An Orwellian heroine defying the odds

DIVERGENT (2014)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Divergent" appears at first glance to be a "Hunger Games" clone when in fact, to be fair, "Hunger Games" was a crossbreed of Orwell's "1984" and "The Most Dangerous Game" with a dash of "Rollerball" (original version, not remake) to make its points on violence as a game to entertain the audience. "Divergent" has a mask of cool detachment leading to a surprising emotional powderkeg of a finale that had me at Shailene Woodley ("The Descendants").

Based on a series of books by Veronica Roth, Shailene Woodley is Beatrice "Tris" Prior, the daughter of an official (Tony Goldwyn) that runs a ruling council for the government. There are five factions in this post-apocalyptic (a common phrase in today's cinema) climate, specifically in the city of Chicago. Tris belongs to Abnegation, the selfless faction that runs the government, but she is still up for selection to a faction she desires based upon a serum-induced aptitude test  (all 16-year-olds undergo this test). Tris chooses Dauntless but her test proves she is actually compatible with three factions - she is a free thinker, a "divergent." Being divergent means trouble in an Orwellian world because it means you are an independent thinker, and who wants that in a world where mind control is the norm. Tris keeps her secret quiet and joins the arduous Dauntless, which consists of a group that runs around, jumps into trains and jumps out of them onto tenement roofs, and endures major tests of endurance. What exactly is the point of this faction is lost on me except to prove bravery and perhaps (and this is what I found most fascinating) using the best of its members as super-soldiers. This touches on a key plot point from "The Manchurian Candidate."

"Divergent" uses "Hunger Games" as its cinematic template - heroine is weak yet proves her worth and falls for someone she shouldn't (Theo James). But what makes the movie sing are the performances that prove more inspired than the setting. Woodley earns her Katniss Everdeen stripes by evoking great sympathy and vulnerability - she also has strength and determination, qualities in women we should see more often and not just in a post-apocalyptic scenario. Theo James makes a convincing Dauntless instructor named Four who keeps his eye on Tris. Jai Courtney (previously John McClane's son in the last "Die Hard" sequel) is the rigid, merciless Dauntless leader who puts Tris through a physical regiment that would make Katniss cry. Maggie Q is quietly effective as the Dauntless proctor of the aptitude tests who sees through Tris's secrets. Finally, there is Kate Winslet in an atypically insidious role as the leader of the faction Erudite whose future plans imply reducing the level of government control (I am putting it mildly but it does have to do with super-soldiers).

"Divergent" is tougher and bleaker than "The Hunger Games" but not as lean or as tightly paced (inevitable comparisons aside, there are no games played here for a bloodthirsty audience). Still, it is refreshing to see a post-apocalyptic movie that really feels post-apocalyptic. The amazing new talent of Shailene Woodley makes it tolerable.