangle for once.. and the two had such great chemistry together you really didn't need one. and they were probably the highlight of the film.
I do have some reservations with this film though. there were a couple of keys scene from the book completely left out. a eye stabbing scene in the dark for example. which was on of my favorite parts of the book. is completely absent. a lot the grit from the book is toned down.. more then it needs to be to keep that "PG-13" rating. some the action could have been made with a bit more "vision". most of Tris friends are sidelined and became throwaway characters. a lots of scenes felt rushed and felt like "Lets just get as much from the book as we can" to it, but in the end it makes lose some "Meat". that pretty much sums up the bad for me.
at 2 hrs and 20 mins the film did not feel that long. which means they must be doing something right. Kate Winslet plays the main baddy "Jeanine" a Corrupt erudite leader and although given limited screen time, is great. as is Ashely Judd as tris' mother who is kind of a "kick-butt"
I loved the sip-lining scene. soo fun.. Ansel Egorlt deserves a shout out for playing tris brother. Caleb, who chooses "erudite" which thinks abnegation is governing unjustly and thinks they should role. he didn't have big role but he made it count, for a young adult book adaption the acting over all was exceptional and probably only the "Hunger Games" films rival it. I really liked "Four" a much better male lead then most. I liked him better then "Peta" he was more of a man.
while overall, I did have some issues with the film. it wasn't enough from keeking me from enjoying this new sci-fi blockbuster. and would recommend you check it out. really enjoyable film, with great acting. and I look forward to "Insurgent" next march!
7.5/10
