Customer Reviews

Divergent [DVD] [2014]

Glancing at some of the reviews the film has obviously been true to the 'Book' which is always good news.
Some time in the future many years after war had destroyed much of mankind, in the city once known as
'Chicago' now 'Dystopia' society are divided into five factions, which is determined by an aptitude test.
'Tris Prior' disappoints her parents when after the test she chooses to join the 'Dauntless' a group sworn
to help and protect the factions living within the fencing that surrounds the city.
Tris' must complete a series of gruelling and intense tests and trials to be accepted within the order, failure
is not an option, being in the bottom four in their section will see failures no longer able to return home, left
with no hope no home and no real place in society.
After a series of tests 'Tris' remains in the bottom four in her group and on the verge of being dropped from
the program.
One of the key members of the 'Dauntless' 'Four' befriends 'Tris' breaking ranks to help and encourage her
make it through the final trials.
Though she does face one more trial, she has to face her fears.
'Jeanine' a faction leader appears to be a friend when asking for 'Tris's' support, it becomes apparent during
their conversation 'Jeanine's' intention is to rid the city of 'Divergents'
'Tris' has never told anyone the outcome of her earlier aptitude test when she'd been told that she was a
'Divergent' which actually makes her an enemy of the faction leader - the Divergents are different and seen
as dangerous.
What control has Jeanine over the army of 'Dauntless' are there enemies within the faction.
'Tris' and 'Four' will have to unite to survive however they cannot do it alone, a price will be have to be paid
during the battle.
Tris played by - Shailene Woodley. Four played by Theo James. Jeanine played by Kate Winslet
This is an action-packed adventure that'll hold your attention leaving you wanting more.
Special Features -
* Faction before Blood' featurette.
* Audio commentary with director.
* Audio commentary with producers.
* Deleted scenes.
* Marketing gallery.
* Ellie Golding 'Beating Heart' Music Video.
Blu-ray Exclusives -
* Bringing 'Divergent to life' The making of.
* Meet Four featurette.
* The look of Divergent' featurette.
* Behind the scenes of Divergent featurette.
* Choice' featurette.

Like N.Wheatley he wrote:Massively Disappointing. I can't believe that I've just watched the same movie that other people described as "amazing". Less than half-way through I was having serious doubts but decided to continue, I wish I hadn't bothered. What I had hoped would be a thought-provoking futuristic sci-fi movie turned out to be a badly acted and badly scripted Hunger Games want-to-be, another movie which has a success that II just don't understand. Seriously, if you're more than 15 years old, don't bother.

I sat an watched and wondered when it would get better which it didn't, I have not read the book so I will NOT be buying the book, I totally agree with what Mr. Wheatley said and will NOT be recommending this film

Divergent (DVD).

DVD Info.
Region 2.
Ratio 16:9/2.35:1
Certificate 12a.
Running time 139 minutes.

Cast.
Shailene Woodley as Beatrice "Tris" Prior
Theo James as Tobias "Four" Eaton
Ansel Elgort as Caleb Prior
Kate Winslet as Jeanine Matthews
Jai Courtney as Eric
Zo� Kravitz as Christina
Miles Teller as Peter
Maggie Q as Tori
Ashley Judd as Natalie Prior
Tony Goldwyn as Andrew Prior
Ray Stevenson as Marcus Eaton
Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Will
Christian Madsen as Al
Amy Newbold as Molly
Mekhi Phifer as Max
Ben Lamb as Edward
Justine Wachsberger as Lauren

Box Office.
Budget $85 million
Box office $274,945,239

Whats The Story.
In a futuristic Chicago, society is divided into 5 factions. Abnegation the selfless, Dauntless the brave, Erudite the intelligent, Candor the honest & Amity the peaceful, When all teenagers reach the age of 16, they must choose to either stay in their faction of birth, or transfer into another faction.

Beatrice Prior must make the decision to stay with her family in a faction she feels she isn't right for, or to transfer into another faction, & leave her family behind.

What follows is a highly competitive initiation process to live out the choice Tris has made as she must undergo extreme physical & intense psychological tests, that transform them all.

But Tris has a secret that she is Divergent, which means she doesn't fit into any one group. If anyone knew, it would mean a certain death.

Forced to hide this deadly secret, Tris has to make a difficult choice who is drawn to her enigmatic mentor, Four who appears to both threaten & protect her.

As a dangerous conflict develops amongst the factions a dark secret threatens peace & a potential uprising, Tris must rely on her strength and courage not only to survive, but to save the people she loves.

Timelord Thoughts.

Divergent, is based on a series of novels by author Veronica Roth & has been adapted into a movie which sequel is due out in 2015, I haven't read the novels so my first viewing of this film was watching it with my 13 year old Niece & to be honest I thought it wouldn't be that good, how wrong I was.

Wihin 30 minutes I was completely hooked & immersed in the storyline of why a dystopian future has divided itself into 5 factions, Abnegation the selfless, Dauntless the brave, Erudite the intelligent, Candor the honest & Amity the peaceful.

