Divergent is the first movie in a dystopian trilogy series. The movie itself is one of the most famous dystopian movies. Divergent is initially introduced as a flawed utopian society. People in the community live in a futuristic society, and once they reach adulthood they are put into one of the three factions based on their test results. The test is to determine what faction they best fit into. However, just because they have test results doesn’t mean they have to pick that faction because of it. They are free to pick their own faction, but once chosen, they cannot switch. The five factions are Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. The remaining population which is then “factionless” has no status or privilege.
The main character, Tris Prior (played by Shailene Woodly), was born into Abnegation. When Tris was tested, however, she wasn’t in just one faction. Her test results were split equally among all five factions. When one fits into all the factions, they are known as “divergent,” meaning different or varying. Being part of Divergent is extremely dangerous because the government can feel threatened by someone who could potentially be stronger than everyone ese. After receiving her test results, Tris makes the decision to join Dauntless. Dauntless overall wants to overcome fear and demonstrate bravery within their community.
The next few days, when Tris is “a part” of Dauntless, she initially struggles with adapting to the physical part of the faction. Within the faction, they have rankings, which then determine who has the first pick of jobs. In other words, you have to have a good ranking in order to officially become part of Dauntless. In the beginning, Tris was finding it hard to fit in and get a good ranking. She eventually started hard-core training with one of the “leaders” of Dauntless, Four (played by Theo James). As Four helps and supports Tris throughout tests and evaluations, he learns that Tris is divergent. Four then warns her that she needs to hide her true test result and figure out how to solve the series of tests as a regular person in Dauntless would. Trist then learns to control her quick thinking and problem-solving skills and develops how to pass the tests like a true Dauntless.
Four continues to prepare Tris for the final test to become part of Dauntless. When she passes the test, she quickly learns that Four himself is also divergent. Soon after becoming official, Trist finds out that Dauntless is preparing to get rid of Abnegation under Erudite’s orders. When hearing of this news, a serum comes out to supposedly keep track of the people in their community and of factions, but in reality, it was to control the people’s minds. However, Tris and Four quickly find out that the serum doesn’t work on divergents. The Dauntless faction moves forward to raid Abnegation, and Tris and Four are captured and ordered for execution. Tris is saved by her mother, Natalie, and escapes from captivity. Having escaped, she is on a mission to save Four from a mind-control room. Tris succeeds, and both her and Four escape the compound by train.
Although Divergent is the first movie in the trilogy, it is filled with tons of action. If you end up watching or have watched Divergent, the other two movies, Insurgent and Allegiant, are just as good. Current Dover High School student Morgan Huston says this about Divergent, “ I really enjoyed the movie along with the other two in the series. I think out of all three movies my favorite one is Divergent.” Overall, a good series to watch, and it stays interesting throughout the entire series.
