Divergent: Great Casting, Suspenseful and Fast-Paced ★★★★☆

I had the privilege of seeing Divergent last night at the Thursday night premiere in my hometown.  My excitement built all day, as I've been waiting for this one for a while.  I love the book, and I wanted to see how the movie would stand up to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times Bestseller. So many times I've been disappointed by the movie version of a great book or book series, and I wondered how it would go.  Would the characters be what I'd imagined as I read the book?  Would they really bring the book to life?  

Popcorn in hand, I headed into the theater early and got a great seat, impatiently sitting through the warm up pre-show and then anxiously tapping my foot to a TON of previews, waiting for Divergent to begin.

Shailene Woodley as Tris (right) &

Zoë Kravitz as Christina (left)

Finally it started and the images from my head came to life.  A post- apocalyptic Chicago with a huge walled structure built around it came up onto the big screen.  My next thought was that they couldn't

Tris, Dauntless & Learning to Fight

have cast a better Tris than Shailene Woodley.  In the beginning of the film, her minimalist look (hair, makeup, wardrobe), since she was being raised up in the Abnegation Faction, was plain perfection.  Woodley played Tris delicately when necessary and with fierce boldness once she gained her confidence in the Dauntless Faction. 

Oh, The Costumes!

Costume Designer Carlo Poggioli did an amazing job with the costumes for all five factions:  Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite.  Simplicity was key, as was color, and he did magnificent work putting the entire piece together in costume.  I kept thinking, "Bravo, Carlo Poggioli!" A lot of what made the book translate to film was the costuming.  You can find out more about the five factions and what each one means here: Divergent Factions

More on the Cast of Divergent

Four & Tris, Weapons Training

Theo James is well cast as Four, a Dauntless leader and instructor who not only trains Tris, but becomes a mentor and friend to her and, eventually, well...no spoilers here.  He is handsome, strong and determined - and has a tormented past that's developed over time in the movie.  

Jai Courtney as Eric, Dauntless Leader

The part of Eric is portrayed in an over exaggerated fashion by the very buff-and-tough Jai Courtney, also a Dauntless leader.  Eric is a much crueler personality than Four, but for me, he overplays the part a bit too much.  The more I've had time to think about it, perhaps it was necessary to get the true nature of the training of the new recruits across.  At times, however, his depiction just seems SO over the top.  He certainly looks the part of Eric, which 
is a plus. 

Kate Winslet plays Jeanine in the film, the cold-hearted Erudite leader with plans to take over the government and kill all Divergents.  She is really deceiving her faction, because the belief of the Erudite Faction, book readers would know, is "a calm mind is a clear mind."  Jeanine is power-hungry and does not want to risk being challenged by anyone that is Divergent.  Always well-dressed and looking neat and beautiful, her beauty is quickly shown to be only exterior.

The supporting cast, Ashley Judd as Natalie Prior, Ansel Elgort as Caleb Prior and Tony Goldwyn as Andrew Prior, all give convincing and engaging performances as a Tris' mother, brother and father (respectively).  Ashley Judd is especially amazing, playing an Abnegation mother and then

Zoë Kravitz as Christina

showing her Dauntless bravery when protecting her daughter in one of the fire-fight action scenes.  Zoë Kravitz shines as one of the Dauntless trainees, bringing life to the screen in every scene she's in.

Tris and others that don't fit into just one faction, or have aptitude for multiple factions (which is rare) are called Divergents.  For instance, Tris was born into Abnegation, however, she has traits of three factions that she must conceal (Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite).  Should anyone find out she's Divergent, she'll be in extreme danger.  Thus, the mystery and intrigue in the movie:  who's Divergent and who's not?  The movie is a thriller and keeps you watching, from start to finish.

The Trailer (for those who haven't seen it)

Changes, but Nothing Earth-Shattering

There are a few subtle things in the movie that are

Divergent Book Cover

either eliminations or changes from the book, but nothing earth-shattering that will upset a real Divergent book fan.  Overall, the movie's a really good adaptation, it's full of action and does a good job of covering Roth's bestseller thoroughly.  I can highly recommend seeing this one, whether you have read Roth's first book or not.

Divergent is directed by Neil Burger, who's known for The Illusionist (2006), The Lucky Ones (2008) and Limitless (2011).

Take a test:  Which Faction Do You Fit Into?

I give Divergent ★★★★☆

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

MPAA Rating:  PG-13 

(intense violence and action, thematic elements and some sensuality)

Running Time: 139 Mins.

Sex           ★☆☆☆☆

Nudity     ☆☆☆☆☆
Language      ★☆☆☆☆
Violence     ★★★★☆
Alcohol/Drugs     ☆☆☆☆☆

"What Makes You Different, Makes You Dangerous" 

(Pictures courtesy of trisandfour.com and divergentthemovie.com, book cover picture courtesy of npr.com & director, tagline & movie ratings information courtesy of IMDB.com)