Divergent is based on one of the hot-selling points in films of today: Future dystopia. Divergent revolves around how people are constantly set to thinking in standard archetypes.
Fast forward into the future of Chicago where a post-apocalyptic war has resulted in Chicago having a wall around the city. Upon age of maturity, the citizens are set to accept a cred that it is “faction before blood” and will be divided into one of the five factions which form the social system.
The five factions are simply a split of five different pattern of thoughts: Amity are hardworking and peaceful, the selfless go to Abnegation; Candor for those who speak their mind and are always truthful, Erudite are the intelligents ones and lastly Dauntless for the brave. Divergent depicts how an individual’s archetype can be established through various tests and the compliant citizen is then coerced into serving the system that is set on them.
Tris comes from Abnegation. She is a Divergent. Simply put she is able to be put into any faction. This threatens the society’s governing structure. Whilst told that she is given a choice to choose; Tris is chided to join Abnegation. However she goes with her guts and joins Dauntless.
Divergent targets the young-adults and mainly the female demographic. It seems to be yet another movie that points out fingers to cherish their individuality and to make effort and dare to be themselves and yet, languishes upon it. What it seemingly does on the contrary is to inwardly depict how the different rather stand in than out.
Woodley is beyond compare to her previous movies. Her potential has not been fully expanded upon and despite one of the selling points of Divergent being Tris’ budding relationship with Four (James); it lacked lustre. The The flow of Divergent is predictable and is disconnected. It banks on the stereotypes of the various individuals. The focus is mainly on how subservient society in it’s entirety is and how they are willing to accept rules and regulations without questions. Despite the supposed imminent threat that divergent holds; it was never fully clarified and focused on. It is glossed over and whilst the movie has an end, it seems to have left you hanging somewhat.
