DIVERGENT: A Positive Surprise

If I had to choose one word to describe the recently released Divergent movie, it would be “exception,” because that’s exactly what the film represents to me. The rule is that, usually, a book is far superior to its cinematic adaptation. How can we forget the countless works of art that felt so amazing on paper, yet were utterly destroyed by poor acting, lackluster direction and awful, rushed dialogue?

Not this time, however. With Divergent, we have an inversion of the natural law.

The story is, of course, unchanged: an undefined future population is divided into several factions, one of which individuals must select to belong to for the rest of their lives. The protagonist, the lovely Tris, turns out to be “Divergent”, meaning she fits in with multiple factions. She chooses to join Dauntless, a group of brave, fearless and often reckless people. Here, she discovers her strength, her power, even her soul mate (what a twist). Her journey takes place during a faction war that provides both tension and conflict in an already intriguing scenario.

The movie is very loyal to the book, portraying all the characters just as they’re written and sticking to most of the original dialogue. Although some sections have been cut, the story feels liberated by the edits, not hindered. In fact, if the book ever felt slow or too “introspective,” the film doesn’t let the audience relax for a second, jumping rapidly from one breathtaking sequence to the next. In one moment, a moving train is leaped off of. In the next, a rooftop is fallen from, with a dark hole being entered soon after. This choice in direction  is an efficient strategy in that it keeps the rhythm of the movie fast and exciting, giving us the right “Dauntless” vibe.

The high quality cast adds a vital ingredient to the success of the film. Shailene Woodley is perfect as Tris, with a naturally beautiful and gentle face, as well as an ability to convey strong emotions at the right times. Kate Winslet does very well herself, albeit her talents are somewhat wasted on such a small and simple role. And what about Theo James? Well, I think that absolutely no girl can complain about him and his shirtless scene (yeah, we may have been looking at the tattoos, a lot).

It should be noted that the soundtrack, with the modern touch of Ellie Goulding’s songs, gives Divergent an even more “youthful” atmosphere.

Overall , Divergent is an epic, entertaining way to spend a Thursday night with friends, family and popcorn. Can’t wait for the sequel!

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