Surprisingly Good

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2014)

The fandoms of the Hunger Games and Twilight can cover their ears a bit for this one. I am not a fan of either. Both films failed to lure me in to the realities of the story- lines. The acting in the Twilight Series seemed to never take the plot seriously. In many ways, that was a good thing. And as good as Jennifer Lawrence was, her performance was not enough to make up for the predictability of the plot. Battle Royale with a bow and arrow just hasn't done it for me, although I expect the revolutionary tones of MockingJay to be better.
With all of that said, I was not expecting to enjoy Divergent. Surprisingly, I not only liked the film, but thought it was excellent. My low expectations for the film were overcome by the absolutely superb performances of lead actress Shailene Woodley and actor Theo James. Their chemistry on the set is compelling. Woodley brings a vulnerability to her character that the Hunger Games sorely lacks. She seems confused. She seems scared. She seems to be befuddled by the predicament she finds herself in. This is an absolutely dynamic performance and together, the two of them carry the plot. I honestly forgot how silly the whole faction concept was because I was so engrossed in the performances delivered by the two of them.
TWO THUMBS UP. You do not have to be a 15 year old female to approach the performances here. Be dauntless. Go see it.