A few weeks ago I wrote a non-spoiling book review about Divergent and a few other dystopian types of books. You can click on that link if you want to read it. Well, now I’ve seen the movie as well, and I have some thoughts about the whole thing. This blog won’t have any real spoilers, but it will explore characters and how they were portrayed in the movie vs. the book, and my thoughts on where the series might/should go.
So, a huge majority of fans agree with me that the last book in the series was just awful. The writing was terrible, there were lots of plot holes, the “voice” of the main characters changed dramatically. I was so upset when I finished the book (which took me three times as long to read as the others because I was so disappointed) that I swore off the whole series. Eventually, when I became a fan of Shailene Woodley, I decided to go see the movie.
The movie was very good. It was fast paced and the acting was good, and the set was spectacular. There were so many elements of the book that I was hoping to see, and they did them justice. I was dissapointed in some of the character portrayals, namely Peter, who is supposed to be a heartless cruel guy but only came off as a bully in the movie, and I was sad to see some characters I loved written out or not mentioned at all. I realize that movie adaptions can never be exactly like the book, so overall I was very pleased, and in fact, I am optimistic for the future. Interesting note: the movie is pretty close to the book, but different enough that if you haven’t read the book but have seen the movie, you might still be surprised by a lot of elements in the book. It’s worth a read.
Last thing. You know how I said the last book sucked? Well, based on the execution of the first book, I am very optimistic that the last book could be saved by the movie. Most everything wrong with the last read can (and should be) corrected by clever screen-writers, and hopefully the series will be redeemed. I’ve never been so impassioned for a series before, only to suddenly despise it, so I’m wary about the whole thing. Now, though, I’m hopeful too.