Divergent

This movie is a faithful adaptation of the book, which I enjoyed when I read it many months ago. When the trailers came out, I did not see them as intriguing and was therefore ambivalent about seeing the movie. I went anyway because I had enjoyed the book, and I found myself pleasantly surprised. While the first few minutes are slow as the plot is established, the rest of the movie flows quickly. It is two and a half hours long, but it felt like no more than an hour and a half as the plot moves at a steady pace, and never feels rushed. Overall, the acting passable. Shailene Woodley as Tris and Kate Winslet as Jeanine, portray their characters superbly, while the rest of the cast was okay with no one delivering a memorable performance. There are quite a few scenes that looked very good in IMAX, so if you are going to see this movie, see it on the biggest screen possible. The movie handled the requirement to construct a world in which the story can take place extremely well. The scale of this construction makes you believe there is an entire world surrounding the movie, with many stories to be told that can expand, and build upon the current plot line. This is something the Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Star Wars movies did so well, and I'm glad Divergent was able to achieve this. There is a romantic "sub plot" in the movie which is not handled well by the actors nor the film makers, even though it is necessary for the development of the story. Overall, I was surprised by how much I liked Divergent, and while the movie does have its weaknesses, the interesting premise and admittedly cool battle sequence near the end more than make up for them. I recommend Divergent to anyone who is a fan of the book, or dystopian movies in general. It doesn't quite reach Hunger Games levels, but it doesn't need to. It is entertaining, exciting and interesting. I will definitely be there to see the sequel next year.