Divergent movie review

My husband and I just got back from seeing this film and although it is not really aimed at my demographic, I really enjoyed it.

IMDB says: In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she's Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late.

Shailene Woodley (The Descendants, The Spectacular Now) plays Tris, who was born into Abnegation, the selfless faction but has never really felt like she belonged.  Her parents, Natalie (Ashely Judd of Heat, Double Jeopardy) and Andrew (Tony Goldwyn of Ghost, The Last Samurai) chose to be Abegnation, but Tris and her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort of Carrie) did not.  When all young members of each of the five factions (Candor the honest, Dauntless the Brave, Erudite the intelligent or Amity the peaceful) reach 16 they are tested physically and psychologically to see in which faction they truly belong.  Her test is inconclusive, because she is divergent, a difference feared by all and an instant death sentence should anyone find out. 

Deciding to choose Dauntless to hide out in, Tris has to work hard not just physically to stay in the faction, but mentally to remain undiscovered.  Four, one of her trainers, suspects everything is not as it seems but can she trust him? 

Theo James (Underworld: Awakening, Bedlam) plays Four and Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher, A Good Day to Die Hard) Eric, the other trainer in Dauntless, run by Mekhi Phifer (8 Mile, ER).  Fellow new recruits soon have to beat her to stay in the faction, including friends Christina (Zoe Kravitz of X-Men: First Class, After Earth), Will (Ben Lloyd-Hughes of Tormented, Great Expectations) and enemies, Peter (Miles Teller of Footloose, That Awkward Moment).

When the leader of the Erudites, Jeanine (Kate Winslet of Titanic, Revolutionary Road), decides to overthrow the Abnegation faction, a whole new danger emerges.

I really enjoyed the world created and thought the leads worked well together and even my husband enjoyed the film, so much so, he said he preferred it to The Hunger Games.

Apparently whilst filming the physically demanding fight scenes, Shailene really did hit Mike in the throat when he wasn't expecting it, so the sound he makes as Peter is real because this was the take that made it in to the film, ouch.

Director Neil Burger has done well with Veronica Roth's dystopian novel, though I think because she was a producer, she will have had say in how it played out.

Tagline: One chance can transform you.

Better than The Hunger Games.                                                                                8.5/10

#Divergent