Excellent Movie Version of the Book

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2014)

To start off this review let me clarify that I have read the books, and read them not long before seeing the movie, so they were very fresh in my mind. There were issues I had with the book, and although I liked the books overall, there were many things that I didn't like about them.
This movie I think is an excellent version, as many of the aspects that I found annoying or didn't like from the book are not included, or at least not focused on. To me this made the story that much better.
The actors in the movie did a very good job, I found that both leads (Shailene Woodley as Beatrice Prior and Theo James as Four/Tobias) did excellent jobs in their roles. I was initially very hesitant, and didn't want to like them as they were not at all how I pictured the characters, but I am a complete convert. In fact, Theo James did his role so well that I honestly cannot picture that character in any other way except the way he portrayed it. Many of the supporting characters were superb in their small roles as well, Ashley Judd, Kate Winslet, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Zoe Kravitz, and Tony Goldwyn, all stood out to me as being excellent in their roles. Some of the other actors I found a bit weak in their parts, but I also realize that might have been because they were not given enough screen time to actually build the nuances of their characters to portray them well.
The cinematography and editing I thought was also very well done. I really liked the costume and set designs for this movie, and how well they reflected the factions. From the clothing to their homes, it was all very well thought out on how such a civilization would actually love.
The script was also excellent. At no point did I want to role my eyes because it was too silly (which happens a lot with these YA books turned into movies), and it managed to keep you interested in what each character was saying.
The story adaptation, again, was also very well done. I cannot think of any part they left out that I felt was absolutely necessary to include, they did very minor story changes, but I also realize that is because to include them would have meant they left an open ended story for viewers who hadn't read the books (which would be very annoying).
Overall, I think this is an excellent movie, and I would highly advise anyone who has read the books to go see it, and if you drag your friends who haven't read the books they will enjoy it as well.