Divergent: A Review

“Divergent,” a critically acclaimed young adult novel by Veronica Roth, made its way to the big screen on March 21, 2014.

Set in a dystopian future, what’s left of the human race resides in a city that would have been present-day Chicago. An unidentified war left the survivors in this new place to be divided into “factions” based on different personality traits. There is Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave, and Erudite for the intelligent. Every year, the 16-year-old’s take a test to see which faction matches their personality. They have the option to stay within their faction, or to pick a different one. However, if they do pick a different faction, they will not be allowed to see their family, as the new faction becomes as such. In this world, they say “Faction before blood.”

The plot starts when Beatrice Prior is told that she is divergent. Being divergent means that a person does not fit in one particular faction, which the government leaders do not like, as it means that these people will not conform to the faction standard. Beatrice’s results were deemed “inconclusive,” by her test official, Tori, and she was told not to tell anyone of her divergence.

At the Choosing Ceremony, Beatrice leaves her family in Abnegation to join Dauntless.

She endures a series of changes when she arrives at Dauntless headquarters, including her name. Now going by Tris, she must show the Dauntless leader, Eric, that she has what it takes to become a member of the faction, or else she will become “factionless,” a modern-day equivalent to homeless. While training and going through the challenges, she falls for her trainer, named Four. Eventually, Tris and Four become closer, and discover that they both share a common trait. They are both divergent.

Together, they must figure out why the divergent are seen as dangerous, and why the government is seeking to destroy them.

Shailene Woodley brings Tris to life with her passion and dedication. She was a great choice to represent the heroine. Theo James, who wasn’t a favorite for the character of Four by readers, was pleasantly surprising with his likeness to the character. He represented the enigmatic personality of Four with the perfect amount of innocence, mystery, and sultriness. Kate Winslet, who played Jeanine Matthews, demonstrated the perfect amount of villainous personality that readers expected.

According to Box Office dot-com, in its first weekend “Divergent” grossed roughly $54 million. With a star-studded cast and attention-grabbing plot, this film caught the attention of many.

For a full cast list, follow this link.