Divergent- Film review

Divergent (2014)

Director: Neil Burger

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet

Genre: Sci-fi, adventure, romance

Synopsis: In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she’s Divergent and won’t fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it’s too late.

Note: This isn’t a proper film review. I’m just discussing my thoughts on the movie in relation to the book.

The eagerly awaited Divergent movie is finally out! Divergent is a book to movie adaptation based on Veronica Roth’s Divergent. I highly recommend reading the books before watching the movie since they are the best.

Neil Burger has succeeded   in delivering one of the best book to movie adaptations in recent years. The movie stayed true to the book and there were no drastic changes. Of course the movie has its flaws but I am able to overlook them as all the important events in the book were present.

Pros

• The opening shot introduces us to dystopian Chicago and the society of Divergent with its many factions, the introduction to this world wasn’t done in the most creative manner however it serves its purpose of informing people who haven’t read the book.
• Moving on to the characters, Shailene Woodley did a brilliant job of portraying the protagonist- Tris. Her acting was very realistic and you were able to empathize with her in grim moments but also feel the thrill when she was being a bad ass. Theo James, who played the role of Four did a thorough job of portraying the sarcastic and strong man.
• The movie captured the relationship between Tris and Four in all its entirety, they have great chemistry and the romance it gave me so many feels!
• Divergent was fast paced and there was never a dull moment. I was always on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I got the same exciting thrill I experienced in the book. My favourite scene would have to be when Tris was zip lining, the adrenaline and the high oh bless!
• The action shots in the movie were performed brilliantly. It wasn’t gruesome but you still felt the shocking impact that comes when a character is getting beaten up.
• The score/soundtrack was beautiful absolutely genius oh my god, it made me feel all the roller coaster of emotions so profoundly and complimented the movie nicely.

Cons

• However, the movie does lack character development. The reason I fell in love with the book was because of how Tris went from this unsure girl to this strong protagonist, and the movie sadly did not do the best job of capturing the transitions Tris experiences.
• A lot of the other characters from the book were left out but the ones that did make it into the movie did not receive enough screen time. I would have loved to see friendships and rivalries develop as thoroughly as they did in the books but oh well.
• I’m also disappointed that they cut some scenes short such as the ferris wheel scene for those of you who have read the book and know what I’m talking about.
• Another thing that got on my nerves was ,get this, in the books Tris is afraid of intimacy and it is such a huge part of her character however, in the movie they decided to change intimacy into submission, so suddenly Tris is afraid of being raped I mean wut? Being afraid of intimacy is very different from being afraid of rape.
• Also the simulation scenes where they showed Tris’ fears, it wasn’t very clear what exactly her fears were. Part of the reason I guess we don’t understand the simulation scenes well is because they were cut so short.

 

The movie Divergent did a great job of capturing the main themes and events in the book. Sure, there were little things amiss here and there but I’m satisfied with the end result. I would recommend watching the movie you won’t regret it and read the books too if you have time.

Have a great day/night

~Infinityreads