Monday, March 16, 2015

Movie Review: Divergent

When it comes to Young Adult Fiction, it is really easy to tell whether it is a good story or a bad one. That is just as true when it comes to the film adaptations as well. Where we have great movies, like the Hunger Games, we have some awful films in the same young adult genre, like Twilight or the Host. Divergent is unique because it is somewhere in the middle.

The Good- Most of the actors do the best with what they have in the script. The chemistry between the two main characters, Tris and Four, is actually better than in most other Young Adult films I have seen. I believed that they are a strong couple.

The Bad- This world the characters live in makes zero sense at all. Separating the factions based on personality? Then, giving others a choice on what faction they choose (if you can call it that)? Society works due to multiple personalities, why change that?
The main actress, Shailene Woodley, bless her heart! There are moments when she tries and it is decent, but there are other times where it is too much or not enough of the right emotion, ruining a scene.
 All of the minor characters are quickly forgotten. I remember probably 5 or 6 characters throughout, and that is not a good sign with as many characters as this movie has. We got focus solely on the main two characters, and not enough with everyone else

Final Verdict- 4/10! This movie had potential with some characters you can get behind, but the story held it back leaving you with more questions than you would want after the first in a series. If you are curious, I won't stop you. All I can do is warn you.