Divergent, The Movie: Am I The Only One Who Liked It?

IT'S HERE, people! Divergent, the movie, is HERE! Technically the premiere date was today but of course there were several showings last night, one of which I went to. Duh. Before I get into the movie, can I just talk about how disappointed I was with the lack of people attending the movie?

With the last few movie releases I've been to, the movies are no longer released at midnight, but there are several showings the Thursday before starting at around 8:00 p.m. continuing with at least four more performances up to and including midnight. I don't know if this is the case where you all are, but I don't know how I feel about it. At first I thought it was great cause I hated getting home at 3:00 a.m. after a midnight premiere to have to go to work the next morning. But to be totally honest... it was kind of lame this time.

I don't know if it's because Divergent is not "big" enough, which seems unlikely because I mean, it's Divergent. Even if society could care less about the release, there is still all of us, the blogging/reading community that tends to become obsessed and fangirl and all that. So I wonder if it is due to the lack of midnight showings. I think midnight showings gave more of a sense of urgency - you want to be one of the first to see it so you must be there that day.Well, whatever the case was, I was pretty disappointed. I got there more than an hour early and they were already seating - no lines, no wait. Again, doesn't seem like something to complain about, but half the fun of a midnight premiere is having to wait outside the theater doors for an hour squishing up against people you don't know and stampeding into the theater trying to get a seat that is not those ones in the first two rows where you break your neck. Sigh... I think you get what I'm trying to say.But anyway, besides the fact that the premiere atmosphere itself was pretty lame, I really, really enjoyed the movie. That's not to say it didn't have its issues, but overall I really enjoyed it.

     WHAT I LIKED:

First and foremost, I honestly enjoyed seeing the story come to life. I think that is something that I love about (almost) every book-to-movie adaptation, though. I thought seeing each faction in "real life" was insanely cool. Getting inside the Dauntless compound past the point of in my head was awesome. See Four up close and personal (yum!) was great.

I particularly enjoyed the way the romance was done in the movie. I've read Divergent twice and while I liked Tris and Four because they obviously belonged together, I never felt as though the chemistry between them in book one warranted an "I love you" at the end of it. I never really felt it the way I wanted to. But in the movie, all the chemistry was there. Theo James is delicious for starters, so not only is he easy on the eyes, but he works well with Shailene Woodley in my opinion. But I really enjoyed the way they progressed, learning to respect each other, trust each other then, finally, love each other. It was a hundred times more believable on screen than it was on the page and I was swooning all over the place.

While I didn't love all of the things Hollywood chose to add in (see below), I really did like the action aspect of the movie, especially toward the end. I thought it was wonderfully done and it was so intense, I had a death grip on Sean's hand the entire time. So I was able to (mostly) forgive the unnecessary additions because it made the movie pretty damn exciting.

Let me just talk about the actors/actresses for a minute, because a lot of my love for the movie came from the feelings they caused in me while they were playing these characters:

Theo James/Four: Not only is he sexy beyond belief, he comes off a little more mature in the movie rather than just mean and brooding, which only made him sexier. He seemed more like a man than a boy. I think he did a fantastic job portraying Four and bringing to life the chemistry and love between him and Tris.

Ben Lloyd-Hughes/Will: I just loved Ben playing Will! Though I wish he'd played a bigger part in the movie such as he did in the book, I was happy with the casting and I really enjoyed him.... and then... yeah. That was rough. :'(

Jai Courtney/Eric: OMG. Oh. My. Goodness. I am in love with Eric. I never thought I would say those

Look at that face. And those lips. Sweet
Baby Jesus... I'm in love.

words. I thought he was hot before I saw the movie and before I actually saw him  play the part of Eric, and then I saw him acting and I am in love. Jai Courtney is a delicious specimen of a man, but I also think he did a fantastic job of playing Eric. He came off as cold, calculating, uncaring, and a little bit of a douche, but he did it perfectly while causing me to melt into a puddle every time he came on screen. I had a hard time remembering that he was a bad guy. :/

