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Divergent
Publisher's note: Upon review of Wyatt's reviews, which are arguably our most popular posts, there are some reviews of good films here that did get the attention they might have deserved, therefore, we deliver them back to the top of the Latest Articles list for your perusal. So, here, take another, or a first look at this Wyatt film review.
Publisher's note: When you finish this Wyatt review, please spend a few moments using our Movie Database, and feel welcome to return. Nearly everything important to movies, plus great images are there.
Families Die, Allegiances are Born
Divergent, in the similar formula of "Hunger Games", proposes a future world forever changed by a cataclysmic event, against the simmering backdrop of teen angst and the maturing relationship of the opposite sex.
The film begins in narrative explanation, by the film's heroine, Beatrice Prior (Tris), played by Shailene Woodley, as to her
understanding that her world of metropolitan Chicago was severely, and irrevocably damaged, and then reborn as a totally different societal civilization. This new civilization of northern Illinois consisted of five "factions" of people: Abnegation, for the selfless behavior of leaders in service to all people; Amity, for the peaceful prospectus on life, who farm as their one avocation; Candor, for the honesty with good people, who hate duplicity; Dauntless, for the brave, and dutiful, who are trained to protect; and Erudite, for the intelligence to know what is best, but for whom(?).
Tris begins life within the bosom of her parent's faction, Abnegation, but never quite fits in with the selfless life of service to what's left of humanity in post-apocalyptic Chicago. Her parents: Mother Natalie Prior, played by Ashley Judd, and Father Andrew Prior, played by Tony Goldwyn, are committed to their cause, but in true unambiguous altruism, they reticently acknowledge that both of their children: Tris and brother, Caleb, played by Ansel Elgort, have chosen separate factions to join. During the selection process, Caleb chose Erudite and Tris chose Dauntless. These adolescents must choose factions for life, or become factionless - the process of becoming invisible as citizens.
Tris, submits to the test which lets the authorities analyze her subconscious for faction placement: Above. Click on image to expand.
This selective transition takes place at sixteen years of age for the adolescents, a time when present American children are more concerned with impressing friends, the opposite sex or both, rather than making an intractable life choice of that one life path. It is an impossible situation made worse by the inescapable process of being limited to the five choices: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite. How can any 16 year old make the right choice without becoming a brainwashed sycophant of the will of many, even if any faction is roughly 1/5 of the visible population? So much for Free Will.
Jeanine Matthews, the leader of the Erudite faction, played by Kate Winslet, states during the selection process, "The future belongs to those who know where they belong."
What we discover later, should the young faction recruits not pass muster to make their prescribed faction, or if they choose wrong, or should they be divergent, there is no future. To become unfavored is a bad bridge to a most uncertain future.
To hasten that uncertain future, Erudite faction is the intelligentsia, and as long as the Abnegation faction is useful to them, Abnegation will remain as the governing class. In "Divergent", we witness the beginnings of that transition forced upon the unwary faction that destroys the societal system's balance in this ill conceived utopia of people placement for life.
Tris meets Four: Above. Tris trains, with the help of Four, played by Theo James, to make the Dauntless grade: Below. Click on images to expand.
Both of the Prior children, Beatrice and Caleb were sensitive, thoughtful, aware, but as far as we know, only one of them was Divergent - Tris. When Tris was administered her mind-invading test, there were clear signs that she probably had those qualities of free thought, a reckless ability to be able to "think outside the box". Tris is the story's heroine, the protagonist; she is Divergent, and to a large extent, this is her story - at least this first installment.
When the 2nd installment Insurgent, is released in 2015, we shall see how the other characters fit into this tale of assemblage into class to survive the prejudices of the norm. It is a norm that punishes any divergence from the norm, by their ostracization from society, or by pain of death. This brave new world is a dangerous one for those that do not follow a structured dictum of thought, and the thought-police are everywhere. Understandably, being divergent is a death sentence conducted quietly in the shadows.
