by Jordan Danger and MJ Baker
DIVERGENT: A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER THAN EXPECTED
DIVERGENT: A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER THAN EXPECTED
MJ and I are huge fans of dystopic fictional novels. We also
read both The Hunger Games and Divergent
before there was talk of movie deals. Of course, like all bibliophiles, we were
concerned about how these two movies would turn out. And given their
similarities in genre, it’s impossible not to compare the two a little bit. So
let me just start by saying: the film adaptation of Divergent kicked Hunger Games’
ass.
In a very tiny nutshell, Divergent is about a
post-apocalyptic world where all the survivors are fenced within what remains
of Chicago. Everyone is divided into five sections called factions; each one is
known for a different quality or trait. A special test is administered to
determine one’s faction, but for Beatrice, a young woman from the political
faction, the test is inconclusive and she is deemed ‘divergent’. She chooses a
new faction, and finds herself in a Fight Club-esque/GI Jane/Lord of the Flies
type world.
OUR THOUGHTS ON THE MOVIE
1. Beatrice (‘Tris’) from Divergent is a way cooler, more
empowered and appropriate role model for the new wave of ‘girl power’ heroines
we are seeing.
2. Despite dumbing down the violence by at least 60%, the
movie managed to keep most of the ‘feel’ of the book.
3. It’s harder to really lose yourself in what’s happening
because, unlike the book, there’s no running monologue. But that was our
complaint about Hunger Games, as well. If you hadn’t read the book, you were
probably pretty confused on what parts of Katniss’ romance with Peeta were
faked or real. The loss of monologue isn’t as jarring in Divergent, but it
still leads us to say, GO READ THE BOOK.
4. In MJ’s words, “If the book was a river you were panning
for gold in, the movie version managed to keep all the crucial nuggets.”
5. Once more about the violence: while we understand movie
makers want to appeal to the younger crowd with a movie like this, the violence
was really, really dumbed down; and sometimes, like in both Hunger Games and
Divergent, that violence serves a purpose in building empathy, understanding,
and motivation. So we’re a little disappointed with the PG-ifying of these
books.
OVERALL RATING:
Totally worth seeing twice, and we’re both going home to
reread the second book.
Better than The Twilight Saga but never as good as The Hunger Games, instead, more of a replicate of that wonderful franchise. Good review Jordan.
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