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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Movie Review: ‘Divergent’

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT
SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

★☆☆☆☆

There is a pattern to modern audiences’ taste in movies and television shows, and it all began with “Twilight.” With its release, a vampire fervor was unleashed that paved the way for the making of its four sequels, the CW show “Vampires Diaries” and various other vampire-related endeavors. Then, not long after we started seeing beautiful and pale vampires on screen, the zombie apocalypse trend became the audience’s favorite. “The Walking Dead” became a huge hit, and movies like Jonathan Levine’s “Warm Bodies” and Nick Lyon’s “The Rise of Zombies” were released.

Neil Burger’s “Divergent,” based on the novel by American author Veronica Roth, confirms the audience’s new taste in despotian action-adventure films, a trend set forth by the well-received “The Hunger Games.” Similar to its pioneer, “Divergent” consists of action shots, a small dose of romance and a grand plot with twists and myths. However, while the movie contains all of the components of a best-seller, the final result lacks originality.

Set in the unknown future of Chicago, the film portrays a society divided into five distinct factions named after human virtues: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite and Dauntless. These factions are credited for maintaining an everlasting peace. Each year, teenagers turning 16 take an aptitude test that determines the faction to which they belong and are then sent away to be trained by the leaders of each faction.

Like “The Hunger Games,” the movie is centered on an adolescent, female protagonist, Beatrice Prior (also known as Tris), whose character is clearly an attempt to replicate Katniss’ reticence, individualistic aura of an outsider and potential to save the world. Shailene Woodley (known for her role in “The Secret Life of American Teenager”) barely pulls off the prototype of a young heroine with a monotonous expression that only reveals her immature acting.

Yet Woodley is not the only actress with poor acting skills. In fact, most of the actors failed to mask their inexperience in front of the screen. The very first twist of the movie occurs when we find out that Tris has an “inconclusive” result to her aptitude test, meaning she is suited to multiple factions when normally people are directed to one. Maggie Q, as Tris’ test-taker Tori, transitions from her original apathy to an abrupt panic when she sees the test results, anxiously warning Tris that the result poses a danger to her life and that she should keep it a secret. The scene simply looks too fake and so forced that the audience cannot help but giggle at the lack of sophistication.  It’s a shame that Kate Winslet, who plays antagonist Jeanine Matthews, is pushed aside in favor of these less skilled performances.

Much of the appeal of “Divergent” is based on cliches and, without a doubt, the attractive Theo James as Four, the instructor to the new members of Dauntless and Tris’ love interest. The romantic episodes are presented with cheesy lines and awkward interactions. The intimate scene between Tris and Four ends in an abrupt and uncomfortable way that leaves the audience cringing. The frequent close-up shots of characters do not help the actors’ emotional output, as they only rendering the scenes more maladroit.

The pace of the movie is slow and frequently fails to keep the audience engaged. Series of fight scenes take place to serve as thrills as we witness the new members of Dauntless undergo several stages to become initiated, offering the potential for some excitement. These vignettes of actions are, however, too long and the intention to entertain appears overly transparent. The revelation of the big scheme at the very end fails to make up for all that has preceded it.

Overall, the screenplay and casting of “Divergent” are so crude that collective chuckles are constantly heard in the dark. If the movie is an endeavor to extend the glory of “The Hunger Games,” it has unfortunately missed the mark.

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