Tris, Shailene Woodley,and Four, Theo James, wait to be actuated as murderous assassins. Both have the ability to not fall under the mind altering drug that overwhelms the other Dauntless commandos. Tris presses against her life as a Dauntless commando, and readily finds that life presses back: Above. Click on images to expand.
"Divergent", while it does ambitiously remind one of "Hunger Games" at the onset, slowly begins to take shape as a theme based story that is very different from its predecessor. As "Hunger Games" was eerily reminiscent of the Glory of Rome in its final days, with the Gladiators keeping the decadent public entertained as their society crumbled beneath them, "Divergent" is more analogous of Rome, as the Christians gained a foothold in the catacombs, and then endured more than a century of the most absolute persecution. The idea that one is managed by a government, a Republic or no, rather than their own Free Will to live, to worship, and to raise their own, obeying righteous laws, while living a righteous life, could then somehow be an abomination to the statist rights of the rulers, is such a terribly wrong concept. It is an evil concept. And if "Divergent" is nothing else, it is a complex story of good (Tris and Four and their company of heroes), and evil, the Erudite faction, who obviously are the architects of this misbegotten society of oppression.
Once the break is made from the autocratic ruling elite, the Erudites, this film makes it easy to root for the persecuted, the humble, the meek, the better suited to re-arrange this mess of civilization, as if they are the early Christians of Rome, who were just hanging on by a thread, and risking everything temporal to save, and preserve their immortal, eternal souls.
This film, directed by Neil Burger, from a 2011 novel by Veronica Roth, sets a sturdy foundation for the 3 succeeding installments of a series that begs to tell a story of severe government overreach, and chronic societal exclusion that is mimicked no where, to this extent, in today's world, save the Muslim Middle East, where racism, religious persecution, sexism, bigotry and xenophobia is customary as a matter of continual practice, under the guise of 'we know what is best for you'.
This first installment of Divergent sets the stage for a poorly conceived society gone immeasurably wrong, for a gang of heroes to step to the fore, and save or to fail; regardless of the outcome. This story endeavor to right the ship come what may. It will be interesting to discover if Tris Prior and company succeeds. There will surely exist the requisite of teen romance, but I truly believe that amongst it all, and interwoven within, we will find a fine story of good, hopefully dispensing of evil.
Rated PG-13; released on DVD August 5, 2014; 139 minutes of run time.
Come join us at our new Movie Database. We welcome you our latest feature to sort through film data to discover information on actors, directors, film images, or just what is playing, when it will pay, or when it did play. It is a work in progress, so we would appreciate your input.
Go Back
Publisher's note: When you finish this Wyatt review, please spend a few moments using our Movie Database, and feel welcome to return. Nearly everything important to movies, plus great images are there.
Families Die, Allegiances are Born
Divergent, in the similar formula of "Hunger Games", proposes a future world forever changed by a cataclysmic event, against the simmering backdrop of teen angst and the maturing relationship of the opposite sex.
The film begins in narrative explanation, by the film's heroine, Beatrice Prior (Tris), played by Shailene Woodley, as to her
understanding that her world of metropolitan Chicago was severely, and irrevocably damaged, and then reborn as a totally different societal civilization. This new civilization of northern Illinois consisted of five "factions" of people: Abnegation, for the selfless behavior of leaders in service to all people; Amity, for the peaceful prospectus on life, who farm as their one avocation; Candor, for the honesty with good people, who hate duplicity; Dauntless, for the brave, and dutiful, who are trained to protect; and Erudite, for the intelligence to know what is best, but for whom(?).
Tris begins life within the bosom of her parent's faction, Abnegation, but never quite fits in with the selfless life of service to what's left of humanity in post-apocalyptic Chicago. Her parents: Mother Natalie Prior, played by Ashley Judd, and Father Andrew Prior, played by Tony Goldwyn, are committed to their cause, but in true unambiguous altruism, they reticently acknowledge that both of their children: Tris and brother, Caleb, played by Ansel Elgort, have chosen separate factions to join. During the selection process, Caleb chose Erudite and Tris chose Dauntless. These adolescents must choose factions for life, or become factionless - the process of becoming invisible as citizens.