Shailene Woodley is decent enough in the lead role of Beatrice (Tris) who gives a good performance throughout the movie & while Woodley is not quite on par in the acting department as the outstanding Jennifer Lawrence of The Hungar Games movies which this film has had many comparisons made against, Woodley is a competent actress & carrys the film well through her character.

Theo James is intriguing & enigmatic as Four who at first we the audience know little about & are slowly given litle hints about his past & why he is like he is & what his characters motives are, James is good throughout & did his own fight & action scenes in this movie & his overall results are pretty impressive.

As for Kate Winslet her character Jeanine Matthews is more of an extended cameo role in this movie, yet Winslet makes her characters motives extremely clear & it will be interesting to see what happens next for the Matthews character in the upcoming sequel.

Overall, Divergent is a thought provoking sci-fi movie that asks questions about individualism, our choices & our personal freedoms that also showcases the lengths of those in power will go to if they see someone who is different as a potential threat as they seemingly wish to abolish free will of thoughts as there intentions are for all to adhere to a certain set of well-defined rules resulting in the one's who are capable of independent thought are seen as a potential threat to society & deemed as outcasts to be executed on the spot which is a excellent premise for good sci-fi movies as Divergent delivers a clear honest message of the endless struggle between the human spirit, individuality & conforming to a certain set of rules.

A enjoyable sci-fi adventure that raises some great questions about society in general that reflect upon current worldwide issues that face the real world today.

Timelord Rating.
8/10

After devouring all the books in the 'Divergent' series, I couldn't wait to watch the DVD. Because the books are written in so much detail, and the director/producer can only fit so much into the space of 134 mins (direct running time from DVD), it lacked details and important (important to me) scenes. Even when it did include a limited supply of scenes of importance, they just didn't reach the expectations of the book. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed with my purchase, but I am still looking forward to 'Insurgent' 2015.

Based on the young adult novel (series) of the same name, Divergent is the story of a post-Apocalyptic Dystopian society (a future Chicago), where districts and livelihoods are seperated into "factions" according to personality traits and human virtues such as intelligence, bravery, selflessness and truth etc. These factions are known "Abnegation", "Amity", "Candor", "Dauntless" and "Erudite" The story focusses on Triss (Shailene Woodley) a young female from Abnegation (selfless) who on the day of the "choosing ceremony" (where 16 year olds choose which faction they will belong to) chooses to join "Dauntless" (brave) who police the streets of Chicago. In choosing to live in "Dauntless", Triss must leave her family behind, including brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) who chooses to live in Erudite (intelligent) and her parents who remain in Abnegation (who govern all 5 of the factions). In order to succeed in Dauntless and avoid being "factionless" (the state of failing your human traits and being banished to the streets with no identity) Triss must prove she has what it takes to be brave, strong, courageous and fearless. Whilst she proves to be both brave and fearless, she also shows signs of being intelligent, selfless and truthful, making her "Divergent", a state which is considered dangerous by the Government. In order to avoid being killed, Triss must keep her "Divergent" status secret.

Meanwhile, Erudite run by the tyranical Jeanine (Kate Winslet) is plotting to overthrow Abnegation to gain control of the whole city. When the citizens of Dauntless, including Triss's new friends Christina, Will and Al are drugged using a serum which causes them to be under the control of Jeanine (in order to kill and eliminate the people of Abnigation) Triss joins forces with a Dauntless trainer named Four (Theo James) who she had previously developed feelings for, her parents (Tony Goldwyn and Ashley Judd) and Caleb to stop Erudite from taking control of the whole system. She must also avoid her own iminent death once her status as being "Divegent" is revealed.
"Divergent" is similar in context to other young adult Dystopian fantasies, such as Suzanne Collin's "Hunger Games" trilogy. Both feature a headstrong adolescent female lead who is thrust into conflict and war. Both feature a power-hungry antagonist who wants to control the whole of society for their own selfish needs and both feature a male sidekick whom the protagonist falls in love with. However whilst Divergent and The Hunger Games share similar traits they are also very different. Katniss's goal in Collins series was to free society from the clutches of an evil elitist freemason government and protect her family from war and anhialation. Triss on the other hand is on a journey of self discovery. Her aim is to find out where she really belongs and how she can use her status as being Divergent to help others whilst maintaining strength and the intelligence to out-wit her enemies.

Woodley is a great aspiring actress and she makes Triss both likeable and believable. She is a flawed heroine, much like Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss and regularly requires the assistance of her mentor "Four" (played by an angsty Theo James) however in the third act when the action really picks up she completely steals the show and gives Triss the girl power you'd expect from a kick-ass protagonist. Kate Winslet hams up her role as super bitch Jeanine and whilst her pasty faced demeanour sometimes seems too unlikely (after all Winslet is reknowned for playing the girl-next-door types) you can tell she is having a blast. Jai Courtney on the otherhand steals the show as Eric, the truly dispicable and wicked leader of "Dauntless" who subjects his new students to a terrifying boot-camp of physical and mental tests. Eroc makes for a very disturbing villain and is in my eyes the main antagonist of the whole film (and book).

