Rating of
1.5/4
"Divergent" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 06/01/16
In a future post apocalyptic society divided into five distinct factions who fulfil very specific duties, a young girl finds herself to be "divergent" in that she does not fit into a specific category and so must hide her true nature from a fearful ruling class.
This extremely clumsy - and largely meaningless - analogy for the world forms the basis of a teen-friendly sci-fi in which a shy and awkward girl learns how to be popular and cool and finally gets noticed by the handsome, older boy who is broody yet sensitive. Yes, Divergent really is that inane. The first two acts of the film are basically a teen magazine photo love story version of Private Benjamin set in a future world that looks all the world like a wannabe hipster chain bar, leading to a climax that is essentially a collection of catalogue models paint-balling. Clearly a transparent attempt to cash in on the success of the Hunger Games franchise, this film lacks the character, wit and political comment of those films making for an unimaginative, sterile, and really rather dull story that could only ever move an angst-ridden adolescent girl who dreams of being cool.
