"Divergent" My modest review

Rating: 4/10 (31 March 2014)

To write about the film "Divergent" is first necessary analyze the literary substance which it is based. Because, upon closer inspection, that's the main flaw of the film
To properly analyze the book, a lengthy prologue about the conduct of a dictatorial government and its implementation on the novel by Veronica Roth necessary. Just as there is a forensic awareness in the serial murderer (able to find excuses for their behavior), there is also a totalitarian awareness in many dictatorships: arise in times of great social disorganization, impose control over the people, atone and classified and exterminate the "threats", expand and seek to obtain a balance or a happy society, even if they must use the most violent and cruel methods to achieve that goal. Even the Nazis sought a world in peace and harmony, but for this task were insanely convinced the domination of the Lebensraum and the extermination of "undesirables", plus the loyalty of the people to the Nazi Party
Veronica Roth respects part of this common sense: the dictatorship of the novel comes at a time where wars almost destroyed the world, and this new totalitarian government seeks a peaceful state curtailing freedoms. But is Roth who also added a bunch of craps: this dictatorship imposes an impractical system of dividing society into groups of coexistence, where some people to meet majority must choose one of the groups to live forever in it and not to contact legally the other sectors, which means that many families would be torn apart by the division if their children chose a foreign group, triggering a social imbalance that is somewhat unfair in a totalitarian government that could well impose another system without disrupting society so drastically. In "The Hunger Games" there is the classical system of minorities with money vs enslaved and poor people, with dreams of belonging to the elite minority, which is a scheme that allows poors to be with their families until they are chosen randomly in combat (it is not very realistic, but certainly much more flexible). But this approach that Roth tre is surprisingly fla even for a real dictatorship. Furthermore, the system designs its logical failures: people living in their family's are to meet certain age and choose, which means that the sectors may suffer easily seepage of personalities from other groups just because a guy gets two personalities (the personality of the family and the new personality of the group); in fact in the film alludes to this point
But also Vernica Roth, either she lacks imagination or personal beliefs, embarks on theological estates where human ills are products of elementary, almost cultural and godlike factors that humans suffering. Thus, wars are caused by the qualities of ignorance, selfishness, etc., and the solution is to remove these qualities. It is an excessively naive view, today there are materials and advanced sciences like ponerology who developed the explanation of a dictatorial government as complex mechanisms where the executors suffer serious pathological deviations.
And if all this world sounds implausible, worst of all is the bizarre taste of the novelist to give substance to her name and universe. It's horrible: the groups were called "Candor," "Erudite" "Amity" "Abnegation" and "Dauntless". Each of these factions meets the personality according to the title of the group, eg if you belong to "Dauntless" then you'll be a brave person for the rest of your life. It's so absurd and obviously the names of the groups, and the objectives of the factions also ridiculous
The film is directed by Neil Burger, who knows how to deliver some power but does not have many exceptional films (not even "The Illusionist"). In "Divergent" applies enthusiasm enough to be entertaining, even if only dedicated to copy some tips from other directors, even if only dedicated to emulate the energy of the films "The Hunger Games" 1 & 2. Many scenes action / adventures are good but unconnected, with the only purpose of generating a little entertainment in a production that focuses on the main character training. There are awkward moments: the test sequence (the protagonist with the wolf) is really flat, instead of waking some lyricism. The Soundtrack is bizarre and out of context, Pop songs when the movie tries to sell this as "Serious"
The protagonist decides to belong to "Dauntless" (because it is the most entertaining group to make a film, right?), And is warned about two special groups: the "factionless" where individuals who did not pass the test of their faction live in an area of ??decay; and the "divergent" group where they are people who do not fit the mold of legal groups and are quickly killed to prevent rebellions. In the "factionless" is absurd to think that people who have own culture fall into a state of total decay, simply for failing a test. And in the case of the "divergent" if you think about it deeply, has exactly the same characteristics of a "factionless". Why not classified in the same group?
This review continues on my personal Tumblr, which has no commercial purpose now
http://reviewsandthecity.tumblr.com/post/80744453615/divergent-film- review