Opened: March 21, 2014

Directed by: Neil Burger

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Christian Madsen & Kate Winslet

Though Divergent follows a formulaic post-apocalyptic young adult storyline, the film is enhanced by strong performances from leads Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet.

In what was Chicago, the residents are split into five factions based on their personalities. When Tris (Woodley) finds out she doesn’t match any of them and is a threat to society, she has to fight against leader Jeanine (Winslet) who wants to control the populations.

While many compared this film unfavorably against the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, the difference here is that Woodley makes Tris such an empathetic character that she’s more sympathetic than Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry and Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss.

The world isn’t as defined and while the storyline is intense, you know exactly what will happen in every moment.

Final say: Doesn’t diverge enough to make it standout. ★★★☆☆