The story had an antagonist Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) whose character resembles "President Snow" (The Hunger Games).

Rating: 9/10 (29 March 2014)

I wrote this review before reading the book, so do pardon me if some of the observations/reviews/assumptions were wrong. If I have to summarize the story of the film in a few words, it will be a Harry Potter + Hunger Games. In the movie, you are "sorted" in the muggle way by taking an aptitude test. The story had an antagonist Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) whose character resembles "President Snow" (The Hunger Games). She felt that people who are Divergent have to be killed, which drove Tris and Four to the outskirts of the city.
Still, I can't help but like the movie, for some odd reasons. I was gasping Maggie Q's name when she first appeared, no surprise, she played a minor role, but the character was important enough for me to be impressed, as she was a familiar face in many Asian films.
One main reason why I like the film was the choice of cast for the "badass" characters. When I first saw Miles Teller as Peter in the movie, I was amused by his appearance, partly because of the prior comedy "That Awkward Moment" which he starred in screened just not long ago. Playing the resident bully in Divergent, Miles Teller brought a slightly humored approach to the film character by making the jerk a little more tolerable and interesting. Down side, another character Al (Christian Madsen) looked a little like Teller, which got me kinda confused between the two characters during the film.
Kate Winslet as the antagonist, Jeanine Matthew? Seriously? She looked so nice and smart that I could just take in what she say without any questions. If she says the Abnegation are bad, they are bad. No questions ask. Reasons for overthrowing them seemed so sound and legit coming from her. Well, what can I say? She's a villain you got to be careful of.
When Four (Theo James) showed Tris his tattoo, I could hear giggles and squealing in the cinemas. It was almost like the anticipation of Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) stripping his clothes for the Twilight. The only part I was a tad disappointed with was the drug-induced fear hallucination of Tris. I'm not sure if this was according to the book (Yet to read till that chapter!) but getting stuck and attacked by crows is definitely not what I will define as scary. I can't help but refer to The Hunger Games, but the obstacles in the games were definitely scarier than Tris' dreams.
While many online reviews lament about the similarities from various sources, the fact that the film raised several thought-provoking questions ie. individuality, where you belong, facing your fears, etc made it a relatively interesting movie to catch. It might not be the Hunger Games, but if you watch it without the comparison, it will have almost everything you want in a movie (or perhaps it's just me): Excitement, Romance, Great Cast, Thought-provoking points, so there is no reason why you shouldn't catch it too!
For those who have caught the movie, so which Faction did you belong to? Take the Aptitude Test here now: http://tiffanyyong.com/2014/03/20/divergent-movie-review/