Shailene Woodley/Tris: I am going to be completely honest - I thought I was going to hate Woodley as Tris. At first, I thought she was too... rough, not skinny and "birdlike" enough (that sounded rude, didn't it?).. I just didn't think she was going to portray the Tris I wanted and had been seeing in my head all this time. I was so pleasantly surprised when I started seeing her evolve from Abnegation Beatrice to Dauntless Tris and I really loved her. Not to mention she showed off her acting chops in a major way toward the end of the movie in a couple of insanely emotional scenes. I was a blubbering mess and Woodley really showed the emotions Tris was feeling that sometimes get lost in translation when imagining it in our own heads. I thought she was fantastic even if she isn't exactly the perfect embodiment of Tris in the books.

     WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

Really, the only thing I actually did not like in this movie were the things they added in with Jeanine and Tris. I felt like they changed their dynamic entirely and tried to make it seem as if Jeanine wasn't out to get Tris and that she was even being friendly toward her, if not entirely truthful. They actually threw Jeanine into the story (in regard to Tris) a whole lot earlier than in the book. I guess I can see why they did that, so as not to throw Jeanine in as a threat at the last minute (especially for people watching who haven't read the books), but I didn't like the way they tried to portray the relationship between Jeanine and Tris.

There was one character that I hated: Zoe Kravitz/Christina: I was actually really excited to see her play Christina. I am a huge Lenny Kravitz fan and yes, I know, her father's talent doesn't necessarily translate to her, but Christina was one of my favorite characters in the book and I was really counting on Kravitz to play the role well. I thought she was pretty lame for starters. Her acting wasn't horrible but it certainly wasn't anything to write home about. Not to mention that she looked like she was high the entire time. That, or deathly ill. WTF is that about? It was awful and it made it seem like she didn't care about being there or being Christina. Needless to say, I was disappointed by her.

To touch on a topic some non-blogging friends of mine brought up (and one fellow blogger, Nikki, who said the same thing on Twitter), it seems like the movie was put together in a way that could be confusing for people who have never read the books. Even with the movie being almost 2 1/2 hours long, it seemed to move really fast and didn't exactly expand on things that may have needed to be explained a little better. I, myself, didn't necessarily notice this until after the fact because I read it very recently and remembered most details, and I still think I need to see it again to form a solid opinion on this aspect. But I can totally understand this and see how it may have been confusing to some people who haven't read it, or even people who read it quite a while ago and don't remember all of the details.

     BUT, ALL IN ALL

I am one of the few who seem to have really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was action packed, kept pretty well to the original story line, had really awesome acting, and was so cool to see come to life in general. I don't want to get up on my soap box here in debate with people who absolutely did not like it, but I really just want to know why? If those who disliked it actually didn't like it as a movie, I completely respect that. My problem is with the comments about disliking it because of the things they changed. I just feel like.... where have you been? This is the nature of book-to-movie adaptations. They change things, take things out, add things in. When I go see adaptations, though I compare to the book, I really just try to watch the movie and see everything coming to life. There are some exceptions, like if they change major things and even endings or something (Beautiful Creatures, cough cough). I just hate when people hate on an adaptation because things are different. They call it awful, when as a movie, it really wasn't. I just want to know, why are you even bothering to see it if you know that they are going to leave out about half of the book and probably a lot of things you really liked?

Maybe I'm being harsh, but I don't mean to be, I promise. I just think that fans need to go into these things with this in mind: things will be changed. There's usually a reason (not always, so don't stone me, please, but usually).

Well anyways, regardless, I really enjoyed this movie and I'd really love to hear from you, whether you agree with me or not, because I feel like I'm missing something when everyone says how horrible it was. But if you liked/loved it, I would really love to gush together so please, tell me what you liked - or didn't like.

If you haven't seen it, do you think you will? And is your decision based on preconceived notions about adaptations or because of the reviews that are surfacing now that it has been released? Let's talk books... er.. movies!

A.

Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

ISBN: 9780062024060
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Series: Divergent #3
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Goodreads  |  Amazon
*Please note that this review may contain spoilers for the first two books. Click for spoiler-free reviews of Divergent and Insurgent*

     SYNOPSIS:

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

     REVIEW:

Allegiant certainly picks up right where Insurgent leaves off - right in the thick of things after the society learns something big. Don't worry, calm down, I won't spoil it because there may be some of you who are reading Insurgent now and haven't had that bombshell dropped on you, or haven't read this series at all yet.

I'm going to give you two contradictory statements right now: I LOVED this book. But. I was a little put off by the premise and the way things changed at the end of book 2. I know. How is that even possible? I don't know, don't ask me, ask this book why it made me love it so much!!! No, but really, I don't think the turn Allegiant took was a bad one. I think it was insanely clever, but I don't think it was fleshed out enough, and I kind of felt like I was reading a book from a different series. I wish some of the big reveals had been revealed in the the previous books because this "bombshell" literally changes everything.

With that being said, I still think that except for a lack of world building (which sucks because you kind of figured in the first two books that the world building was pretty damn great), I thought Roth pulled it off really well and I really did love it. I feel so bad for Tris and Four by this point because I feel like they never really get to just be together. There is always something going on, some life or death situation ruining what they have together - not to mention Four was being a total dick most of the time in Allegiant so I'm sure that didn't help either. I did, however, enjoy the fact that though there was a bunch of Tris-Four-ness in Allegiant, I didn't find it to be as relationship- and character-driven as the previous two, and it really focused on the plot and the intended resolution. It's nice to read a teen novel and it not be all about the hot boy.

Let's talk about the ending (without spoiling it, people!). I know many, many of you hated the ending. I didn't. I think it was fitting. I imagine that if I hadn't known what was going to happen prior to reading the series (thanks a lot Goodreads reviewers), I may have been angry, too. But I guess that's where it's better that I did know - I was able to look at it in a different way. Please, don't misunderstand me. Leading right up until the thing that happened, even though I knew it was coming, I was a little bit in denial, shaking my head as I was reading, thinking "this cant be how it ends", so I can understand the feelings that came along with reading the ending for the first time as a hardcore fan with not a clue as to what is about to happen. But I don't hate Roth for what she did. I think what she did was brave, just like what certain characters in the actual story did was brave.

So, aside from how I feel about how the blogging/reading community feels about the ending, this is how I, myself, felt about the ending: NOOOOOOO *sobs for 12 minutes alone on the couch* *wipes face, looks back down at book to try to continue reading* NOO, NONONONO *sobs for at least 7 more minutes*

No but seriously, I have NEVER in my entire life cried this hard over a book. I was kind of on the fence between giving this book a 3.5-4 star rating. I generally bump up a book half a star if it makes me cry, because I figure if it made me cry, it means I cared at least a little bit about what was going on. But the way this one had me going, and the actual ending itself (not just the fact that I cried, because it really was pulled off so well) definitely bumped this one up to a 4.5, and it totally deserves that.

I'm not going to lie, I still get a little weepy when I talk about this book. When I first finished it, I caught myself starting to cry a little bit at random times during the day at work over the next couple of days. My fiance read these books a little bit after I did and he kind of knew how it ended too. Needless to say he didn't have the same reaction I did, but we talked about it a lot and I even got weepy when talking to him conversationally about it. Immediately following finishing Allegiant, I wanted to re-read the entire series, so I picked up Divergent and I just couldn't do it. I was not emotionally ready. I still don't know if I am.

What I'm trying to say is that I don't deny this book's faults, but regardless of them, I loved this book. The premise of the third book felt like an entire different series, and if it was a separate series, I think it would've been really amazing - it just didn't fit with the first two books in the series that it actually belonged to. I don't deny any of these things, but I loved this book anyway.

RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

Tonight is the premiere of the Divergent movie and YES I will be there, with bells on! Just FYI, I'm going to the 10 p.m. (Eastern) showing, so 1. I will be unavailable to the world between 9:30 and 1:00  2. Hit me up on Twitter to talk movie-stuff after it is over or tomorrow! But seriously, I don't know how I am going to get through this movie. I couldn't bear to pick up the books, I don't know if I can watch it on the big screen either without dying inside.

So tell me what you thought of Allegiant - WITHOUT spoilers, please, for those participating who haven't read it! And be totally honest. Brutally honest if you must. Okay, don't be brutal, I'm quite sensitive, but say what you mean, please. A lot of people really did not  like this book. I'd love to know more about why now that I have read it and can form my own opinion about it. And if you did love it, please tell me why also. I have been dying to discuss this book ever since I finished it and now is the chance! Let's talk!

A.

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

ISBN: 9780007442911
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Series: Divergent #2
Goodreads  |  Amazon
**This review may contain spoilers for the Divergent. For a spoiler-free review of Divergent, click here**

     SYNOPSIS:

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

     REVIEW:

Insurgent and I kind of have a funny history. I actually DNFed when it first came out a couple of years ago. It had been almost a year between finishing Divergent and the release date of Insurgent and I had basically forgotten all of the important stuff that happened in Divergent. So when I picked up Insurgent and felt a little lost, and frankly, a little bored, I gave up on the series altogether (I know, my pre-blogger self was pretty harsh).

Upon re-reading Divergent, I remembered what I liked so much about the story the first time around, and quickly began reading Insurgent. Honestly, and in my defense, I can see why I was a little bored with it last time. Though last time I barely got 50 pages in before quitting, so I guess it didn't really get a fair shot. I pushed through the kind of boring beginning and once the group was out of the Amity compound, things got really interesting.

Roth opened up a bit more with her world-building this time around. Not only do we get to see the Amity compound, but we get a look at the Candor, whom I find absolutely fascinating, and their compound, and a glimpse at some of the others. I find the factions in general to be really unique and I love how Roth shows us even more about them as the story goes on.

Though I did really enjoy this book, it was definitely my least favorite of the three. Tris began to get annoying about halfway through the book when she kept putting herself in bad situations while knowing there may not be a way out. I did feel as though Tris was more real and relatable in this one, though. In Divergent, I just couldn't believe that after being raised Abnegation that Tris could be so cold and uncaring toward others, and it was a real turn off for me. In Insurgent, she was dealing with a lot of difficult feelings and though she wasn't the strong, capable Tris we'd grown to love, she was still dealing with things in a real way, and I really respect Roth for that. For sometimes making difficult decisions or making a character act in a way that is real but not necessarily a character the fans will love.

There were so many twists and turns in this book and it really did keep my on my toes. However, while the plot was ever changing, the pace of the book was a little slower than I would've liked. Really though, while I found the pace a bit slow at times, Roth's writing is amazing and beautiful, and her prose more than made up for the pace.

Let's talk about the ending of Insurgent. Okay, not about what actually happened, but the fact that I was pretty confused even though I had re-read the last chapter several times to try to get a better grasp on what was going on. I had to ask some friends and fellow bloggers to reassure me that this was normal. I didn't want to go into Allegiant while missing something big and important. Turns out I wasn't missing anything and it was totally okay to be confused because what happened after was ever crazier. But I still loved it!

RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

Overall, I really loved Insurgent and literally picked up Allegiant immediately after finishing it... well after I re-read the ending a few times first. More than anything, I love Roth's writing style and a big part of my love for this series is because of her beautiful, poetic way of telling a story.

What did you think of Insurgent? Did you love it like I did? Also, the Divergent movie comes out this week! How many of you are going to see it on Thursday night!? Let's talk - tell me what you think!?

A.

