Erudite leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet) has instituted martial law to hunt down the supposed Divergents. Her people recover a five-sided box that is the key to the struggle which only a Divergent can open. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) escapes the Abnegation massacre with Four (Theo James), Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Peter (Miles Teller). They hide among the Amity until Dauntless attack. Peter returns to Dauntless and Caleb tries to return to Abnegation. Four reveals that he is Tobias Eaton, the son of Factionless leader Evelyn (Naomi Watts).
I still don't buy the central premise that people don't go outside the wall. I'm willing to put it aside but it still feels wrong. I keep wondering why they don't simply migrate outside the wall. Hiding out is a good option but going back is a horrible one. It makes it hard to connect to a story that feels so wrong. It may make more sense if they're stuck on an island or in a vast underground complex. A wall doesn't make it impenetrable unless it's built by Trump. The other central premise that society is divided seems too simplistic and unreal. It may work for a teen novel but I can't imagine people as these simplified cliques. It's more compelling for high school kids.
The set designs continues to be superior to others of its genre. Shailene Woodley definitely gives it her all. The actors are never the problem in this franchise. I can understand what the premise is suppose to be but I don't see how any of it is logical. After Tris is taken prisoner, the movie stops its forward momentum and it becomes one meaningless simulation after another. It's beautifully rendered but it doesn't have any real intensity. It takes awhile before the forward momentum returns. Despite the loopy story, Shailene maintains my rooting interest. There is a basic structural problem with this series. The movies make the best of the flaw material.
I still don't buy the central premise that people don't go outside the wall. I'm willing to put it aside but it still feels wrong. I keep wondering why they don't simply migrate outside the wall. Hiding out is a good option but going back is a horrible one. It makes it hard to connect to a story that feels so wrong. It may make more sense if they're stuck on an island or in a vast underground complex. A wall doesn't make it impenetrable unless it's built by Trump. The other central premise that society is divided seems too simplistic and unreal. It may work for a teen novel but I can't imagine people as these simplified cliques. It's more compelling for high school kids.
The set designs continues to be superior to others of its genre. Shailene Woodley definitely gives it her all. The actors are never the problem in this franchise. I can understand what the premise is suppose to be but I don't see how any of it is logical. After Tris is taken prisoner, the movie stops its forward momentum and it becomes one meaningless simulation after another. It's beautifully rendered but it doesn't have any real intensity. It takes awhile before the forward momentum returns. Despite the loopy story, Shailene maintains my rooting interest. There is a basic structural problem with this series. The movies make the best of the flaw material.