Flows Good... For Readers and Non

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2014)

Imagine if high school guidance counselors ran the government, or more like, if they were the government
In DIVERGENT, society is broken up into five factions, ranging from the brains to the needy to the helpful to the muscle, and after an important test, it's ultimately each teenager's choice under which group they will fit into, for life
To delve into all the faction titles would be a waste of time, especially since the source material fans are way ahead of those unaware of the ingredients that make this adaptation work or not So let's just review the film by itself...
The important group is Dauntless, which are basically the police and/or military, and our humble heroine, Tris, secretly a "Divergent," meaning she doesn't fit into any category and could provide a threat to the government, is set to join ranks with the fearless warrior clan.
Most of the story has Tris going through extreme tests, both physical and mental, to become a Dauntless member: like the shyest kid in school joining the Marines. In the leading role, DESCENDANTS starlet Shailene Woodley turns in a good if subdued performance while love- interest Theo James as Four, a hard nosed trainer, really stands out in the acting department, displaying a robotic, militaristic persona that progressively chisels down into a vulnerable guy, without being sappy or predictable.
The best scenes have all the characters competing to remain in the group. Herein Woodley has her own arc, progressing from a timid novice into a cunning fighter, making for a worthwhile action hero within an aesthetic futureworld resembling THE HUNGER GAMES, only not as primitive: Buildings are dilapidated and semi-structured while vast fields, full of immense electric fences, are spread hopelessly across a scorched earth. But the white walled rocky interior, resembling the corridors of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride, is where most of the film takes place, and train tracks connect everything. All this is overseen by high tech computers that aren't very far-fetched: A few of the characters actually use what look like iPads.
Sweeping action coincides smoothly with the storyline, which is somewhat wordy and complimented but still easy to follow. The most suspenseful element is how Tris fights to stay within the boundaries of the group's pecking order while keeping her secret, like a spy undercover, and toning down her capabilities, which is harder than it seems: Imagine a Jedi taking a crash course at Stormtrooper College and you might get the idea.
Overall, DIVERGENT is entertaining yet occasionally goes too deep over non-reader's heads, sporadically veering into seemingly pointless subplots, meant only for later installments, while the climax is stretched about twenty minutes too long. And on a philosophical level, it's interesting how kids today are enlightened by authors influenced by the likes of George Orwell as opposed to the fantastical HARRY POTTER or TWILIGHT craze...
Perhaps the depiction of a "dystopian" society, where youth means everything, caters to the intense narcissism of young adults, while the romantic element of sacrifice always works for the female audience: After all, no matter what the genre, escapism is everything!