This selective transition takes place at sixteen years of age for the adolescents, a time when present American children are more concerned with impressing friends, the opposite sex or both, rather than making an intractable life choice of that one life path. It is an impossible situation made worse by the inescapable process of being limited to the five choices: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite. How can any 16 year old make the right choice without becoming a brainwashed sycophant of the will of many, even if any faction is roughly 1/5 of the visible population? So much for Free Will.
Jeanine Matthews, the leader of the Erudite faction, played by Kate Winslet, states during the selection process, "The future belongs to those who know where they belong."
What we discover later, should the young faction recruits not pass muster to make their prescribed faction, or if they choose wrong, or should they be divergent, there is no future. To become unfavored is a bad bridge to a most uncertain future.
To hasten that uncertain future, Erudite faction is the intelligentsia, and as long as the Abnegation faction is useful to them, Abnegation will remain as the governing class. In "Divergent", we witness the beginnings of that transition forced upon the unwary faction that destroys the societal system's balance in this ill conceived utopia of people placement for life.
Both of the Prior children, Beatrice and Caleb were sensitive, thoughtful, aware, but as far as we know, only one of them was Divergent - Tris. When Tris was administered her mind-invading test, there were clear signs that she probably had those qualities of free thought, a reckless ability to be able to "think outside the box". Tris is the story's heroine, the protagonist; she is Divergent, and to a large extent, this is her story - at least this first installment.
When the 2nd installment Insurgent, is released in 2015, we shall see how the other characters fit into this tale of assemblage into class to survive the prejudices of the norm. It is a norm that punishes any divergence from the norm, by their ostracization from society, or by pain of death. This brave new world is a dangerous one for those that do not follow a structured dictum of thought, and the thought-police are everywhere. Understandably, being divergent is a death sentence conducted quietly in the shadows.
"Divergent", while it does ambitiously remind one of "Hunger Games" at the onset, slowly begins to take shape as a theme based story that is very different from its predecessor. As "Hunger Games" was eerily reminiscent of the Glory of Rome in its final days, with the Gladiators keeping the decadent public entertained as their society crumbled beneath them, "Divergent" is more analogous of Rome, as the Christians gained a foothold in the catacombs, and then endured more than a century of the most absolute persecution. The idea that one is managed by a government, a Republic or no, rather than their own Free Will to live, to worship, and to raise their own, obeying righteous laws, while living a righteous life, could then somehow be an abomination to the statist rights of the rulers, is such a terribly wrong concept. It is an evil concept. And if "Divergent" is nothing else, it is a complex story of good (Tris and Four and their company of heroes), and evil, the Erudite faction, who obviously are the architects of this misbegotten society of oppression.
Once the break is made from the autocratic ruling elite, the Erudites, this film makes it easy to root for the persecuted, the humble, the meek, the better suited to re-arrange this mess of civilization, as if they are the early Christians of Rome, who were just hanging on by a thread, and risking everything temporal to save, and preserve their immortal, eternal souls.
This film, directed by Neil Burger, from a 2011 novel by Veronica Roth, sets a sturdy foundation for the 3 succeeding installments of a series that begs to tell a story of severe government overreach, and chronic societal exclusion that is mimicked no where, to this extent, in today's world, save the Muslim Middle East, where racism, religious persecution, sexism, bigotry and xenophobia is customary as a matter of continual practice, under the guise of 'we know what is best for you'.
This first installment of Divergent sets the stage for a poorly conceived society gone immeasurably wrong, for a gang of heroes to step to the fore, and save or to fail; regardless of the outcome. This story endeavor to right the ship come what may. It will be interesting to discover if Tris Prior and company succeeds. There will surely exist the requisite of teen romance, but I truly believe that amongst it all, and interwoven within, we will find a fine story of good, hopefully dispensing of evil.
Rated PG-13; released on DVD August 5, 2014; 139 minutes of run time.
Come join us at our new Movie Database. We welcome you our latest feature to sort through film data to discover information on actors, directors, film images, or just what is playing, when it will pay, or when it did play. It is a work in progress, so we would appreciate your input.
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