Movie Review: Divergent (2014)

Divergent is perhaps one of the oddest dystopian stories that I have encountered because as bad as a system of putting people into only five factions is, suppressing all individuality and divergence, it actually works and manages to bring at least some sort of order in the future city of Chicago where the only survivors of a horrible war dwell. As a movie, it is impressively well written with a supreme cast including stars like Kate Winslet. The directors have done an amazing job creating this world, so different from ours, with great attention to detail making it easy for the audience to get to know the characters and the rules and laws they live by.

The story, based on Veronica Roth’s debut novel, invites the audience into a world where everyone knows their place… or else. Being different – Divergent – in that world is dangerous, as individuality and personal differences are hard to control and therefore unwanted by the system. The conflict is heightened by the struggle between two of the factions fighting over the governing power in post-apocalyptic Chicago. And of course there is a love story. But it isn’t the regular love story with shy smiles and blushes or driving passions. The scriptwriters and directors have outdone themselves in making the romantic side of the movie very natural giving it its own pace to develop and grow.

Even though personally I wasn’t impressed by the final lines of the movie (which usually have the greatest impact on the audience), the ending as a whole was extremely well-done. It differs greatly from most sequence movies, where something dramatic and unexpected happens in the end just to make you watch the next film from the series. On the contrary, Divergent felt very complete and wholesome as a movie and as a story, which is an impressively bold move on part of the producers, but it is also admirable as they have actually produced a fine piece of the art of cinema.