Review of Divergent (2014) by Deardear — 25 Mar 2014

Divergent was the first time I've walked out of a movie in nearly three decades of going to the cinema. The Hunger Games films, while far-fetched and cliched at times, have worked so far because they have featured strong scripts, great pacing, genuine dramatic tension, interesting characters, and good acting.

The dystopian society presented in Divergent, with its personality-based caste system, is intriguing. Unfortunately, it is populated by one-dimensional characters who spout shallow, vapid dialogue and act in incomprehensibly stupid ways.

Tris Pryor, the heroine, joins Gryff... er, sorry, Dauntless, the Faction we're told act as the police, protecting the citizens of post-apocalyptic Chicago. But instead the brave folk of Dauntless seem to be a pack of moronic adrenaline junkies who run around everywhere and climb everything in sight for no discernible reason.

New recruits to Dauntless, straight out of the Faction-choosing ceremony, are expected to jump onto a moving train and then jump off of it onto a roof with no warning or training. Exactly what purpose does setting new recruits up for nasty injuries on their very first day serve? Then they're made to beat each other up Fight Club-style.

They're warned that if they don't perform well, they'll be cast out to fend for themselves as Factionless on the cruel streets, but they don't seem to be given any form of structured combat training to help them become better fighters.

Oh, and they all get tattoos at one point, because apparently having a tattoo means you're a BAMF and no one will mess with you. It's like something a twelve-year-old more concerned with coolness than any sort of internal logic dreamed up.

So what if there's no reason for the police to engage in random acts of parkour like a bunch of Spider-man wannabes? It's cool! Did I also mention that the cardboard standees on display in the lobby of the theatre had more dimension than the actual characters in the film? Tris is a perfect Mary Sue and everyone else is a one-note stereotype.

Christina, who was born into Huffle...er, Candor, the honest Faction, but chose Dauntless, always says whatever is on her mind. The boy who was born into Raven...er, Erudite, the scientific Faction, is a Spockian sort who randomly cites statistics during target practice.

It's obvious from the first twenty minutes that Erudite are going to turn out to be the villains, and, frankly, I find the portrayal of scientists and intellectuals as cold, shrewd, and evil to be deeply offensive.