Thrilling and Uplifting

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2014)

This exhilarating, Dystopian-based story line tests the limits of Tris, a teenager who is forced to make a life changing decision. The beginning scenes depict the society as a clear dystopia. The factions go about their monotonous duties and the color scheme is very muted and dull. It is the day of the aptitude test which selects the faction for which you would be the best fit. However, Tris is forced to decide on a whim as the test does not work on her. Leaving her brother and parents behind, she chooses Dauntless, the faction whose job is to protect the city's walls from the outside world. Here, she faces extreme physical and psychological stress during the competitive initiation into Dauntless. Tris learns her true strength and determination as she lifts herself up from the bottom of the score boards to prevent becoming factionless. As she prepares for the final test in order to become a member of Dauntless, her mentor, Four, realizes that she is divergent. Four confesses that he is divergent too and they join forces as Erudite manipulates the members of Dauntless into attacking the leading faction, Abnegation. The divergents risk their lives in order to save their society from a complete Erudite take over.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie because of its action and suspense based plot. I especially liked the capture the flag scene and the zip line scene that followed. Both scenes used an extreme high-angle but from the character's point of view. The use of this point-of-view ties into the overall theme in the movie which involves self empowerment and determination. The view from the top of the ferris wheel and the zip line, both which overlooked the run down city, gives the view this feeling. I also thought the soundtrack was great and fit perfectly with each scene and the movie in general. Many of the sounds were instrumental, allowing the viewer to focus more on the actions taking place in the movie yet giving the scene a clear tone.