Divergent 2014

     This film is based on a book trilogy by Veronica Roth.  It takes place in a futuristic dystopia in a fenced off post-war Chicago 100 years from now.   Society is separated into five factions based on human virtues.  Teenagers are given a drug to test which faction they best fit into.  There is a group meeting including their parents where they each come forward and choose one of the five factions.  Once you have chosen, you are unable to reverse your choice and also cannot return to your family.  When Beatrice Prior receives her results, she is cautioned to never reveal to anyone that her test was inconclusive which makes her a divergent.  A person who is divergent does not fit into the different specific factions and is able to think independently of the group.  Divergent people are not the type of individuals this society esteems.  Beatrice chooses to become part of the Dauntless faction.  This is a group of soldiers assigned with protecting the city.  They are highly competitive mentally and physically with sessions of intense psychological testing.  Beatrice becomes a new person in this group and changes her name to Tris.

     There will probably be two sequels following this film as long as it does well in the money department!  I really hope 100 years from now will not be this dull and inhibited?  There certainly is not much fun and I don’t see an abundance of super advanced technology.  The main theme in most films with dystopia is the current circumstances are due to war and this film also follows this reasoning but by definition, the word dystopia means an imagined place or state with everything unpleasant or bad.  It includes both a totalitarian government and a degraded environment.  Basically, these are the same themes as in the Hunger Games series but without as much spark.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

139 min, Action directed by Neil Burger with Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q., Mekhi Phifer.

Note:  Imdb 7.0 out of 10, 41% critic 72% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 1/2*.
Special Note:  The five factions are Amity (farmers), Candor (truth and the judicial system), Erudite (serious scholars), Abnegation (selflessness and modesty) and Dauntless (soldiers).  The groups are distinguished by their work and their type of clothing.