By Michelle Rettmueller | Editor in chief, Staff writer
Imagine living in a run-down version of Chicago, years into the future, where the entire city is closed off to the rest of the world and the population is separated into five different groups, or factions, based on their personalities. There is Dauntless, the brave; Abnegation, the selfless; Candor, the honest; Amity, the kind; and Erudite, the intelligent. Also imagine being 16 years old and forced to take a test that will help you choose which faction you will be in for the rest of your life, just to find out that you don’t fit into one faction alone. You are Divergent, and you must hide your secret from the rest of the world or risk being killed. For Tris Prior, this is her reality.
The film stars Shailene Woodley in the lead role of Beatrice “Tris” Prior, an Abnegation-born teen who learns that she is Divergent and chooses Dauntless as her new faction. Opposite Woodley is English actor Theo James, playing the role of Four. Four is a member of Dauntless who serves as the instructor to the initiates born outside of Dauntless, or transfers, and also is Tris’s love interest in the film.
Honestly, I was quite unsure of how convincing Woodley would be in her role based solely on the fact that the only other character that I’ve ever seen her portray is Amy Juergens on the ABC Family show The Secret Life of the American Teenager. That character was quite whiny and annoying, so I’m very glad that those traits didn’t get passed on to Tris.
As for James, he did a great job at making the audience believe that he actually was Four, even though he didn’t necessarily fit the physical appearance of the character that was outlined in the book. He did, however, bring the right combination of authority and strength, as well as depth and sensitivity, to the big screen.
Overall, the film as a whole was a very close adaptation of the events that occurred in the book. It found the perfect balance of action and romance all while telling a unique tale about a dystopian future that isn’t completely impossible.
I would recommend this film to fans of the book, young and old, or even just anyone who is looking for a good movie to see in theatres this weekend.