Faction systems should not be on film

Rating: 1/10 (26 August 2014)

A faction system makes this film look like an role-playing game. People in it are one-dimensional, boring, and all undeveloped. The film focuses on Dauntless faction, whose members are presumably the only ones in the society who are capable to handle weapons, engage in combat, jump, board moving trains, and do other irrelevant stunts. Dramatic music is the cue to the viewer that this faction is the cool posse to aspire to, and the other factions don't matter.
In this scenario, the title "Divergent" leaves no space to spoilers: Girl doesn't know what faction to choose, but obviously she will not choose the same faction as her parents. Her aptitude tests are inconclusive, she applies to Cool Faction Dauntless, she competes for a position in it, and guess what? she earns a position. You know that even before she makes her first appearance on screen. Here is the big non-spoiler: after a while, the "Divergence" causes something that shakes the foundation of society and the very factions system.
What is this film trying to achieve? It's not a visual experience, not a dramatic experience, not a political statement, not a comedy, not a sports film, not a sci-fi film, not a film for young adults, and definitely not an action film. Some people could be easily fooled by this film trying to be all of that, but the end result is a predictable, boring film, devoid of any credibility or chemistry.
The film tries to explore personal identity through a system of factions. Nice try. It ends up conveying the message that if you like sports and combat, then you should not go to university, because they are mutually exclusive. If you are generous and caring for people, then you are a coward and cannot be part of the armed forces because these are mutually exclusive. Even if that was true in real life, the film is also an indication that factions do not need each other to survive. These premises are so stupid that producers are tacitly shamed into leaving the faction system unused and irrelevant.
The film also tries to explore the value of choices, but guess what: the central character makes random choices without any motivation and without assuming any consequence of her actions. It's apparent that the premise "Faction before blood" isn't part of the culture in the film, to the point that people wimps for their families after they chose to leave them out of free will.
The most dangerous message in this film is: individualism is a threat to peace.