Divergent Film Review

Film: Divergent (2014) 

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance. 

Click the poster if you'd like to watch the trailer! :) 

Divergent Film Review

Let me start off by saying that I’m a teeny bopper stuck in a 20 year old body and I’ve read all the Divergent books. Now you know what kind of review you’re going to get.

That being said, I was pretty apprehensive going into the cinema the day that Divergent came out. I knew I was either going to hate it and it was going to suck so bad that it wouldn’t matter how hot Theo James was, it wasn’t going to make up for it. Or I was going to love it. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a pessimistic person since I went into the cinema thinking I was going to be disappointed so that I would be ready and on the occasion that I was going to love it – it meant I was going to love it even more because I had prepared myself to hate it.

The opening of the films introduces the kind of society that the Divergent-verse is set in. I think it does a pretty good job of this since it came out looking exactly how I imagined, it shows that the city is a little washed way and tops it off with some wrecked buildings which I thought was a good effect. I’m not one for taking in loads of detail when I’m reading so I’m not sure if this was included in the books.

The movie does a good job of showing how drab the Abnegation faction is and did this subtly, it definitely helped that Shailene Woodley did the voice over about the factions and explained what was what at the start, since this is one thing that I continuously forgot about in the books and was forever flicking back to the start. The books could really do with some kind of guide at the start.

Yeah you look real selfless here, Tris. 

I’m not going to lie, I squealed pretty much every single time Theo James came on screen but I have to say, he was perfect for Four though maybe too old for the character but to be honest in my Divergent-verse Four is older anyway. I thought the guy who played Eric did a great job to the point where I was reminded why I hate him so much but really I kind of like Eric in a weird, twisted way.

My only comment is why are Eric and Four the only hot guys in the film? Were Lionsgate not willing to cast any other hotties? Disappointing.

Can I just get a sigh?

Kate Winslet was a nice surprise. Whilst I am a pretty big fan of her as an actress, after numerous watches of the trailer, I just couldn’t get my head around her playing Jeanine. I have no idea why since I know that Kate can pull of any character, in my opinion but something wasn’t sitting right. They did, however make Jeanine come across a lot nicer in the film than in the books but actually watching the film I started to find myself quite enjoying Kate as Jeanine. I thought she really pulled it off in the last scene and that knife through her hand. Ouch.

My favourite scene in this film – I have decided after just two watches – is the scene that takes place in the third act of the film. Tris steps onto the train whilst the rest of the Dauntless faction are all under simulation, as she tries to make her way to Four without bringing attention to herself, I thought this was a rather tense scene for a YA film. My favourite part, however comes when Tris is trying to see whether Four is under simulation also – how Theo James manages to hold that stare I do not know – and he takes her hand! Yeah, I know, I’m a sad romantic. But the way Shailene Woodley showed the relief on her face when Tris realises that Four is acting just like her was perfect and I really felt the emotion there.

So tense. 

Without going through this film, scene by film and thoroughly boring you and myself, I think my only real problem with the film is that it needed more time spent on developing the relationship between Tris and Four though I have to say I did love what we got. Ferris Wheel scene! Where were you at? Not cool, Lionsgate. Not cool.

The ending could have been a bit better developed as well but as I said before, I’m happy with what I got. I turned to my friend at the end of the film and was grinning; I enjoyed the film so much. This is why I like to go into a film based on a book expecting the worst because if it turns out to be actually decent, I’m ecstatic. Have I mentioned I’ve been back to the cinema to see it again since? 

I give it a 8.5/10 and I'd get in on DVD!