Based on Veronica Roth‘s young adult dystopian novel and directed by Neil Burger, Divergent is set in a world divided by factions that are based on virtues. Daughter of a family in the selfless Abnegation faction, Tris (Shailene Woodley) is faced with the decision of remaining with her family’s faction or transferring to a new one, in an annual event where all sixteen-year-olds must take an aptitude test. But when Tris learns that she is a Divergent, meaning that she will never fit into one group, she is forced to change the way her mind works and attempt to fit in with the rest of her new faction, the ruthless Dauntless.
Set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago, Divergent will largely be compared to the recent Hunger Games franchise because of its intended younger audience, but Divergent also has many qualities that remind me of some of the most acclaimed pieces of dystopian literature, most notably George Orwell‘s 1984. This is because of how Divergent explores the emotion of fear. A dystopia is defined as an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one, so fear has to play a big part in the society to make it believable. It is how well this fear is conveyed, for me, as to how successful a dystopian piece of work is. 1984 has the infamous Room 101, whereas members of the Dauntless faction in Divergent are tested in their dreams to see how well they deal with their fears. Divergent exceeded my expectations for many reasons, but it was for this reason alone that it stood out from being just another young adult franchise.
Again, whilst Divergent has its similarities to The Hunger Games, Divergent is also a lot more violent. I thought The Hunger Games dealt with its violent premise well, but it still remained very PG in the lack of prolonged fight scenes and visual impacts. Divergent has a less violent premise, but the harsh realities are shown to their extremes with proper fight scenes and the use of blood. Totalitarian regimes try to act as if they’re doing things for the greater good, but maintaining control comes with many sacrifices; whilst many believe control means a lack of threat, there is a much darker side to be seen. Here, people have their alternative motives, and they’re not nice to others just because they want to be in the same faction; Roth doesn’t sugar-coat her dystopia, she shows that even friendships can be torn apart when people are fighting for what they want.
Of course there’s the romantic distraction, too, with the film being based on a young adult novel, seen here with Woodley and co-star Theo James. The romance works quite well, however, as Theo’s character, Four, is unlikable for a large part of the film, so whilst it is always expected, it never gets too sentimental or unnecessary.
As for the performances, Woodley is exceptional. We all saw, or were at least told of, how brilliant she was in her breakout role as George Clooney’s daughter in The Descendants, but she proves herself even more so here. She’s definitely one to watch out for, whether it be another action, another drama, or with a better focus on romance. That being said, one thing I found a little odd about Divergent was that Woodley starred alongside Ansel Elgort who played her brother, when the two are set to lead as lovers in the upcoming cancer romance, The Fault In Our Stars. This is a film I’ve been looking forward to seeing after reading the book, so it was slightly uncomfortable to see their brother-sister relationship here. But that can’t be classed as a fault, really.
Divergent also boasts performance from the equally brilliant Kate Winslet and Ashley Judd, as well as up-and-coming teen actors Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Elgort, and Skins star Ben Lloyd-Hughes.
This is definitely another franchise to keep an eye on, and I’m certainly going to be buying the books.
