Film Review - 'Divergent' doesn't engage you enough to leave an impression

Cast - Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Ansel Elgort, Ray Stevenson, Miles Teller, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn , Amy Newbold , Jai Courtney, Kate Winslet

Director - Neil Burger

Rating - ***

'Divergent' follows the trend of young adult films, set in a dystopian future, where after a great war, the human race has gone through many changes. The remains of the population are segregated into five ‘factions’. People are divided into these factions based on certain inherent qualities of their personality. That's the back story, the film revolves around Beatrice 'Tris' Prior (Shailene Woodley), who finds out that she is a Divergent - someone who has traits from the different factions and hence cannot be placed in one. Scared and confused by her new found discovery, she enters the warrior-like ‘Dauntless’ faction, and begins her training. Here is where the action of the film starts.

The film as a whole is in the vein of young adult fiction in which a female protagonist has to save humanity. Now, in today's world, where there are dime a dozen of these films, a film really has to stand out. Hunger Games setting the mark for Young Adult (YA) films with its second installment outdoing the first, the movie seemed like a poor copy. The movie is just entertaining, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Fans of sci-fi and dystopian films, might like it, but for the general population, this film is quite an average one. 

Shailene Woodley is great in the film, taking charge when needing to as well as portraying the scared and confused girl thrust into a world of uncertainty. Kate Winslet feels a little underused, with a little more screen time she could have definitely done a lot more. The visuals in the film are great and the supporting cast does well, particularly Zoe Kravitz, who is funny and charming throughout the film. 

The concept and mythology of the film is certainly interesting, but the pacing of the film and lack of proper action sequences (that one would expect from a film like this) distracts you from the plot. 

With a sequel in the works, the franchise still could pick up the pace and surprise viewers in its second go around. The film is entertaining and does have its moments, but it isn't engaging enough and in the end it's still highly forgettable.

Also Read - Shailene Woodley starrer 'Divergent' factions explained​