Divergent

 

If you’re a fan of the Hunger Games, you will love this adaptation of the much loved novel Divergent by Veronica Roth. Showing a somewhat post-apocolyptic Chicago - futuristic and just peering out of war - the story follows a young woman, Tris (Shailene Woodley), as she journeys through the system that determines where she will ultimately end up. In this world, once you reach a certain age you must decide whether you want to stay in the factor you were born into, or move. Tris was born into Abnegation, who are exceptionally selfless; however at this point she can choose to join Dauntless - the brave; Amity - the peaceful; Candor – the honest; or Erudite – the intelligent. This choice must be made wisely as if they do not fit in the teenagers will be made factionless and ultimately become outcasts.

Tris doesn’t feel like she belongs in her birth faction, but rather that she fits in all of the factions in one way or another; however this is not a luxury that she can enjoy. Throughout the story, we see Tris find herself, as cheesy as it sounds, as the characters that she meets along the way change her perspective on things and clarify thoughts within herself. Upon arrival at her new faction Beatrice becomes Tris - new members of the faction being able to create a new identity.

The action based drama isn’t the usual genre I’d go for but the story completely engulfed me and I found myself empathising with all of the emotions that the characters were experiencing at once. Woodley’s character was portrayed perfectly and her performance was astonishing – this only makes me more excited for her next film, an adaptation of John Green’s  The Fault in our Stars, but let’s wait ‘till June for that – it was as if she was ‘Tris’. Seamless.

The theme throughout the film is one of darkness, as well as a hint of romance. The darkness kept me on the edge of my seat, with every turn of a corner bringing a new plot twist. Every character seemed to have a sinister side that appeared at one point or another, some more expected than others. Eric, in particular, I really did not like the vibe I was getting from him. He’s one of those people that thinks the whole world would fall apart if he wasn’t there - when the reality is that most wouldn’t even notice. While training the new dauntless members he is ruthless and has no sympathy or even basic human emotion towards them. He wants the power and will stop at nothing to get it.

On the flip side, the romance made me lean back in my chair – slightly cringing, but only slightly – and breathe a sigh of relief that not everyone in the story was as menacing as others. I had high expectations for this film, and I can safely say that it delivered. Me and my friend even discussed the need for a sequel – let’s all cross our fingers that Insurgent graces the silver screen soon…

Divergent official website