Movie Review: Divergent

I don't like this poster. It doesn't do the movie justice, and the lighting makes no sense, unless they're surrounded by mirrors up on that ledge...

I finally did it. I went and saw Divergent. 

And I really liked it. I'd probably give it 4 stars, based on the great acting, amazing soundtrack, and wonderful directing. 

The cinematography was seriously brilliant, without seeming gratuitous. The pacing was spot on. The actors were fabulous (I had really low expectations of acting skills for this movie--I thought they'd all been chosen for being beautiful, not for their abilities. I was wrong on that count). The music almost made me cry at some parts. 

It was as good as everyone told me it would be. I didn't believe them, and I apologize. It was a great movie. It's made me extra excited for all the summer blockbusters coming up. This was a good one for me to start the movie season with.

Now, delving into the movie itself... I was more impressed with the character development than I thought I would be. I thought Four was just going to be the obligatory shirtless boy meant to draw in the girls, and I thought Tris was going to be that Hollywood mix of super sexy and super good at everything. 

So what a relief when Four had actual character depth and Tris really grew and had to make legitimately hard choices. I can see why this series is so popular. Or, the first book at least.

The only reason I give the movie 4 stars instead of 5 is that the plot was pretty predictable. One of the reasons I was reluctant to see this movie was because I thought it would have the same plot as every other YA dystopian future novel I've ever read. 

And I was right.

Yeah, the settings and characters and technologies are always very different, but the plot is always the same. The government wants control, but there's one kid who rebels against them. Hunger Games, Uglies, Divergent, Matched, The Giver, they're all the same. I really can't think of a YA dystopian future novel that doesn't have a government conspiracy involved. 

For once I'd like to read a book with a cool dystopian future that doesn't involve the government. Just a cool story in a cool setting. Can someone get on that, please?

But even though I knew what the conflict was going to be, that didn't change the fact that the conflict was intense. Kudos to the fight choreographers and the actors. It was all very realistic and gripping.

It wasn't the movie's fault that it lost half a star for lack of originality. The director did an amazing job on this film. It was engaging and beautiful. But as a story, it doesn't stand out to me as exceptional.