Winding down a trip through the world of adolescent preference, “Divergent” represents something of an anomaly in the competitive market of Young Adult films.
Throughout the month I've discussed films with receptions ranging from mixed reactions to being outright critically maligned.
“Divergent” is no different in that regard. The story follows the uniquely individualistic Tris Prior (played by the ever so lovely and talented Shailene Woodley) in a society that classifies its citizens into groups specializing in various social tasks such as law enforcement, agriculture, governmental bureaucracy and more. Brutally punishing those that do not conform, labeled as Divergent, Tris joins the military and law enforcement division, Dauntless, in order to avoid the discovery of her Divergent status.
Like its competition in the genre, “Divergent” was released a tepid critical response once it hit in early 2014. Unlike its competition, it actually performed well.
What Went Right
To “Divergent’s” credit, much of its success comes from how closely it mimics the tone of “The Hunger Games” in the best way possible.
Similarly to “The Host,” “Divergent” noticeably averts the overly simplistic construction of its competition. The romantic leads aren’t telegraphed to the audience the second they arrive onscreen, setting and character interaction carry some sort of subtext as opposed to serving as filler for the runtime and cast performances are actually fairly strong.
Tris’ group of friends and rivals all have their own dynamic with one another and other members of Dauntless. This may sound like a small detail but given the nature of these stories to write protagonists as thinly veiled audience surrogates attracting the attention of the entire world around them, it’s a refreshing move that gives the setting a little more life.
In this regard, much of the attention that Tris garners is far less contrived than in other YA features. From what we manage to gather, Tris is something of a shy bookworm type, making her decision to join Dauntless rather than keep to her natural skill set a strange one that makes her seem out of place amongst her more confident, aggressive and self-assured peers.
Simultaneously, her choice still makes sense as somebody that desires something of a brighter future than that which is on the path laid out for her, subtly alluding to her Divergent status in a neat and orderly world in which nobody leaves their predetermined place.
The film even seems to have more of an edge to it than its peers, as the tension and atmosphere rarely seems to lighten up for the sake of pandering to its core demographic.
Similarly to “The Host,” “Divergent” noticeably averts the overly simplistic construction of its competition. The romantic leads aren’t telegraphed to the audience the second they arrive onscreen, setting and character interaction carry some sort of subtext as opposed to serving as filler for the runtime and cast performances are actually fairly strong.
Tris’ group of friends and rivals all have their own dynamic with one another and other members of Dauntless. This may sound like a small detail but given the nature of these stories to write protagonists as thinly veiled audience surrogates attracting the attention of the entire world around them, it’s a refreshing move that gives the setting a little more life.
In this regard, much of the attention that Tris garners is far less contrived than in other YA features. From what we manage to gather, Tris is something of a shy bookworm type, making her decision to join Dauntless rather than keep to her natural skill set a strange one that makes her seem out of place amongst her more confident, aggressive and self-assured peers.
Simultaneously, her choice still makes sense as somebody that desires something of a brighter future than that which is on the path laid out for her, subtly alluding to her Divergent status in a neat and orderly world in which nobody leaves their predetermined place.
The film even seems to have more of an edge to it than its peers, as the tension and atmosphere rarely seems to lighten up for the sake of pandering to its core demographic.
What Went Wrong
Had “Divergent” tightened itself up in a few areas, it probably could have been a solid contender for position of power that “The Hunger Games” has on the domain. As it is however, it falls plenty short.
Neil Burger's direction on the film is commendable and possibly its ultimate saving grace because the screenplay is just limp.
Despite decently maintaining the veneer of meaningful science fiction with focus pulled away from the contrived interpersonal relations of most YA stories, “Divergent” falls into a similar trap that had previously ensnared the host; pulling away from familiar tropes forces attention onto the power of its own themes and writing and while “Divergent” is leagues better, it still fails to accomplish anything truly compelling.
Although the setting served as a fascinating backdrop to explore the need for free will despite the fragility of order, not only does the film’s plot fail to fully explore the implications of the ideas that it sets up, the logic behind its very status quo begins to completely fall apart when you think about for even a minute.
The notion of leaving details of the apocalypse vague is a trope of storytelling all its own, no detail is ever paid to explain why society took the course that it has gone down to set up the world of “Divergent.” This inability to contextualize the environment of the story makes all of antagonist and government figure head Jeanine’s, played by Kate Winslet, dialogue about the flaws of the human condition come off as hollow along with her one note motivations.
There also seems to be something of a disconnect between Burger’s direction and the screenplay. Theo James gives a passable performance as Dauntless veteran Four and his mentor-like relationship with Tris evolves into one of the more enjoyable elements of the film. When the time comes for their status to turn romantic however, the turn feels inorganic and the chemistry never changes.
Next Time: Analyzing Divergent's success and conclusion.
Neil Burger's direction on the film is commendable and possibly its ultimate saving grace because the screenplay is just limp.
Despite decently maintaining the veneer of meaningful science fiction with focus pulled away from the contrived interpersonal relations of most YA stories, “Divergent” falls into a similar trap that had previously ensnared the host; pulling away from familiar tropes forces attention onto the power of its own themes and writing and while “Divergent” is leagues better, it still fails to accomplish anything truly compelling.
Although the setting served as a fascinating backdrop to explore the need for free will despite the fragility of order, not only does the film’s plot fail to fully explore the implications of the ideas that it sets up, the logic behind its very status quo begins to completely fall apart when you think about for even a minute.
The notion of leaving details of the apocalypse vague is a trope of storytelling all its own, no detail is ever paid to explain why society took the course that it has gone down to set up the world of “Divergent.” This inability to contextualize the environment of the story makes all of antagonist and government figure head Jeanine’s, played by Kate Winslet, dialogue about the flaws of the human condition come off as hollow along with her one note motivations.
There also seems to be something of a disconnect between Burger’s direction and the screenplay. Theo James gives a passable performance as Dauntless veteran Four and his mentor-like relationship with Tris evolves into one of the more enjoyable elements of the film. When the time comes for their status to turn romantic however, the turn feels inorganic and the chemistry never changes.
Burger’s attempt to go beyond the material given, while admirable, doesn't quite work in the long run. At best it can lead to the aforementioned clunkiness in the storytelling but at worst, it undercuts the core concept by drawing attention to its silly treatment.
The society was clearly intended to be portrayed as an overbearingly rigid class system that doesn't tolerate individuals but the film’s lack of true teeth makes the radically contrasting factions of society feel more like a giant high school. Their lack of in depth exploration as to why each would conform to the behavior of adolescent social cliques that don’t play nice with others makes attempts to build tension almost laughable.
While its efforts to elevate itself above other properties has not fallen on deaf ears, “Divergent” is ultimately painless but not strong enough to be anything else other than completely forgettable.
The society was clearly intended to be portrayed as an overbearingly rigid class system that doesn't tolerate individuals but the film’s lack of true teeth makes the radically contrasting factions of society feel more like a giant high school. Their lack of in depth exploration as to why each would conform to the behavior of adolescent social cliques that don’t play nice with others makes attempts to build tension almost laughable.
While its efforts to elevate itself above other properties has not fallen on deaf ears, “Divergent” is ultimately painless but not strong enough to be anything else other than completely forgettable.
Next Time: Analyzing Divergent's success and conclusion.
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