Divergent is the latest in a line of post-apocalyptic teen dramas that have been churned through cinema since the ever-popular Twilight and Hunger Games franchises. Adapted from the novels by Veronica Roth through the eyes of director Neil Burger, Divergent plays around with some similarity to The Hunger Games via a post-“war” Chicago that is now split into factions which are organised around the different virtues of the city’s citizens. It is an interesting concept, but sadly one that never fully reaches its full potential throughout the first installment of this planned trilogy.
Shailene Woodley starts off sluggish in her role as our young heroine Beatrice Prior (who later shortens her name to just ‘tris’), but the young actress shapes into her character quite nicely as the movie progresses, balancing a resilient character with a delicate and rather naive meekness as she drives our introduction to the ways of this world. Chicago is now protected by a towering wall (which functions quite similarly to that in the HBO series Game of Thrones) designed to keep the harshness of the war-town world away from the regimental city.
Citizens are funneled into factions based on the results of an aptitude test that they must all take when they turn 16. Using their results they are free to choose whatever faction they desire the most, even though the majority tend to stick with the groups they are born into. The caring and selfless type are in ‘Abnegation’ – the group Tris was born into; those more inclined to agriculture are encouraged to slide into ‘Amity’ to keep the cities food supply efficient; the forthright people who speak their mind and never lie are pushed towards ‘Candor’; the fearless and brave are found in ‘Dauntless,’ a group which act as the guardians of the city (again similar to Game of Thrones’ with their ‘Nights Watch’); and the intelligentsia are encouraged to join ‘Erudite.’
Aside from the awkward names, the faction system drives much of the interest in this film but ‘part one’ never really seeks to offer anything other than a superficial ‘backstory’ to the way this city now functions. Unlike in The Hunger Games where our post-apocalyptic world was given substance via engaging, didactic scenes, Divergent just relies on our suspension of disbelief and expects us to go with the flow. The lack of explanation feels like a missed opportunity and is replaced with quick, rushed scenes that come complete with a dull soundtrack [surprisingly since the great Hans Zimmer is involved] and uninteresting side characters.
Reading between the lines, there are parallels between this world and the holocaust, which Roth has drawn inspiration from being that her maternal grandparents are survivors of the atrocities committed at Nazi concentration camps. Seen in this context there is a certain heaviness that pervades this film, and one which strengthens it in it’s second half. Unfortunately, that thoughtful and weighty element to Divergent takes a backseat to the love story which serves as the movie’s biggest selling point.
As Tris discovers, thanks to a frustratingly vague and rather useless tattoo artist/test administrator (Tori, played by Maggie Q), she is what they call ‘Divergent’; she doesn’t really belong in any faction and that makes her a threat to the order. Those who are labelled divergent are up for political assassination no matter what age they happen to be. They are also quite different from the ‘factionless’ – the city’s version of the homeless where those who just aren’t welcomed into any faction live out their worse-than-death fates doing the jobs no one else wants to do.
In keeping her ‘divergent’ status a secret, Tris defys her Abnegation-loving parents (Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn) and joins Dauntless; unquestionably the movie’s ‘cool’ kids. This dauntless group is full of adrenaline-seeking daredevils who appear to be in the highest spirits all the time (they even have their own soul-clapping, cheesy theme song). Tris soon finds out that Dauntless hopefuls are put through intense training sessions by seniors who don’t really care if the kids make it through alive. Two seniors are in subtle opposition to one another, with one being the simply named ‘Four’ (teen heartthrob Theo James) who quite unsurprisingly is the other half of our overarching tale of romance.
Surrealistic dream sequences are used to great effect in developing characters, especially ‘Four’ who becomes an engaging character in the movie’s second half. These scenes are what stands out in the first chapter of this trilogy, and drive the movie out of it’s dull first half, shaping it into a fairly exciting introduction to the world of Divergent.
As this world unravels, there is a potential in this story which puts it on track to become one of the better teen franchises out there. While it isn’t anywhere near as strong as the aforementioned Hunger Games, Divergent is a surprisingly enjoyable movie; just one that requires a great deal of patience.
Review Score: THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Runtime: 139 minutes.
Divergent is released in Australian cinemas as of today (10 April 2014)
———-
