Entertaining but Bland

Rating: 5/10 (22 August 2014)

Though I read the book, it's been a while since then, so I can't say how well they followed it and reflected its tone. However, I do remember my reaction: that it was nothing special, which is how I'd describe this movie.
I was somewhat drawn into the story and was rooting for Tris the whole time; however, it wasn't because I liked her, it's simply because I wanted the protagonists to win. She's not the most grating heroine in today's media, there are better characters out there, but there are also much worse. I do remember that in the book, there are other divergents besides her and Four, so I had trouble seeing what was so special about them.
Something that really annoyed me was the contrived science behind things. How are people able to see into each other's minds? How could both Tris and Four enter the latter's fears together? Even the mind-controlling felt forced. Even if it's supposed to be science-fiction, it didn't feel plausible to me.
Something else that was off-putting to me was Theo James portraying Four. There wasn't really anything wrong with his acting, but he looked much too old for the role, and made his and Tris' romance feel a little creepy. A younger actor who looks closer to the character's age would have been much better. As for the romance, it didn't feel that real to me; I couldn't sense much chemistry between the two characters. It came across as forced, and I couldn't tell why Four was so attracted to Tris in the first place.
Another issue I had was with the whole setup with the factions. It felt contrived and unrealistic. Everyone is more than simply honest, brave, or selfless, you would think being divergent is at least a common occurrence.
Honestly, this isn't any different from the rest of the suddenly popular genre of YA dystopia stories. No new ground is tread and it's very predictable.
Overall, you could watch worse films, but you could definitely watch better. I felt an influence from the Hunger Games on the book, though I do not believe it's a ripoff (it manages to be unique and be its own story...kind of). This influence seemed to translate to the movie, as well, and I think they creators were trying to make them have a similar feel. It's a very contrived, predictable movie that at least manages to be entertaining for your first watch, but I don't see a reason to see it a second time.