Neil Burger gets the important things right.

Rating: 7/10 (23 March 2014)

As a parent who has been taken into some fairly painful movies, I wasn't sure what to expect with Divergent. I absolutely loved Neil Burger's Limitless, so I was really hoping that he was going to not inflict too much pain on me here. Fortunately for me, and very happily for my daughter, Mr Burger has delivered a solid film that, while it doesn't shatter any expectations, does a nice job of bringing the material to life.
Divergent's strongest elements are the wonderfully actualized setting of post-apocalyptic Chicago, and the strength of the varied cast, particularly our young leads. Woodley and James do admirable work as the Heroine and Hero of the film, and I think there is some legitimate chemistry between these two. Burger does a nice job of understating things early on, but showcasing a growing bond between the two as the film progresses.
There are some truly great moments on screen throughout. Divergent could have been an utter bomb with the amount of personal soul-searching that goes on, but through an admirable combination of pacing, character development, and fine detailed world building, Divergent never gets too preachy for its own good.
There are a few weak moments here and there. The film definitely has a bit of bad-guy monologuing, and you have to wonder where the hell the scene that defined some nefarious back room dealings was, particularly with the star power in this movie. Some exposition at the end is a little uninspiring, and some of the plot is not what one would call a twist.
Rough spots aside, the great moments well outweigh the bad. The movie also really steers away from any kind of brutal violence of any kind, as this is easily one of the best PG-13 movies I could recommend for parents in ages. In addition, Woodley's Tris is a wonderful heroine for girls. Tough, complicated, smart, and she doesn't give up.
Go ahead and take the family to this one, you won't be disappointed. It may not win best picture in 2014, but Divergent delivers where it needs to and is definitely entertaining.