Divergent

I expected a lot, but I definitely didn’t expect a distinguished post-apocalyptic world adaptation. And that made me happy. The story was a lot of fun and I have a feeling that I’ll go see the sequel at the cinema. Although, the story reminded me of the arrival of the little pupils to Hogwarts and their subsequent sorting into individual groups. Then it was a little like Hunger Games for a change. But as a result, it still had its own little world which has a potential to develop further and I’m personally very curious about the sequel. I was also happy about Junkie XL who made such a good electronic soundtrack, even though it might not have been completely of his own writing. I also liked that the authors succeeded at the tactic of fresh-faced actors. I simply liked it and now I wonder – what about the sequels? (2014-08-15)

I can't believe my eyes. I was worried that Divergence wouldn't be too different from its competition (Mortal Instruments, Twilight and The Host), but I was wrong! Divergence has an excellent idea, a decently thought out story, a nice pace, a perfect cast from the cute central couple to the creepy bad guy, and most importantly more survival and love story than Hunger Games. The highlight of the film were definitely all three phases of the training, which had my heart racing and I'm sure I would have ended up in the abyss after two days, the emotions and empathy really worked at the highest level here. So, for me, a very disturbing post-apocalyptic affair and the best film with a "fight against the system" theme. I shudder to think that in 50 years such a system will be in place here, as the totalitarianism here made me sick to my stomach. Quality appeared where I absolutely did not expect it this year. (2014-07-27)

Really terrible. The film rips off a lot of other films, the logic is lacking like in The 100 and unless the characters are raging with puberty hormones, they have no chance of survival. What got me was a scene right at the outset where the kids are being sorted into Gryffindor, Slytherin, and.. oops, sorry, a different film. Instead of a talking hat, they all cut themselves with the same knife, so I suppose this society has already tackled the issue of HIV. What follows is the usual mix of weird action, overblown romance, ridiculous acting, and melodrama accompanied by an awful soundtrack, culminating in the film's ending. Considering I gave Season 1 of The 100 one star, I can't go any lower with Divergence, which is a shame. On a final note – 139 minutes!!! (2016-08-17)

Since I haven't read the book, I relied mostly on what the trailers showed, which really got me hooked. Personally, I love the sci-fi genre and I adore Kate Winslet, so I absolutely had to see Divergence. And I have to say, I got a pretty solidly made film with a likeable cast, a good story and an unforgettable soundtrack. In short, a movie that gave me exactly what I expected from it, so I was satisfied. (2014-04-09)

It is hard to say whether it's because Neil Burger is obviously maturing into a top director, but he managed to take reasonably successful source material and turn it into the most surprising film of the year. Even the first installments of the genre-similar Hunger Games pale in direct comparison, despite their stronger literary foundation, as they lacked a greater connection and subtle explanations in the adaptation. Divergence does this perfectly. The transformation of the main heroine is emphasized until the last sentence, making Shailene Woodley probably the most attractive Hollywood commodity for those aged 20 and above. Maybe it was thanks to the room full of twelve-year-old girls who were leaping into each other's arms with joy that they had actually made it to the highly anticipated premiere, but the atmosphere of the five factions chewed me up much more forcefully than I expected. I don't want to be just one thing. (2014-05-01)