Film adaptation - Divergent

I quite enjoyed reading Veronica Roth's Divergent, so had pretty high hopes for the film. I'm glad to say that these were mostly justified - while the film did cut out some of the brutality of the book (for instance the initiate falling to their death early on), for the most part it stayed true to the plotline and the atmosphere of the novel.

It really brought to life the melancholy beauty of the destroyed landscapes being reclaimed by nature, and while much of the film took place in underground tunnels, we see enough of the outside world not to get bored of the setting. The central character, Tris (played by Shailene Woodley) does, in the usual hollywood fashion, remain pretty even after being horribly beaten up, only the odd painted-on bruise remaining. It was nice, however, to see that she didn't cry attractively - why shouldn't people in films have distorted, crumpled faces and hoarse nasal voices when they cry, as well as real life? That made the sad parts all the more touching, for me, to see a more realistic expression of grief.

The action was well-paced, and the film stuck well to the book - losing some of its depth due to time constraints, but that's always a problem. Well worth a watch, if you enjoyed the book.