Hollywood is a factory. Once in a while the studio system produces a few gems, but for the most part the mindset is about rinsing and repeating formulas that have been previous successes. "Divergent" is the latest product from the Hollywood factory and as you might expect, it's mostly bereft of any creative inspiration.
The film, directed by Neil Burger, is based on the best selling Veronica Roth trilogy and introduces a post-apocalyptic Chicago that has been divided up into five factions with distinct characteristics, similar to how the Harry Potter series divides up Hogwarts into different houses with their own individual qualities. The film's protagonist Tris is a part of the "Abnegation" faction, which is known for its generosity and political power. The other four factions include the intelligent "Erudite," the peaceful farmers of "Amity," the honest people of "Candor," and the brave soldiers of "Dauntless." Also similar to the Harry Potter franchise is an initiation sequence in which the youngsters take an exam to determine in what faction they belong too; however, each person is ultimately allowed to pick their faction regardless of the test results. Tris, of course, is an outlier, or "Divergent"; she does not belong in any of the factions, but ultimately opts for Dauntless presumably because she wants to live a life of adventure (the reasoning behind her choice is unfortunately never explored).
The first hour and a half of the film is dedicated mainly to Tris' training with the usual clichés employed to their maximum effect. Tris is an underdog and it initially seems that she is about to get kicked out of Dauntless and become factionless. However, in a sequence extremely reminiscent of the recent "Ender's Game" and "Hunger Games" films, she slowly starts to assert herself and grow, thanks to her budding romance with the mysterious Four, and eventually establishes herself as a hero of sorts by helping her team win a game of Capture the Flag. Then Tris must move on to the second stage of training.
Throughout this rather extensive portion of the film, the viewer is left wondering in what direction the conflict is heading; it is safe to say that the film lacks any tension whatsoever and plods along endlessly. The idea of Tris being "Divergent" is largely ignored and left undeveloped until suddenly it takes over the plot and becomes the central focus. It is at this point that the film gains some level of tension and excitement, but the buildup and resolution comes so quickly that it feels gimmicky at best. The film's conclusion makes it clear that a sequel is in order, but more disconcerting is that Tris goes from making a grand proclamation of resolving her identity in the climax and then goes back to questioning who she is; this ultimately negates any attempts at some sort of character arc. Other frustrating plot points include the lack of detail on why Tris' first exam found that she was "Divergent"; that essential plot point is done away with quickly and never developed or elaborated on. Despite these flaws, the film deserves credit for its restrained portrayal of the central romance.
The remainder of the film is creatively bankrupt. The main attraction when watching a science-fiction or fantasy film is experiencing a world that feels fresh and new. Unfortunately, "Divergent" possesses none of these characteristics and comes off as lazy and unimaginative throughout. It starts with a voice-over explaining the world, a trait of most fantasy films. The clothing worn by the characters also look pretty generic: Dauntless wears black; Abnegation wears gray; Erudite wears blue. To a certain extent, this makes sense; the dull wardrobe emphasizes the theft of individuality by each fashion. By the same token, however, the costumes still look cheap for such a major production. The "cave" that Dauntless lives in is reminiscent of the base utilized in "Pacific Rim"; there is also a dining hall that also looks like it came out of "Pacific Rim." Aside from a massive CG wall, the city lacks any defining characteristics.
The music, a conglomeration of pop tunes and cliché orchestral cues, is arguably the most frustrating element in the entire film. The pop songs may appeal to the younger demographic, but they alienate other audiences in a way that most franchise films—such as "The Hunger Games"—do not. The orchestral cues are irritating in their predictability. The violins crescendo to hysterical heights at major emotional climaxes and the orchestra pulsates on bombastic ostinato rhythms during major actions sequences. The result is that there are no memorable cues or musical themes. The dialogue is also maddening at times; most of the film's one-liners fall flat. "Are they trying to kill us?" one character smugly mutters after having to jump onboard a moving train. During a climactic love scene, Tris tells Four that she doesn't want to "go too fast." Sadly this combination of unimaginative elements leaves the viewer without any "Aha" moment of discovery throughout the entire two-plus hours.
The only saving grace is the performance of Shailene Woodley as Tris. She makes the film bearable and manages to make Tris a living being. The one thing the source material gets right is creating a lead character who is not a pure angel that can do no wrong. Tris questions her choices, but ultimately makes morally questionable decisions for her own survival. She doesn't want to hurt other people physically, but she knows that at times she has to. Woodley is a rising star thanks to solid turns in "The Descendants" and "The Spectacular Now" and she continues to prove herself capable of carrying even a subpar film like this. Her Tris comes off as timid in the early stages of the film, but she manages to slowly imbue her with warmth and tenderness. Her gaze is extremely expressive and makes Tris' thoughts accessible. After a major character kills himself, Woodley's guilt over the event is visible in a brief close-up; her expression makes a subsequent conversation with Four seem superfluous. During a tense conversation with Kate Winslet's Jeanine Matthews (the leader of the Erudite faction), Woodley manages to portray an escalating internal battle to remain composed without saying much. In the climactic "battle," Tris rids herself of timidity and replaces it with energetic strength.
The remainder of the cast does a solid job. Theo Adams is stern early on as Four but slowly starts to open up and soften as his character develops. Kate Winslet is rather stoic as the antagonistic Jeanine. Miles Teller tries to do the best he can with Peter, but the source material really does little to elevate his character above caricature.
Despite surprisingly solid acting, especially from Shailene Woodley, "Divergent" misses the mark throughout. As a standalone film, it is an utter failure that feels like a rip-off of other superior novels and movies. As the first part of a trilogy, it is a bland and boring entry point. Fans of the book will likely flock to see it and give the movie its approval, but most other moviegoers will likely be turned off by the plodding pace and generic execution.
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