PCP in Theaters - Divergent

My wife and I went to the movies for her birthday, and since nothing particularly interesting was out yet (we saw this the week before Captain America: The Winter Soldier hit theaters), we went to see yet another film based on a young adult book series. At least this film, unlike the recent Vampire Academy, was actually not too bad. Actually, looking back at my last four in-theaters reviews (this, Vampire Academy, Catching Fire, and The Hobbit part 2), I've gone to four straight young adult fiction adaptations in theaters. I guess I'm still a kid at heart.

Divergent - 2014, rated PG-13. My rating: 8 out of 10.

Apparently young adult fiction these days falls into one of two categories: it's about the supernatural such as vampires, werewolves, or witches (Twilight, Harry Potter), or it is set in a post apocalyptic future (Divergent, Hunger Games). If you write a successful book in one of these two genres, it's pretty much guaranteed to be turned into a film (although whether or not that film will be successful is another story).

Fortunately for this film, and the audiences that watch it, it is one of the better entries in the pantheon of young adult novel adaptations to hit theaters recently. I haven't read the book series the film is based on, so I cannot comment on how close or divergent the film is from the novel. What I can tell you is that the film does a decent job of explaining the new world the series takes place in, and it helps that the actors in this movie are some pretty talented ones, including Kate Winslet and Ashley Judd.

Shailene Woodley stars as Tris, the heroine of our story. Set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, society is split into five distinct castes based on the personal attributes that you most identify with at a very advanced personality test. Upon taking the test, Tris learns that she does not have one clear-cut attribute, but is instead divergent, having multiple attributes. Apparently this is not a good thing and she has to keep this fact a secret, lest she be targeted for death. She decides to join the military caste, Dauntless, and the film shows her training to be a soldier in this society.

I don't want to go into too much more plot detail, in part because it's kind of hard to explain without watching the film or reading the books, and in part because I don't want to give away any spoilers. What I can tell you is that I did enjoy exploring this unique society, and I am looking forward to visiting it again in its inevitable sequel, thanks to the film's box office success. I really only have one quibble with the film, which I don't know if this will be addressed in a future film in the series or if it was covered in the books that I have not read. My quibble is they never explain how the apocalypse in question came to pass, or what kind of apocalypse it was. Also, the film is set in Chicago, and there are some parts of that setting that are unbelievable to me as a resident of the Chicagoland area. In one establishing shot, they show the majority of the skyline is still intact, but all of the outer sprawl is completely gone, turned into a grassland. I know just how dense that sprawl around Chicago is, and how many tall buildings the suburbs also hold. I just don't understand what kind of apocalypse lays waste to the entirety of suburbia but leaves the skyline intact. If you know the answer to this riddle, feel free to tell me in the comments.

Other than that minor complaint, over all I enjoyed the film, and can't wait until the next one in the series, Insurgent. Fortunately, I won't have to wait long, as that one is scheduled for next March. I guess I know what my wife and I will be seeing on her birthday next year!

All right, that's all for today, thanks for stopping by! Check back soon, I'm hopefully going to see Captain America: the Winter Soldier this weekend, so I'll try to get a review up for that soon!