Book fans finally get a film that caters to them, unfortunately, at the risk of alienating those who haven’t read it.

After taking an aptitude test to determine which faction she will settle into for the rest of her life, Tris (Shailene Woodley) must try to avoid being discovered as a Divergent—a person regarded as dangerous to society. Jeanine (Kate Winslet), the leader of the faction, Erudite, which values knowledge and education, seeks to overthrow the government already charged by the selfless faction, Abnegation, of which Tris’ family originates.

Heroes are only as good (or entertaining) as their villains. This is particularly true of ‘Divergent’ since Jai Courtney as Eric outshines the rest of his castmates. First-in-command in training the Dauntless initiates, Eric is a sly and cold character. Although Eric and Four (Theo James), second-in-command and Tris’ love interest, share the same passion behind instilling Dauntless values, Eric has a more animalistic approach. Every moment that he’s onscreen, he’s the most interesting to watch as he takes these newcomers through increasingly brutal tasks.

‘Divergent’, based on the novel written by Veronica Roth, is, for the most part, spot on with the book and stays true to what makes Tris so distinctive in being divergent and also with how she must disguise these factors to avoid being discovered by Jeanine. Still, some of these changes made to express the storyline in a way that could be translated easily from the book to the screen make the characterization and script suffer as a result.

Events and people are put in Tris and Four’s way to face and to overcome, but their development is more of a leap than a gradual process. Woodley’s acting is okay, but not enough to give the audience a sense of her true feelings regarding her situation over the length of the film. ‘Divergent’ is ultimately about Tris discovering what she’s capable of and who she really is. However, there’s nothing in her demeanor that fully justifies her decision to go from hiding her true identity to accepting herself; this turn in character, instead, happens in an instant. Likewise, Four is a harsh, but smart leader, yet his interest in Tris seems to go from complete rejection to infatuation in two consecutive scenes. Had there been more narration, communication amongst characters, or even more scenes spent in either character’s minds, there might’ve been more concern about our protagonists succeeding in their difficult mission.

Nevertheless, the idea behind each faction and what they represent to the government is a well-conceived notion that echoes throughout the film. Additionally, the Dauntless training exercises and a few intense action scenes provide for adequate entertainment. Hopefully, with a tighter hold on the characters themselves, ‘Insurgent’ will provide its audiences with a fuller experience (and Summit Entertainment with an alternative franchise for teens to Lionsgate Entertainment’s ‘The Hunger Games’).

Jim’s Rating: 6.3/10