Door's Howl: Divergent

Divergent

Synopsis

Yet another one in the realm of young adult books becoming movies hoping to make millions. And it has so far, with the second coming later this month (Insurgent) and the third being split into two movies for 2016 and 2017. I did not see this in the theater, but the Insurgent trailer looked interesting and so I got it on DVD. I enjoyed it,

Divergent is about a dystopian future where people are forced into factions based on 5 foundational virtues. It's kind of an extreme life deciding personality test with a career path, home life and community decided for you. Yet the hero in the show emerges as a "rare" divergent, someone who is motivated by more than one of the virtues. She is rare, different and therefore does not fit in. By the end of the movie divergents seem to be far less rare, so that leaves one wondering why this is the first time it happens, but that's the movies for you. In the end, the introductory movie sets up the battle for the future much like Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Twilight and a host of other trilogy movies aspires to do. I think the series will do well and I certainly will be watching the rest...but probably from the comfort of my home than the theater.

The movie commits many movie mistakes (I think CinemaSins would have a field day with it) but overall the movie is good, the story line engaging and the cast good. Shailene Woodley does a great job in this role and is well supported by a new upcoming cadre of actors who will replace the current A-list for sure. But for now, they are new and growing.

ScoreDivergent scores a Crescent Moon.Scoring System

Wolves are thought to commonly howl at the moon. So, the better the moon, the greater the howl. Description of scoring system below.

Full Moon - best you can get, must watch and must own
New Moon - great movie, worth seeing and buying
Crescent Moon - average to above average, good to watch, but may want to wait for DVD
Sliver Moon - below average, not worth seeing and only get it on DVD when you have nothing better to do, like having a root canal
Moonless Night -not even worth mentioning - avoid at all costs!