DIVERGENT | BLU RAY REVIEW & GIVEAWAY
We revisit Kernel Andrew’s review of DIVERGENT from April because our good friends from eOneANZ have given us 3x copies on BLU RAY to giveaway. I have to say, I watched it only this Friday been, I missed it at the cinema and lost interest in actually seeing it. BUT – I absolutely loved it. Thought it had all the elements of a great YA book series and movie. I know my mum loved the movie so much she bought the rest of the books, I might be borrowing these from the old girl soon. Now to win a copy find out how below Kernel Andrew’s review…….all the best…….JK.
REVIEW FROM APRIL:
Divergent is releasing this Thursday 10th April, is rated M and runs for 139mins. eOneANZ must be hoping this will kick off like Twilight, Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, it looks promising and it has Kate Winslet in it so it has to be half decent because Kate is a goddess and can do no wrong. Salty Kernel, Andrew Brusentsev reviews, he was not overly taken with it but explains in his fine review what he disliked. I do not really see Andrew as the target audience, and do hope it does well, we need another big teen franchise film so cinema workers can keep employed 🙂 It kept bugging me who the hot lead dude was, just hit me, after posting the review for a DVD competition literally two days ago with him as the lead 🙂 Theo James stars as “Four” in this one and is also the lead in BEDLAM – a supernatural TV show we are currently running a competition for. Enjoy Andrew’s review.

REVIEW BY ANDREW BRUSENTSEV
Divergent is a movie based upon the first novel of Veronica Roth’s world-wide smash hit trilogy. The producers of the movie must have looked long and hard at the business similar franchises brought in to their studios and thought there is room for one more. I am referring, of course, to the highly successful and popular Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games franchises. The franchises with an almost fanatically loyal base often disparaged under the name tweens. This is the generation who every decade seems to have more buying and pulling power than ever. They must have crossed their fingers and betted big that this would do the same business.

Neil Burger (“Limitless”, “The Illusionist”) was chosen to helm this first instalment of the planned trilogy (isn’t everything a trilogy these days?) and screenwriters Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor were chosen to bring the novel to the big screen.
I have to say that I am probably not the right demographic for this particular pop vehicle. I am a male fast approaching 40 so I don’t think I was closely thought about in the pitch rooms. But I attempted to channel my inner tween and give this movie an open minded red hot go.
The story line for those that are unfamiliar with the source material is pretty easy to dismiss as derivative and unfamiliar. It may be unfortunate that this movie in its first wide pan shot had me thinking of the Hunger Games almost immediately, when I saw the lead my head screamed Twilight but I attempted to tell that cynical voice to shut up.

In the first ten to fifteen minutes we are quickly introduced to a post-apocalyptic fenced off Chicago sometime in the near future. Post calamity which saw the breakdown of the old order and a disastrous war, the survivors reorganised, rebuilt and changed society so this could not happen again. Their method to form a society based on five roles or five factions to be precise. Everyone in the city belongs to one of them. Each group has a defining trait which leads their actions and position in society. They are: The Amity happy hippy type farmers who dress in peasant style outfits who feed the population. The Candor who run the judicial system and value truth about all else. The Erudite, conservative dark blue wearing serious-minded scholars. The Abnegation tireless social worker types known for their selflessness and modesty. Finally the Dauntless, the brave soldiers and law enforcers who protect the city from internal and external threats. Due to their selflessness Abnegation have been chosen to be the society’s leaders as they serve selflessly and are incorruptible.

Our heroine is Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley), who is a member of Abnegation. She lives with her mother and father (Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn) and her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort). Initially we see the city through their eyes. They are humble, dress in rags, eat simply and have no mirrors as this breeds pride. We quickly learn through a quick snapshot of daily chores that Beatrice has a bit of a wild streak to her which her parents try to temper and her brother tries to dissuade.
Beatrice and Caleb are of the age where they will undergo their aptitude testing which will determine which faction best reflects their own inner nature. After the testing they then have a day to decide which faction will be their home for the rest of their lives. When Beatrice goes for testing her results come back inconclusive. This, we learn, means she is Divergent. This apparently makes her very dangerous. It means she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Doesn’t every teen feel this way? I can see how the readership related. Beatrice though can fit in wherever she likes and therefore is not subservient to the restrictive system. She is told to go home and to tell no one that she received this result. The tester strongly cautions her to pick Abnegation in the Choosing Ceremony. The next day at the Choosing Ceremony the teens pick their factions. Beatrice dares to choose Dauntless and her brother equally surprises by picking Candor.

