Divergent

Divergent

Rated PG-13 and Released in Grand Rapids 3/20/14

Reviewed 3/21/14 at Celebration North Theatre

with Lynne

3 1/2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Lynne and I arrived early for our 6 p.m. movie, being a Friday, with snacks in hand and snagged rail seats in the big theatre - #1. We sat there and looked around as it began to fill and we noticed a common denominator. Uh oh! It seems the majority were young gals, looking to be early teens. Neither of us read the books, so we wondered if we would be lost during the flick. On the contrary, we could follow just fine. Thankfully, neither of us were dissatisfied. Since Friday, I grabbed copies of all three books and Lynne loaded the first one on her Kindle. We both declared we would read by weekend's end. I didn't finish yet, but it is an easy read and won't take long. Needless to say we were both charmed by Divergent. Not as violent as Hunger Games with a little romance like Twilight's Edward and Bella in the mix, make this an appealing action adventure that should not be limited to young adults.

Futuristic but broken down Chicago seems to be the only place left on Earth. The revolutionary society has been divided up into five factions within the high secure walls that encompass the city. You grow up with your family in their faction and at the very "adult" age of 16 you take an aptitude test, determining where you fit in. At a "Choosing Ceremony" the youth can choose to stay with their family or change factions, but once you do so there is no turning back. "Factions before family" is the radical motto. Factions are broken down like so: Candor values truth above all else and runs the judicial system (think arrogant politicians), Erudite are the brainy ones (chemists that are never allowed out of the lab), hippie farmers best describes Amity who are peace-loving (most likely to be found in a nudist colony), Abnegation are selfless and plain (Amish-types wearing grey garb instead of black), and conversely pierced and tattooed (think Goth) radical enforcers called Dauntless are the ones who protect the city. Beatrice Prior's (Shailene Woodley) family is one of the boring vanity less Abnegation. The choosing ceremony for her and her brother is tough, because you can sense a desire for more but that means saying goodbye to your family. When Beatrice's test determines she does not fit in like the "norm" she is warned to keep this quiet.

Divergents they are called and the cunning Erudite leader Jeannine Matthews (Kate Winslet) wants them hunted down. They threaten the society that has been crafted so meticulously. After a heartfelt decision, Beatrice starts her new life with Dauntless. With a new identity she becomes known as Tris. Coming from a peaceful community she does not have much experience that would be valuable with these very physical, fast-moving risk takers. While Initiates that remain at the bottom of the training pool won't make the cut, the alternative is you become homeless without a faction. So the desire is to make it no matter the cost.

Enter the trainer known as Four (Theo James). Tough but sensible and yet he seems different from the rest. Much of the film is spent on Tris and the rest of the Dauntless trainees preparing with rigorous training. Four and Tris have some chemistry that doesn't take long for either of them to discover, but slow to develop. He shares with her some secrets as he has uncovered a plot masterminded by evil Jeannine.  Needless to say, the Divergent status of Tris must be kept secret more so now that she is surrounded by weapon-wielding Dauntless. Tris proves she can hold her own with her face-off with Jeannine in the unsettled stormy conclusion. I can't wait to see how Tris's character grows in this role in #2. Lynne and I sat for a second to be humored by the cheering and clapping crowd. After exiting and the echoes of high pitched squealing halted enough so we could hear, we both quickly asked each other if the other liked it. We both agreed we didn't like it...we loved it!

QUIET Rating system: 3 1/2 Js

Quality: JJJ

Understood story:  JJJj

Interest: JJJJ

Entertainment:  JJJJ

Time:  JJj