Not as spectacular, now

Rating: Null/10 (10 April 2014)

Neither have the books withstood it, nor will the movie/s - the comparison to 'The Hunger Games' works, and other t(w)een/YA franchises out there.
Straight-off, let me be the one to say that this one pales in comparison, in every department. The style, look, production and art design is evocative of Andrew Niccol's Gattaca and In time, albeit without the polish (and that's not a good thing) that both of those had (Sad that he had to kill his goodwill with 'The Host' - and it is creepy that both Diane Kruger in that one, and Kate Winslet in this one, are characterized in a similar fashion, along with their looks).
The film begins strongly, and has one of the most strongest 1st half's committed to mainstream film. Its when people start sharing/viewing each others' dreamscapes that it started losing me, and by the time it chugs along to the very contrived ending, that's no surprise to any veteran of teen dystopia, this is completely run out of steam.
Neil Burger has made better flicks, though this one does benefit from his involvement.
Theo James fits the part, Shailene Woodley's as good as Jen Law, in basically a relatively more straight-forward role, with her 'Spectacular Now' co-star, Miles Teller, this time locking horns with her rather than lips. Winslet's alright, as are Judd and Goldwyn, and there are others who might prove their mettle in the sequels. And oh, in case you were wondering, Maggie Q's wasted, as is Mekhi Phifer. On the other hand, Jai Courtney and Miles Teller have their moments.
The cinematography and soundtrack are top-notch, with one sequence being scored spectacularly so, at around the 20 minute mark, when the leads are being 'initiated' into their new faction. Another thing that went wasted - the propensity for full- blown parkour. Sad.
The icky teen-romance bit is toned down, which is a relief, since it has been done to death since those sparkly vampire movies. And yes, you do find yourself thinking about not just the Hunger games franchise, but also Twilight, Mortal instruments, Warm bodies et al.
I just wish more care had been taken to ensure that the movie's 2nd half matched the momentum, as well as the quality of the 1st. Plus, the depiction of future-tech in this is borderline pathetic, working just like a bad Bollywood flick to force our suspension-of-disbelief up about 9,99,9999 notches. OK, not That bad, but Bad, fo sho. Not done, not in this day and age. Not a good thing, by any means. Here's hoping the sequel fares better from those perspectives.