Ok dear reader, this was my first “oh-no” moment. By this stage there was enough pastiche moments from both The Hunger Games and Harry Potter to make me start shifting uncomfortably in my seat, but I persevered anyway.
Beatrice is welcomed by Dauntless where she renames herself Tris. It is here she begins to learn to fight, shoot, jump from moving trains, throw knives and control her mind in a series of harrowing simulations. All the while Tris competes against a couple dozen other initiates in a demanding ranking system, those ranked lowest at key points in the assessment are thrown out. We learn that those thrown out of the factions quickly become factionless – social outcasts. Overseeing all the initiates is Eric (Jai Courtney) who we find out is quite merciless and cruel. He wants to steer Dauntless in a more aggressive way, no longer protectors but rather merciless aggressors. To balance this dynamic out we meet our long awaited hero. The hunky teen dream named Four (Theo James), the attraction with Tris is palpable and we all know where this will go. There is an instant easy chemistry between the characters and James and Woodley do a pretty fair job of playing this out.
I won’t spoil more of the plot but we quickly learn about a power struggle amongst the factions. Someone is breeding a revolution. Rumours have begun spreading about Abnegation and their stint as leaders, particularly Marcus (Ray Stevenson). We learn that the Erudite leader (played by Kate Winslet), with the help of Dauntless, is attempting to seize control of the faction system. It is up to Tris, Four and friends to stop the violent revolution which is coming.

