Thoughts on 'Divergent'

Divergent is the love child of ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Mean Girls’ – you’ve got your strict governmental body who somewhat restrains the residents of the country in an effort to create a peaceful empire post-war, and then you’ve got the bitchiness of the clique-y factions, all of whom have 5 very different personalities. This doesn’t, however, mean that ‘Divergent’ didn’t bring something new to the movie world.

The intricate storyline was not only thought-provoking and exciting, but it was easily understandable and immediately provoked the audience to develop their individual theories and hopes for the plot’s continuance. The characters were well-developed and were far from the cliché protagonists that I would imagine. I loved the idea of having their fears tapped into, and it was very interestingly portrayed, making me think of what I would find in my hallucination (jellyfish, eyeballs and someone in the window as I pull back the curtain, I think!)

The downside of the movie, for me, was that some aspects of the story weren’t explained as much as I would have hoped. Now, perhaps this is because I haven’t read the books, but I would have liked to know more about Tris’s brother, Caleb, and why he decided to join the Erudite faction. It was a twist near the beginning of the movie which was never really quite explained. Also, I loved the catch that Tris’s mum was originally in Dauntless, but this could also have been elaborated more, but perhaps they’re saving it for a prequel!

Parts of the movie were pretty predictable, and the ending was disappointing because it was extremely cheesy! But despite this, I think I will give the books a go – I can see where sequels could lead to, and am pretty sure this will be a popular one of 2014!

Will you be following up the inevitable sequels to the Divergent movie? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

Pressure.

I stared at the keypad, trying to remember the correct code that had been drummed into me over and over again. “Twist the dial, type ‘2-0’, flick the sw— no wait,” what was it?

I felt the pressure. The pressure from my peers and everybody around me, dependent on my next move. But more importantly, the pressure from myself. I had to do it. I had a lot of energy at my care, but how was I going to control it? What was that code? I knew that one wrong step would deplete my chances, and a careless action would make the whole contents in that small box, which held no prisoners, explode and burn to a crisp. What a waste that would be.

C’mon! Think! I could drive a tank, operate a gun, navigate across the harsh Afghanistan desert, yet when my comrades needed me most; my mind had hit a wall. “Twist the dial, type ‘2-0’, flick the sw—“

‘YOU JUST TRIED THAT!’ one of my companions yelled, the stress and panic leaking out of his voice like water from a tap. ‘We haven’t got much time left’. In immense dread, I touched one of the buttons and, unbeknown to me, it bleeped and the whole box sprang into action, leaping and whirring as it eventually lit up. My last sense to realise what had happened was my touch. But I soon felt the immense heat radiating through my bones, like a wave of water drenching a sandy beach, seeping into every nook and cranny available and making me aware of it, as if it was just tapping me on the shoulder. Everybody around my flinched in anticipation as a harsh countdown started and I knew this was it.

10, 9, 8—“EVERYBODY GET READY”, 7, 6, 5, 4, —“IT’S GONNA EXPLODE!”, 3, 2, 1

*ping*

The popcorn was ready