What's it about? In a dystopian future, where some sort of conflict has resulted in Chicago being turned into a walled city, society is divided into five factions. Although children are raised by their parents within a certain faction (Amity are peaceful and mostly work in farming crops for the other factions, Dauntless are brave and exciting and serve as security/peace-keeping, Candor are honest, Erudite are clever and logical and Abnegation are selfless), at the age of 16 each child takes a test which results in them being allocated to a certain faction. Beatrice ("Tris") produces unusual results in her aptitude test, revealing her to be "Divergent" - not naturally suited to one faction over another - and although her parents are in Abnegation, she is drawn to the excitement of Dauntless and chooses them in her allocation ceremony. As she then progresses through her training, Tris becomes aware of political shenanigans involving Dauntless, Erudite and the fight for power over and control of the city.
What is it like? An adaptation of book one in a young adult series, set in a dystopian future, built around a strong female protagonist - the shadow of Hunger Games hangs over Divergent, but it is its own creature and nowhere near as derivative as might be feared. Despite the somewhat cumbersome synopsis set out above, the future world and its rules are created fairly economically and there is relatively little clunky exposition. The characters are well-drawn (credit of course to author Veronica Roth for creating a believable future world and populating it with three-dimensional characters), the narrative moves along briskly and we are able to care about and understand motivations, destinies and demises. Tris must pass through her training with enough success to not be eliminated and cast out of Dauntless and her brittle strength and determination are convincingly portrayed by Shailene Woodley. The rest of the supporting characters are less well fleshed out, but this is a story all about Tris and only the first of three books, so it is a minor quibble. The leaders of Dauntless are suitably ambiguous and the development of relationships and antagonisms believably progressed. As the manipulative and menacing leader of Erudition, Kate Winslet brings real heft. Indeed, it is easy to imagine Winslet playing Tris if Divergent had been made fifteen years ago.
As with The Hunger Games films, Divergent doesn't flinch from genuine consequences, abrupt violence and the deaths of significant characters. It would be nonsense for it to be otherwise and the film trusts audiences to be grown up and engaged enough to appreciate the narrative coherence and integrity that requires such steps to be taken. Action sequences and set pieces are suitably thrilling, most of the characters are engaging and consistent and the film ends on a note that leaves us looking forward to the next instalment.
Should I see it? Although it depends on your appetite for this sort of thing, even someone like me who could take or leave this sort of thing was suitably engaged. Although parents can take under 12's into a 12A certificate, the BBFC continue to (rightly) maintain that a 12A rating means that it is not generally considered suitable for children below that age. There is a significant amount of violence, including hand to hand combat, knives and guns and although the film's themes (Who am I? What is my place in the world? Do I fit in? Should I toe the line or embrace my desired destiny? Why am I different?) are important for young and old to grapple with, the reality is that those going through their teens and therefore adolescence are more in need of engaging with these ideas and more likely to find them affecting. Younger children may be excited by the visuals, but ultimately may find the violence and death on display a bit much. If you are a concerned parent, you can always look at the BBFC's detailed listing for this (or any other film). Click on this link for more guidance on this important issue.
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