Also unlike The Hunger Games, there is far more focus on the impending war and action and less focus on the romantic sub plot involving Triss and Four. There are a few romantic scenes, however this is pleasingly even further away from Twilight than The Hunger Games was (which focussed a lot on the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale). The action scenes are loud and brash (gunfire, combat etc) however the psychological tests which Triss undergoes are what make the film tense, thrilling and exciting. One scene where Triss must jump from a tall building into the abyss will have your heart racing.

The musical score is very dystopian. Light and peppy one moment and dark and moody the next. It tells a story in its own right.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys these kinds of stories. It is ultimately a story of sacrifice (there are a few tear-jerker moments) and self belief, however there are elements of family, war, poverty, ignorance, racism and romance thrown into the mix. Divergence is an emlntertaining way to spend a couple of hours and fans of the book will be pleased to know that it remains pretty faithful throughout.

I really enjoyed this movie based on the very popular YA novels by Veronica Roth, it provided everything I enjoyed so much in the books. This could be the new teen movie franchise with a fantastic cast, great customs and amazing story. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves action, romance and YA themes.
This movie stayed as true to the book as it could while not being the book.

This book came a day before the store release so I was extremely happy! As I loved the books, the film was fantastic, though it did miss out a couple of important things from the book. It was on the whole a great adaption with good casting. I was very glad that an important scene that they left out of the film they had in the deleted scenes. For anyone who likes the Hunger Games and other futuristic films you are sure to love this (though in plot terms the Hunger Games is completely different to Divergent!)! I highly recommend it-though I would recommend you read the amazing books for further information.

Divergent is a movie adaptation of a popular young adult post apocalyptic novel.

For the uninitiated:

In a world sometime after the collapse of civilisation as we know it [something demonstrated by a rather impressive opening few shots] people live in a city where society is divided into various factions. Each of which is based on a human virtue. From selflessness to intelligence to love to honesty to daring.

Those not in a faction live lives of total emptiness and despair.

When teenagers come of age they have to take a test which shows them which faction they best belong to. Then they choose which one they want to join.

When Tris Prior [Shailene Woodley] takes the test, her results are inconclusive. Which means she's divergent. Someone too individual to fit into any single faction.

Divergents are public enemy number one in this society.

Forced to hide in plain sight, she joins Dauntless. The faction of the daring.

A dangerous training programme awaits. Where she finds enemies. Friends. Allies. And a dangerous conspiracy that threatens to shatter the status quo....

Divergent endeavours to make social points about society and individualism, and make you think about them as well.

Whilst also being an action and a thriller movie with it.

Those who have read the book will find a relatively faithful adaptation. Perhaps the best you could have hoped for. It does have to change some things and leave other things out. But that's all to make it work as a film.

The characters are all pretty well drawn. Shailene Woodley is a capable lead. It moves along at quite a decent pace. And does contain a few good punch the air moments as characters achieve certain things.

Being based on the first in a trilogy of books means that a lot of this is set up, and thus many things will only be explained in subsequent films.

If you've not read the books, you'll find it's one of those movies where all the exposition you need comes in a quick narration at the start. If you're prepared to pay attention to all this, then you shouldn't have any trouble getting into it.

This has been labelled as the new Hunger Games/Twilight. Which it is only in the sense that it has done well enough, unlike so many other films labelled that way, to get sequels.

It might be a film that will slightly divide opinion. But, just like jumping through a hole in a roof of a building without being able to see what's below, trying something new is often worth the risk. So be dauntless, and give it a go.

The dvd has the following language and subtitle options:

Languages; English.

Subtitles: English.

It begins with several trailers, which can be skipped via the next button on the dvd remote.

It has a few more extras than most dvds of late:

A commentary from the director.

A commentary from two of the producers.

A marketing gallery: four different cinema trailers for the film plus a gallery of movie posters.

The video for Ellie Goulding's song 'Beating Heart' which features in the soundtrack.

Four minutes worth of deleted scenes. Which can only be watched all in a row.

'Faction before blood' a fourteen minute long featurette all about the world of the movie, with the actors discussing it. What may seem like stating what you already know at first does actually result in some thought provoking discussion about the issues it all raises, so this is worth watching.

Personally, I read the book years ago when it first came out - and loved it! When I heard about the movie, the first Hunger Games movie had just came out and the comparisons have run on ever since. Other than The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Twilight, YA adaptations have all failed. The Host, Vampire Academy, Beautiful Creatures and The Mortal Instruments all made next to nothing at the box office so when Divergent was next in line, people got nervous. But the shouldn't have worried at all.
Divergent earned more than all the previous four adaptations combined, and there is a reason. No matter the shaky critic reviews - the story DOES hold it's own originality and unpredictability. The direction and performances were also on top form and the movie turned out to be a masterpiece.
It is suitable for all audiences, as myself (14) enjoyed it, my sister and her boyfriend (non-readers, 19,20) and my parents (non-readers, 45,49) all liked it also.
Altogether, Divergent is a unique, exciting film definitely worth buying.

not good, felt there was something missing between actors possible bad acting or chemistry. they missed too much important stuff out of film just seemed to skim over everything including the different character relationships so it made you not care about any of them really. disappointed!