The film adaptation of Veronica Roth's best-selling YA novel Divergent is a pretty decent take on what's a very convoluted story. Obviously it's not an exact replication, particularly given the mere PG-13 rating (anyone else remember that eye thing?), but it pays a decent homage to a film that fans of the series will be able to appreciate. For those unfamiliar with Roth's world of factions, the story might seem slow and confusing.
Beatrice (Woodley) is a 16-year-old girl forced to decide her fate by selecting her faction on Choosing Day. The factions each perform different duties within the society, and they are Erudite, Candor, Amity, Abnegation, and Dauntless. For those who don't fit into any faction or fail the initiation process, they are cast out to live in the streets and are forever factionless.
Born into Abnegation, the test used to determine which faction would be best for Beatrice reveals that she's Divergent"”she doesn't fit neatly into any one faction but instead can be one of three. Being Divergent is an anomaly that Jeanine (Winslet) cannot allow, so Beatrice's divergence must be hidden. Her choice of Dauntless shocks her family, particularly since the members of Abnegation are nicknamed "stiffs" by the other factions and have the complete opposite personality traits of the Dauntless.
Transferring into the faction, Beatrice must undergo some intense training to learn the basics of being Dauntless, who oversee the security of this dystopian society. Making a few friends along the way, including a budding romance with Four (James), Beatrice must continue to hide her divergence, a task that becomes increasingly difficult as the Dauntless initiates are forced to face their fears in a simulation environment. Janine's ability to overtake the Dauntless in order to annihilate her enemies"”the Abnegation and the Divergent"”is somewhat admirable and the catalyst for a great deal of the remaining books. The film ends rather abruptly, and nothing truly feels resolved. This is actually a hallmark of Roth's storytelling style. Leaving you with more questions than answers is a curious ability, particularly since the third book in the series (Abnegation) ended up being very controversial in its attempts to resolve loose ends.
While the training portion of the film lasts for a good hour, this set up is crucial to the other two books. Being set in a dystopian society means that more groundwork must be established. Without the understanding of what a Divergent is and how being different is essentially frowned upon, any story thereafter wouldn't be anywhere near as decent an adaptation as this film is.
The performances in the film are fairly true representations of the characters in the book. They're not the most sparkling personalities in the room, but they're definitely more interesting than the Twilight series, another YA film put out by Divergent's studio Summit Entertainment. The appearance of Ashley Judd as Beatrice's mother is a bit of a surprise, but she plays the part almost exactly how I envisioned it. Kate Winslet makes a fairly impressive evil ice queen as the Erudite's faction leader. Shailene Woodley portrays the various facets of Beatrice very well, and she manages to embody the original source material.
While Divergent isn't a perfect film in regards to pacing, it is still one of the better film adaptations I've seen in recent history. I was able to walk out of the theater and not bemoan too many of the director's choices. In fact, some of the things he changed worked to emphasize the differences in the factions in an easier way. Fans of the book trilogy shouldn't be disappointed, but those new to the story might be a bit confused.
