Look out Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games –
you have a serious rival in this age of heroines. Beatrix in Divergent looks
mild and meek in her Abnegation gray drab outfit. But her conversion to
Dauntless, name change to Tris, and new workout regime has her in full fight
mode. I gave a review of the Divergent trilogy in a previous
post, and I do recommend reading the books. However, the first movie is
worthy and you’ll be caught up in this futuristic world.
Chicago survived a world war and is now split into factions
– Abnegation, Amity, Erudite, Candor, and Dauntless. At eighteen, the youth
take a test which shows them their place in this world. Generally they fit in
their family history, so no change. Some do show a different tendency and leave
their family to join a new faction. And then there are the few like Tris who
show a split – no true path. They are shockingly divergent and are considered
dangerous. Tris is told to keep her mouth shut, and in further tests she needs
to hide her divergent qualities and play along in Dauntless world. Here she
learns to fight, jump, and calculate Dauntless power. The good looking leader,
Four (Theo James), pushes her to extremes and also falls for her.
Together they worry about the growing powers of Erudite’s
Jeanine (a very icy Kate Winslet). There are rumors about Abnegation, and
Dauntless warriors are given a drink which turns them into fighting robots.
Tris and a few others are immune and able to help thwart this worrisome
takeover. However, lives are lost and factions are split. Tris, Four, and
Four’s father Marcus are last seen leading a new team for survival.
Shailene Woodley is excellent as Tris. She’s a tiny thing
with a lot of vulnerability. But she’s determined, smart, and demonstrates
maturity on screen. Divergent builds slowly and steadily,
and all along you will root for Tris. At the end of the movie, you’ll be eager
for the sequel Insurgent, and questioning which faction you would
join. Or are you … divergent?