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

ISBN: 9780062024039
Source: Purchased (re-read)
Series: Divergent #1
Release Date: April 25, 2011
Goodreads  |  Amazon

     SYNOPSIS:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

     REVIEW:

Let me start by telling you a story: I read this book years ago (about 3 years) when it first came out, and I remembering enjoying it a lot. At the time, I'd wanted the next book to be released pretty badly and when it finally was released about a year later, I went out and bought it. Unfortunately, in my unorganized, non-blogger mind at that point, I had completely lost interest in the series other than in theory, couldn't remember anything that was going on, and for whatever reason, didn't realize that a re-read of Divergent would have been warranted at that time. So I DNF'd Insurgent and told myself it must've been because I never cared for Divergent to begin with and because Insurgent was boring (yikes.. I was harsh back then).

Fast forward 2+ years, Allegiant was set to release, and the world was in a frenzy. My cousin, wondering what all said hype was about, asked me my opinion, which she trusted and normally followed. I basically told her: "meh", and sent her on her way to do with my opinion what she pleased. Pretty much, she promptly disregarded it and proceeded to read (and love) the entire series. She then tried to convince me that I needed to give it another try. It was at this point that I read a MAJOR spoiler for Allegiant, and, needless to say, my reaction at first was, "um, no, but thanks." Then I remembered it was being made into a movie, and the movie allure always draws me in - what can I say? I'm a sucker for movie adaptations. So I resolved to give them a try "eventually"... like closer to the release date or something. I'm sure you can see how committed I was to this task at the time, haha.

Soon, the hype for the movie really sucked me in and I decided to read the books about a month earlier than the release date. I will not give you my opinions on Insurgent and Allegiant here since I plan on reviewing those also over the next two weeks. But I will tell you what I thought about Divergent. My first instinct several years ago was right - I enjoyed it, and it was a good book.

I remembered the basic story line to Divergent from the last time but I'd forgotten enough for it to still keep my interest and keep me intrigued. I love the idea of the factions and the concept is really original despite some similarities to other popular books in the genre. I wish the series were longer to expand more on everything in this awesome world.

The first time reading, I remember feeling a little underwhelmed by Tris and Four's fledgling romance, and this time around I was, too. I enjoyed them both as separate characters but until the last quarter of the book, I thought their interactions were awkward and not pulled off very well. They sort of just hop right into being together at one point and I was left kind of wondering how it even built up to that and what had I missed?

I also thought Tris's reaction to all the crazy Dauntless crap going on was a little hard to believe. She was raised Abnegation! There is no way she could honestly feel disgusted by someone crying themselves to sleep at night during that initiation. Uncomfortable? Yes. Annoyed? Maybe, so. Disgusted? Okay, now I'm calling your bluff, chick. I found Tris to be a strong character, and I really did grow to like her when she started acting like herself, not like she needed to prove to everyone else that she was truly no longer Abnegation, but now Dauntless. I loved her best when she was being brave, selfless, smart, etc. Basically when she was embracing her divergence, haha.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this story and the potential it held for the rest of the series, though I was quite nervous going into Insurgent because I DNF'd it the first time I'd tried to read it (don't worry, I'll be posting a review all about that experience too!).

     RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

I'm extremely excited to talk about this book with everyone! In retrospect, after having read all the books by this time, I think I especially love Divergent now because it means so much more. I really wanted to re-read the books to go back and study the first two books in the context of the third, but I'm not emotionally ready to handle that right now, haha.

I am also ridiculously excited for the movie which is being released in about three weeks. I will most definitely be one of the crazies at the midnight showing - I cannot wait!
What did you think of Divergent (please leave any spoilers for the other books out of this discussion..)? I really did enjoy it and I loved getting to know Tris and Four, and Christina (who is one of my favorite characters!) and friends, and exploring the world through Roth's world-building. Are you planning to see the movie?

Also - what faction do you think you would be in? This is a question that has always bested me and I really would love to know if you all have answers for it or not. I can't decide if I'd be in Abnegation or Erudite. Probably Erudite because I really am quite selfish most of the time, so I don't know if I could handle Abnegation as a lifestyle. I wonder about Amity sometimes... though I probably could not be that happy and calm all the time. Definitely not Candor either, yikes! What do you think?

A.