Feast on ‘Divergent’s themes, acting
The film Divergent exceeds the Hunger Games as masterpiece of science fiction and dystopian young adult fiction.
What makes this film better than the Hunger Games is its willingness to take a break and allow the viewer to think about what is going on. Divergent’s training scenes would have been an ‘80’s montage in another film. The fact that this film focuses on the training allows the viewer to explore where different characters are. Divergent’s superiority also rests in the fact that it has more meat to it. The Hunger Games leaves one intellectually hungry. It seems like there should be more, but there is only the fluff and broad-brushed statements about media and mob mentality that are easily forgotten in action sequences of trapper jackers and twirling playing fields. As science fiction, Divergent explores the themes of choice and consequences, what makes humanity a danger to itself, where do people fit in a society and what happens when they don’t. Yet, unlike the heavy-handed Elysium, these issues aren’t stuffed in your face. Instead, they are brought up within the context of the film and addressed through the choices of the characters in that world. Questions that the film brings up include:
The fact that there are all of these questions to consider would make Divergent a worthwhile movie. Shailene Woodley’s acting, a story that brings out a couple of surprises even if it has one or two predictable moments, and actors like Maggie Q, Ashley Judd, and Kate Winslet, who do the best they can with limited screen time, make Divergent a surprisingly good film. |
|