‘Divergent’ hindi nagpatalbog sa ’Harry Potter’ at ‘Hunger Games’

“DIVERGENT” is a lot better in its movie form than in its book. With GMA Artist Center PR Lendyl Fabella, while waiting for the 5th Golden Screen Awards for TV to start last Saturday, hinabol namin ang 6:20 p.m. screening ng isa na namang young teen book turned into a possible movie franchise na “Divergent” sa cinema 5 ng Greenhills.

The cinema is not full when we got in but after the lights went on, mahigit rin naman pala sa kalahati ang kasabayan namin but we expected more dahil bukod sa it’s a Friday, no more school for the students and this is a sosi place for teens who have read the book.

Still, there is enough swooning girls in the audience so we’re quite sure it will find its target audience in the country. Based on the first of the three books of Veronica Roth, “Divergent” happened a hundred years after the last war kung saan people are divided into factions to avoid violence once again.

Erudite is for those who seek knowledge. Candor is for those who seek the truth. Abnegation is for those who are selfless. Amity is for those who despise violence and seeks to work and Dauntless is for those who will protect the population from those beyond the fence wall.

Abnegation ang pamilya ng magkapatid na sina Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) at Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and expected ng kanilang magulang na sina Natalie (Ashley Judd) at Andrew (Tony Goldwyn) that will choose their faction sa Choosing Day, the day all 16 years old choose their faction.

But Caleb chose Erudite and Beatrice, being a divergent (one who has at least three personalities of the five factions) chose Dauntless where she met Four (Theo James) who will train and love her and Jeanine (Kate Winslet) who will forever be her enemy and the story starts from there as the Abnegation is being threatened by the Erudite passing off rumors that Abnegations are protecting the Divergent and so they must be eradicated, all of them.

It started with “Harry Potter” when teen adult books really exploded from the book to the movies. Sinundan ito ng “Twilight” and then currently ng “Hunger Games”. In a lesser success was “Percy Jackson” samantalang total flop naman ang “Beautiful Creatures” and “Vampire Academy”.

Now comes “Divergent” which we actually bought the book prior to the showing just to have the feel of the story. Sa book, while we were able to finish it without a violent reaction, we were not that impressed.

The writing is good but too near “The Hunger Games” ito where instead of districts, there are factions and instead of age 11 for the Reaping, it’s age 16 for the Choosing Day.

Mabuti na lang, director Neil Burger wisely decided not to do the very “Hunger Games” sequences that is in the book and created a different look and style and this is actually the best part of the movie.

There is never any part of the movie that has the “Hunger Games” look and so we’re very happy that it has its own feel. We like the production lalo na’t extensive ang naging stay namin sa Chicago the first time we went to the US so relate kami habang pinapakita ang post war look ng Windy City including the Old Navy Pier, the Sears Tower and the Magnificent Mile where most of the action is being done.

We also like the cast here unlike in “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” na all looks and no acting. It is again nearer than “The Hunger Games”, the trio is good looking and knows how to act.

Shailene looks very fresh and we can see her being the would be Primrose Everdeen sa “The Hunger Games” kung tinanggap niya ito noon bilang kapatid nga ni Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.

We know Theo way back in the first season pa lang ng “Downton Abbey” and “Underworld” and we know he looks good and can act.  At dahil hindi kami nag-review much of the movie prior to watching it, pleasantly surprised kami that nandito pala ang newest favorite naming si Ansel bilang si Caleb ngang kapatid ni Beatrice. Ansel first impressed us sa “Carrie” remake with Chloe Moritz.

Tinadtad din ito ng acting winners and nominees like Kate (Oscar for The Reader) and Ashley, TV favorites like Tony (sa Scandal), Maggie Q as Tori (sa Nikita), Ray Stevenson as Marcus (sa Dexter) and the next in lines na sina Zoe Kravitz as Christina (seen noon sa X Men First Class) and Miles Teller as Peter (seen recently sa That Awkward Moment).
Overall, satisfied kami sa movie form and we will wait for the next two movies na “Insurgent” and “Allegiant”.
But will we read the next two books? No, will just wait for the movie, wala naman kaming makikitang Ansel and Theo doon, eh.