Ok what did I think? Whilst the first act of the movie was bearable the movie quickly degenerated into cliché after cliché accompanied by seriously one of the worst soundtracks I have ever heard (Junkie XL what is going on?) The supporting figures are passable. There is Tris’s best friend, Christina (Zoe Kravitz) who is passable. And interestingly Miles Teller who played Woodley’s love interest in “The Spectacular Now” is now her Dauntless class nemesis Peter. Kate Winslet does quite well but she is seen far too little to make a lasting impact.
Look no matter how good this particular movie was (and I believe our young teenage market deserves better and has received better) there would constantly be comparisons to the juggernaut of the “The Hunger Games”. But if the Collins books didn’t exist would Divergent have taken off? I don’t think so. While the casting of the leads and a few supports was spot on the production, screenplay, clichéd action sequences and god awful soundtrack would have lost people’s interest.
A shame cause there as some bright moments underneath the clichés.
KERNEL ANDREW’S POP SCORE:
JK’S POP SCORE:
With special thanks to eOneANZ to win one of the 3x 3D BLU RAYS of DIVERGENT you need to either like and share this post on Facebook or retweet/ favourite it on Twitter, you then need to answer the following question.
Firstly, just an FYI on how to increase chances of winning a salty comp; commenting on the review generally holds you in better stead of winning as opposed to just comp sexing
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TEEN ACTION FILM AND WHY? For me – probably WAR GAMES, TOY SOLDIERS, BATTLE ROYALE or HACKERS
If you do not have Facebook and Twitter then you can still enter, leave your entry below and email me at jking@saltypopcorn.com.au telling me you don’t have social media (you still need to enter the comp on the website).
Prizes will be awarded based on skill and selected purely on the thoughts of the judges, said judges being the Salty Kernels, more likely ME.
The prizes will be sent in the next week or two. Good luck! Oh, and minor housekeeping – huge apologies for overseas readers, this competition is only available to Australian residents.
This film had a lot of potential and was also well executed but then i thought it didn’t have anything exceptional to offer. Here’s my review http://movieroundup.in/divergent-brilliantly-executed-nothing-exceptional-offer/
I just came out of a screening and I thought this was half-baked. I agree with Haricharan. So much potential and the end product is not bad, but I thought it could’ve been better! I do think that Theo and Shailene had the chemistry though. Overall, not bad (I didn’t have high expectation for this movie anyway so I am ok with it).
I saw this yesterday. For a mid thirties woman I found it entertaining enough but my first comment after seeing the movie was “Four was hot!” 😉
Hahaha Peta – Theo is quite the hottie 🙂 I should probably give this a viewing – so many mixed thoughts on it
This movie has been a real hit with it’s teenage target audience. My 16 year old daughter enjoyed the movie but surprisingly it was my 12 year old that has been to see it twice. The conversations I have heard amongst them and their friends have all been very positive. They both now want to read the books which in this digital age is always a bonus!!
Thanks JK and Andrew for the comments above. I haven’t seen this one yet, but after reading your comments, I will definitely be taking a look on DVD.
In terms of my favourite teenage action film, while I am quite taken by half gods (ie Percy Jackson!), I would have to say the ‘Hunger Games’ gets my vote. Great acting and a decent plot makes a world of difference to the end result!
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – far superior to the original. Great fast paced action, special effects are second to none and Jennifer Lawrence looks great ebven with her clothes on 🙂
You don’t like Junkie XL? I went through a phase of trying to find everything they’d release due to an addiction to their adrenalin-filled Matrix soundtrack, I think they used to have loads of songs on the two sequels. I taught Spinning classes at the time and used to try and kill my participants or at least make them sweat a hell of a lot to Junkie XL, I probably hadn’t thought of them in 10 years. I need to check out this soundtrack and I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for young adult material like this no matter how clicheed filled you say it is. I think it’s my desire to forever be a teenager.
Having said that the best teen action movie has to be Battle Royale, if there’s one thing better than lusting over 20 something year olds pretending to be teenagers it’s watching them pulverise each other and batter each other to a pulp. I think it’s why I like the Hunger Games so much too.
to see my hero die he has only died in a few of his movies that is John Wayne but as this was a great teen movie about young men growing up the movie western THE COWBOYS
also the sci-fi movie bummer dementia kicked in about australian movie being invaded the kids were our last line of defence
I am currently reading the trilogy, nearly finished the 2nd book and have seen the movie with my 12yo daughter. I’m 43 and enjoyed the movie but the books I am enjoying more, with more details and their thoughts written in text. Having a nearly teen daughter, I’ve seen many movies of the genre and have to say, so far I like Hunger Games, can’t wait to see how it all ends in movie mode as loved the books.
The Hunger Games I did really enjoy so that would be my pick.
I was feeling I had missed something super important and life threatening by not having seen Divergent yet. You have put my mind at ease. Thank you!! I’m still intrigued… but not desperado anymore.
Fav teen action movie – Red Dawn, the 1984 version, not the remake. C Thomas Howell was going to have my babies back then. Pair him with Patrick Swayze… please!! Hubba Hubba!
For someone out of the demographic who didn’t read the book, you gave a pretty fair, well-rounded review. I applaud that.
For my review, coming from someone who read the book and has lived for these types of movies since “Harry Potter,” see my website.
Isn’t Andrew your arthouse film reviewer? It sounds like you sent the wrong guy to do the review 🙂 Oh and Theo James, swoon….. I love Bedlam or maybe I just love him in Bedlam. I have to laugh though at how these movies are always described as young adult movies. I work funny hours so often go to the movies midweek afternoon and I saw this in the cinemas and I swear there were about 30 older ladies all having a great old time at it. I’d say it’s not just your mum who has the books, plenty of other mums too. An Australian movie deserves a special nomination in the teen action flick genre – Tomorrow, When The War Began – I can’t believe nobody has mentioned it, it was the biggest Aussie movie of 2010 and took over $13 million at the box office and they did a great job too of adapting the novel. Nobody seems to remember the Aussie movies even when they’re good and box office successes. It’s such a shame it didn’t get any traction around the rest of the world. All the rumours of sequels and a TV series seem to have come to naught at this stage.
I really really enjoyed Divergent, more then I expected to considering the books weren’t one of my favorites.
My favorite teen action film is definitely Hunger Games. I loved the books and equally loved the movies that have come out. Hopefully the next one is just as good 😉
For recent films i loved ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ with the girl Clary discovering her bloodline of supernatural abilities to battle demons and alike. Also the great atmospheric and emotional Sci-Fi ‘The Host’ where humans have been taken over by small parasitic aliens called “Souls”. And for an older film ‘The Faculty’ is a fairly gripping Sci-Fi horror, a fun 90s genre gem!
I’m going to go with a different type of teen action, and say the Outsiders. Sure there wasn’t much action as far as fast cars, dodging bullets etc, but a movie starring Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise and Ralph Macchio ensures there is plenty of action when they get together!
[…] this film, it was an intelligent look at dystopian life in a teen film. It was not as marketed as DIVERGENT but a similar story that focuses more on story and a little less on action and romance, very […]
I know some people absoluted hated this movie but i thought Sucker Punch was original, interesting, dark and broody and packed quite a punch!
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one. “SuckerPunch” was one of those movies I couldn’t get anyone to see with me and it stayed with me so strongly I couldn’t wait to see it again. The escapism was so cool, the soundtrack was amazing… I didn’t even mind the unhappy ending because I had such a great time.
The Hunger Games for me as well. A great adaptation of the superb series by Suzanne Collins. Violence in a fight to survive, the effects of war on children and their families, valor and heart, a bit of romance, maybe a few tears, and struggles from the oppression of a totalitarian Government. Great entertainment.
Winners are up:
Patrick Bateman – email entry
Clare Miller – so true – Andrew was the only available to see it – I was worried at the time and new what his reaction would be 🙂
Sam Jones – great answer – the original Hunger Games – love Battle Royale.
Thanks to everyone for entering!! Best………..JK
[…] adult dystopian action thriller, with a love story, but the same I noticed with the first one, DIVERGENT, it never gets anywhere close to the excitement levels that THE HUNGER GAMES movies did. It is like […]