We’re just over a month away now from the release of what is perhaps the biggest film for Q1 2014 – Divergent. Aiming to buck the trend of recent YA adaptations flopping with audiences and critics (see: The Host, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones) the Neil Burger-helmed movie might just prove itself to be the next Hunger Games. And if not, it will have at least made a decent and respectful attempt.
Starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James, the film is based on Veronica Roth’s same-named novel, which burned up the bestseller charts back in 2011. Divergent will take place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic Chicago where society has been divided into five factions, based on different personalities. Woodley plays Tris, who, after finding out she has a Divergent personality (meaning that she doesn’t fit neatly into any of the factions), discovers a plot that threatens not only her life, but the lives of all Divergents like her.
There’s certainly been no shortage of promotional material for the film lately, and today sees the release of the final trailer, which you can check out below. Showing off footage both old and new, this latest tease makes a pretty solid case for why we should be getting excited about Divergent.
Arriving after a recent string of just plain awful YA adaptations, I really do think that this film could break the mold. Its cast (Woodley, James, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney) is quite impressive, and Burger has shown a real flair for visuals behind the camera with films like The Illusionist and Limitless.
Furthermore, everything we’ve seen from the trailers and other various bits of promotional material leads me to believe that this is a film that can appeal not only to the target youth demographic, but to a more mature audience as well.
All things considered, I’m firmly on board with Divergent at this point.Â
Divergent hits theatres on March 21st. Will you be giving this Hunger Games hopeful a chance?
DIVERGENT is a thrilling action-adventure film set in a future where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. Tris Prior (Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it’s too late. Based on the best-selling book series by Veronica Roth.
