Divergent

I expected a lot, but I definitely didn’t expect a distinguished post-apocalyptic world adaptation. And that made me happy. The story was a lot of fun and I have a feeling that I’ll go see the sequel at the cinema. Although, the story reminded me of the arrival of the little pupils to Hogwarts and their subsequent sorting into individual groups. Then it was a little like Hunger Games for a change. But as a result, it still had its own little world which has a potential to develop further and I’m personally very curious about the sequel. I was also happy about Junkie XL who made such a good electronic soundtrack, even though it might not have been completely of his own writing. I also liked that the authors succeeded at the tactic of fresh-faced actors. I simply liked it and now I wonder – what about the sequels? (08/15/2014)

Really terrible. The film rips off a lot of other films, the logic is lacking like in The 100 and unless the characters are raging with puberty hormones, they have no chance of survival. What got me was a scene right at the outset where the kids are being sorted into Gryffindor, Slytherin, and.. oops, sorry, a different film. Instead of a talking hat, they all cut themselves with the same knife, so I suppose this society has already tackled the issue of HIV. What follows is the usual mix of weird action, overblown romance, ridiculous acting, and melodrama accompanied by an awful soundtrack, culminating in the film's ending. Considering I gave Season 1 of The 100 one star, I can't go any lower with Divergence, which is a shame. On a final note – 139 minutes!!! (08/17/2016)

This film’s world makes no sense, not even at its most elementary level. Why should permanent peace and quiet be guaranteed by dividing society into five fractions? The system separates children from their parents and creates hundreds of outcasts, and yet it seems that everyone quietly agrees with it and that it works? And if it does work and everyone is where they belong and there’s peace and quiet, why does this society need a cast of lawyers? And a police cast? Or, on the contrary, do these five narrowly defined casts have all the necessary professions? How many people live there? It doesn’t seem that a lot. And why I’m a bothering with this when the adolescent author of the book probably didn’t even think about it? And what was the conspiracy of the intelligent exactly about? I’m just asking. But it’s nice that there’s room for that adolescent cow (whom are supposed to root for, even though her first decision in the film can be summarised as “I don’t want to help people, I’m going with those sexy athletes because they are cool”) to fall in love with the beefcake. Bugger me! (08/01/2014)

Since I haven't read the book, I relied mostly on what the trailers showed, which really got me hooked. Personally, I love the sci-fi genre and I adore Kate Winslet, so I absolutely had to see Divergence. And I have to say, I got a pretty solidly made film with a likeable cast, a good story and an unforgettable soundtrack. In short, a movie that gave me exactly what I expected from it, so I was satisfied. (04/09/2014)

Genre-wise, it is not as pure and systematically politically incorrect as Hunger Games, although there are certain parallels. The heroine, on the other hand, is similarly attractive and vital. There is also much less political subtext and much more survival and love story – by the way, it's okay, you can survive it. The main characters are extremely well-cast, the visuals are stylish, and the dialogues are smart and acerbic – enjoyed it, even though it's full of clichés and has quite uneven action that is gripping at times (full-contact fights) and confusing at others (shooting). That said, it’s good stuff for a wider audience. After Hunger Games, people were craving something new, here it will be like a new sandwich from KFC, not the best food in the world or a revolutionary novelty, but it generally tastes good to everyone. (05/01/2014)