#evan daugherty

Divergent is a post-apocalyptic adventure film populated by teenagers, meant for teenagers and conceived by teenagers - at least that's what it feels like. Even if you can get past the story’s rickety premise, you'll be constantly reminded of other, better movies you'd rather be watching.

In a post-war future, only the city of Chicago remains. Society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (humble people who are in charge of governing the society and ensuring everyone has enough to eat), Amity (farmers), Candor (judges and lawmakers, known for their brutal honesty), Dauntless (the thrill-seeking, bungee-jumping tattoo-clad police and army) and Erudite (the scientists). When it comes time for Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Shailene Woodley) to take the test that determines which faction she belongs to, the results are inconclusive. Rather than expose herself as “Divergent”, she chooses Dauntless. As she trains to meet the demanding requirements of her new “family”, she discovers a massive conspiracy to overtake the government.

On paper, the concept may not seem so unbelievable but seeing it live raises many questions. People are categorized at the age of 16 and their personalities remain static forever? And we're supposed to believe the snooty know-it-all Erudite people are the ones fixing the high-tech wall surrounding the city from impending attack (from what, exactly?) Or are the farmers also serving as plumbers and garbage men? Perhaps the factionless - shambling, miserable wretches who are alternatively pitied and hated by the rest - are the ones running gas stations and such. What I’m saying is that the five factions we see don’t seem like enough to run a city. You simply don’t believe the world this film is set in.

Moving past what would ultimately be nitpicking if the story and characters were engaging, we have Triss, a vanilla protagonist who struggles to pass the various physical and mental tests demanded by sexy instructor “Four” (Theo James). It’s by-the-books high school business with the generic bully (Miles Teller as Peter), the romantic drama and the best friend who also didn't expect to join the fun-loving faction that seems more concerned with tattoos than actual law enforcement (Zoë Kravitz as Christina). Except the stakes are higher because if Tris fails her exam, she’ll end up family-less and homeless.

It culminates in a confrontation between Tris and a few individuals against – of course – the “smart faction” who has used mind control technology to turn the Dauntless into robots and is slaughtering every member of Abnegation. It’s one of those films where you almost wish you could see the villains win and find out what would happen next. I don’t know if the factions are supposed to be balanced in terms of numbers – I don't think so as a quarter of the new Dauntless recruits have been banished to the factionless slums after failing the leaders’ outrageous demands - but if there’s a group that’s smaller than the rest, it’s got to be the “smarter than everyone else” people. Had their plan succeeded… what was their next move? Were they just going to expect everyone else in Chicago to be ok with the wholesale slaughter of the previous politicians? Would the police have been kept under mind control forever? It’s one thing to spread rumors and shake people’s beliefs in the government, it’s another to wipe out a fifth of the human population!

Despite the numerous problems with the story, you can see why this tale has appeal to its intended audience. The scenes of Tris using her wits to pass her exams in a way that doesn’t reveal her “out-of-the-box Divergent thinking” are interesting. Shailene Woodley is a compelling lead. Neither of these would ever make you watch Divergent over Harry Potter or the very similar Hunger Games, however. (On Blu-ray, September 7, 2018)

Seven Swords #1 - The Last Musketeer (June 16, 2021)

Killing Season (2013)

My rating: 6/10

Seven Swords #2 (2021)