The story is set in the future, in post-apocalyptic Chicago (no explanation behind the apocalypse is given but that's ok). Society is split into 5 factions, each one based on a disposition: Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), Dauntless (brave), and Erudite (intelligent). Every year, all 16 year olds take a test to determine which faction they belong in. They can chose to ignore their results and just pick a faction, but either way, if you leave your birth faction you cut ties with any family. Faction before blood. Beatrice takes the test but the results are inconclusive. She is one of the few people who is Divergent. She makes the choice to leave Abnegation and join Dauntless, where she changes her name to Tris. Things aren't good in the beginning but she manages to toughen up and become top of her class. Then Erudite goes crazy and tries to wipe out Divergents and Abnegation. Tris and Four, her instructor in Dauntless and then boyfriend who is also Divergent, stop the attack on Abnegation and go on the run. There, brief summary.
So, what I liked about the movie. First off, there was no love triangle. I'm sick and tired of every YA story having a love triangle. Heck, I'm tired of any chick flick or romantic movie having a love triangle. It's cliche and annoying. But Divergent had no love triangle. And the romance wasn't even a major focus; it was clear that they had feelings for each other but it happened slowly and over time. I'm all about romance; I'm a hopeless romantic at heart. But that doesn't mean I necessarily want a girly "Oh my gosh, I love you and I'll die without you and I want to have your babies" kind of movie. Unless it's Jane Austen, I generally need more than just romance. So the fact that Divergent is about more than the relationship between Tris and Four is very appealing to me. Now as I've said, I haven't read the books yet so for all I know that changes in the later books. But for now, it works for me.
Now it's possible that the words "post-apocalyptic YA series" brings to mind another series that you've probably heard of called The Hunger Games. Divergent is similar; it's post-apocalyptic, people are split into different groups, someone is trying to wipe out one of those groups. However, the premise is different (and I almost like it better than the premise for The Hunger Games). People aren't split just randomly and assigned something to mine or create or catch. Instead they are split by dispositions, by a personality trait. Then, based on that trait, the Factions work in jobs that need that trait. Candor are judges, Dauntless are police, etc. I love the idea. It's original and brilliant. And it would work except for Divergents, for the whole point of the series. The problem is that people aren't just one thing. People are kind and brave and intelligent. The system sounds plausible but people aren't made like that. The Erudite leader, Jeanine, keeps saying that the real enemy is humanity and free will. She's all about conformity but she wants things to be her way. For someone in the Faction of intelligence, she is very ruthless and hardhearted. It's interesting; I like it.
I really did enjoy the movie. The story moved at a nice pace. If it had been a standalone movie it might have seemed slow, but as the first movie of a series it was the perfect setup. I liked being able to watch Tris go from a weak girl from Abnegation to a strong young woman of Dauntless. I think the casting was perfect. I was afraid I wouldn't like Shailene Woodley because of her association with The Fault in Our Stars, something I have neither seen nor read and have no inclination to. However I really liked her as Tris and thought she did a good job going from naive to serious. And of course I can't complain about Theo James too much, although I'm also a fan of Jai Courtney. But overall, I really enjoyed the movie and I'm excited to finally read the series.
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