“Divergent,” a film based on author Veronica Roth’s young adult series of the same name, attempts to carve its place among other blockbuster teen movies like “The Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter.” Unfortunately, the ways in which the film diverges from the movie standard for portraying young adult fiction are by far its greatest faults, followed closely by its fidelity to the book. Unlike “The Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter,” the “Divergent” film series fails to mature and to correct the ideological fallacies of its source. I wholeheartedly expected the movie’s director, Neil Burger, and screenwriters to write over some of Roth’s two-dimensional characters and motiveless plot threads, but instead they play low, toward the common denominator of audience. You could say they do the best with what they have, but for a film about individual identity, “Divergent” feels extremely mainstream.
Based on the idea that total conformity will eventually lead to the best kind of divergence within the population—smart, kind, brave, honest and selfless rebels—“Divergent” creates its own dystopian fantasy in a futuristic Chicago. The interplay with the city, including lovely shots of a totally dark skyline, a creepy marshland that surrounds downtown and extras climbing over every spare piece of the L, was very fun to watch. As a Chicagoan, I appreciated the film’s reverence for a very American-style ruin, as if the city were comparable to Rome. The special effects and electronic soundtrack that take the audience up and over the landscape, including a pretty cool zip-line ride at night, are a testament to what the film does best: really cool mini music videos for Ellie Goulding.
Based on the idea that total conformity will eventually lead to the best kind of divergence within the population—smart, kind, brave, honest and selfless rebels—“Divergent” creates its own dystopian fantasy in a futuristic Chicago. The interplay with the city, including lovely shots of a totally dark skyline, a creepy marshland that surrounds downtown and extras climbing over every spare piece of the L, was very fun to watch. As a Chicagoan, I appreciated the film’s reverence for a very American-style ruin, as if the city were comparable to Rome. The special effects and electronic soundtrack that take the audience up and over the landscape, including a pretty cool zip-line ride at night, are a testament to what the film does best: really cool mini music videos for Ellie Goulding.