A Movie Review: Divergent

Divergent. Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) lives in Chicago with her parents and brother. The world; however, isn't like we know it.  The world she lives in is occupied by those who survived a war.  Chicago is a walled off city.  Not only is it walled off, but it also appears to be self-sustaining.  There is no evidence that this city-state trades with others.  Society is also different.  During their youth, citizens are divided into five fractions of their choice.  Each fraction has a specific duty within the city.  The movie focuses on Abengation (runs the government), Dauntless (military force), and Erudite (intelligentsia).    

Beatrice's parents are Abengation.  They are also a rather important part of the Chicago government.  When it comes time to choose, Beatrice decides to pick Dauntless.  Her brother goes to Erudite.  This causes great pain to her parents, because once a fraction is chosen a young person largely only interacts with those within their fraction.  In fact, if a young  person rejects the fraction of their youth, that fraction also rejected them.

Being Dauntless, Beatrice enters into military-like training.  Unlike previous rounds, Dauntless will only keep a select group within their ranks.  Those that are thinned out are tossed into a societal group called the Fractionless.  She also finds herself falling for her drill sergeant (equivalent), Four (Theo James), and discovers that there is a plot where the Erudite plan to over-throw the government (Abengation).

This movie keeps your attention.  And there are certain parts of the movie that are really fun like the Capture the Flag competition.  In fact, I'd say the Capture the Flag competition is far more intense and interesting than Harry Potter's quidditch -- though I'm going to say right up front that the Harry Potter movies are far superior.

I have a major problem with the movie, which is why I say this movie only gets a passing grade.  What's up with the fraction system?  Seriously, once one picks a fraction not of their parents, the young individual is essentially rejected by that fraction -- even by their parents.  If fractions have that much friction within them, how do they even survive as a society.  Here's my thought:  what if one jumped to Erudite and became a doctor -- which from my on-line reading is one of the careers a Erudite can enter.  Not that doctors don't have a God-complex, but in that society would they even want to treat an individual from another fraction.  Anyways, I think those are the types of thoughts that one starts to think about after the movie ends, which puts a damper on the whole movie experience.