Film Review: ‘Divergent’ Wastes Talented Cast on Joyless Adaptation

CHICAGO – Despite the best efforts of a game Shailene Woodley and likely future star Theo James, Neil Burger’s “Divergent,” based on the hit book by Veronica Roth, is a joyless, soulless, humorless dud. It is repetitious to the point of parody, never feels like it exists in anything approximating reality, and, like so many “Hunger Games” wannabes, forgets that it’s the characters of that franchise that matter and not the goofy machinations of the plot. “Divergent” is a defiantly silly movie that takes itself as seriously as Shakespeare. It will likely connect with fans of the book simply because it delivers on the cinematic promise of the story they loved but it’s a pantomime, a film going through the motions without a hint of an actual pulse.

Rating: 1.5/5.0

Set in an overgrown future vision of Chicago (that actually does use the city in fascinating ways in terms of CGI-rendered, post-apocalyptic skylines), “Divergent” imagines a world in which we’re divided into five distinct factions based mostly on the results of a genetically predetermined test. You’re born into one of the character-based factions but you have a chance when you reach a certain age to commit to that group or choose another. The five groups are built on a quintet of relatable human characteristics whether it’s the intelligence-driven Erudite, the charity-centric Abnegation, or the self-explanatory Dauntless.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Divergent” in our reviews section. [16]

Of course, there’s a sixth group, the legendary Divergent, the people who cross all five factions with their skill sets. And, of course, “Divergent” is the story of one of those unlikely souls. It’s yet another riff on “The Boy Who Lived” from “Harry Potter” or even the destiny of Luke Skywalker. So much of our genre fiction is built around the idea that YOU, dear reader or viewer, could be that special one as well; the one who is not like the others and can lead your people to a greater understanding of humanity and/or save the world.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Divergent” review. [16]

Divergent
Photo credit: Summit