'Divergent' isn't different enough from other YA film adaptations

'Divergent' doesn't do much to separate itself from the pack, but star Shailene Woodley gives a great performance as protagonist Tris and has good chemistry with her co-star Theo James. 'Divergent' is based on the first book in the young adult dystopian trilogy by Veronica Roth.

|
Jaap Buitendijk/Summit Entertainment/AP
'Divergent' stars Shailene Woodley (l.) and Theo James (r.).

If you have a kid of a certain age – especially a girl, preteen or thereabouts – then you know the young-adult entertainment message of choice these days:

You're you, and nobody else. Don't let them define you. Don't let them put you into one of their neat little slots. You're unique. And you're gonna show the world. You go, girl!

So it's no surprise that this is the message of "Divergent," the latest young adult blockbuster-in-waiting. It's also no surprise that the emerging young star Shailene Woodley delivers a crucial dose of humility, sensitivity and intelligence in this showcase role. And it's no surprise, either, that she generates nice chemistry with her rather absurdly good-looking co-star, Theo James.

What IS surprising is that with all these promising elements, "Divergent," the first of three installments based on first-time author Veronica Roth's trilogy, ultimately feels so lackluster. For a film predicated on the principle that being different – or "divergent" – is what makes you special, "Divergent" just doesn't diverge enough from the pack.

Not that this will hurt the film's chances at the box office. Like "The Hunger Games," the franchise to which it will unavoidably be compared, "Divergent" has a ready-made audience of fans just waiting to fill those seats – over 11 million books have been sold, after all.

Those book fans will have a crucial head start. "Divergent" takes a good deal of time explaining plot mechanics, but If you already know what's happening, you can spend more time admiring, say, those cheekbones on James – or his day-old, dystopian stubble.

In a nutshell, "Divergent," directed by Neil Burger, takes place in a futuristic Chicago, a bleak version indeed of the Windy City. Half of every building seems to be destroyed, leaving hulking shells. Civilization is divided into five factions, based on human virtues: Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite, Amity, and Candor.

Beatrice Prior (Woodley) is born into Abnegation. But at age 16, a citizen can choose their own faction, at the Choosing Ceremony. Right before, they take an aptitude test that tells them which faction they fit best. Beatrice's results are downright scary: She has not one virtue, but all of them. She is "divergent" – which makes her dangerous.

To the distress of her parents (Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn), Beatrice opts to join Dauntless, the most courageous faction, but also the most reckless: Pierced and tattooed, they look like unusually fit punk rockers. Soon she's in boot camp, jumping on and off trains (trains never seem to actually stop in this movie) and into pits, and fighting viciously in the ring, under the guidance of the initially unforgiving Four (James), her trainer. Gradually, Beatrice – she's renamed herself "Tris" – becomes buff and strong. But will it be enough to survive?

On top of all this, there's a political storm brewing, led by the villainess Jeanine Matthews, played by a blonde and stiletto-clad Kate Winslet in one of her less convincing performances (in a sadly under-written role.) Matthews is the leader of Erudite, which means she's got a killer IQ along with those killer heels, and she's convinced that Divergents are a threat to her plan to overthrow Abnegation.

Then there's Peter, another Dauntless initiate who comes from Candor, meaning the role is perfect for the fast-talking Miles Teller – so memorable opposite Woodley in "The Spectacular Now," but underused here.

There's some entertaining action here, but the action most teen fans may like best involves a lip-lock between Woodley and James.

At 143 minutes, though, the movie feels overly long, and by the end, you may want to hop onto one of those trains yourself and hope it arrives somewhere a lot less grim. But two sequels await. So there's always hope.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to 'Divergent' isn't different enough from other YA film adaptations
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2014/0321/Divergent-isn-t-different-enough-from-other-YA-film-adaptations
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe