Divergent

[Mark S.]

It was okay. I liked it. Didn't love it.

If I had to write a tagline about this movie, it would be, "Like the Hunger Games ... only different." It's a Burger King/McDonald's difference. Different flavors of the same thing.

[mkpunk]

I rented the movie from the library after wanting to actually see it based on the trailer and what not and MAANNN, it sucked. It is easily my second worse film last year. God that film was not acted. If I didn't hate the take on Spider-Man with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it would have been. I am not interested in the sequel like I was before seeing the film.

[D. Scott]

I just randomly clicked on it on cable as it was starting. Loved it. Good story.

Spoiler

That zip-line was wicked!

I want one! Anyway it was a film I had no interest in that won me over.

[Giesela]

I haven't read either Hunger Games or Divergent books but I have seen all the movies.

I think Jennifer Lawrence and some of the other actors on HG are amazing as are the sets, the visuals, CGI etc. HG with its domes, jungles, rural and city areas, district 1 weird dress is more visually appealing. Also the story writing sets up good vs. bad tension better both in plot and characters.

Divergent is a drab world, you don't really know that there is a problem till almost to the end. The writing is sort of slow, the lead character isn't quite as good an actor.

BUT!

I think HG's premise is pretty stupid. The whole district/hunger games thing. I can't make it make sense no matter how I think about it. The way the whole future seems to rest on Katniss is a bit much.

Divergent's premise may be imperfect but its certainly provides a lot of food for thought. The question which faction would you choose almost immediately makes you think about how you have some of each faction in you and isn't everyone divergent? What would a relatively small group of survivors in the future pick as a social structure to try to keep the human propensity for war/power/violence from destroying the world again?

So there were things I liked and didn't like about both.

[mkpunk]

Originally Posted by Giesela

I haven't read either Hunger Games or Divergent books but I have seen all the movies.

I think Jennifer Lawrence and some of the other actors on HG are amazing as are the sets, the visuals, CGI etc. HG with its domes, jungles, rural and city areas, district 1 weird dress is more visually appealing. Also the story writing sets up good vs. bad tension better both in plot and characters.

Divergent is a drab world, you don't really know that there is a problem till almost to the end. The writing is sort of slow, the lead character isn't quite as good an actor.

BUT!

I think HG's premise is pretty stupid. The whole district/hunger games thing. I can't make it make sense no matter how I think about it. The way the whole future seems to rest on Katniss is a bit much.

Divergent's premise may be imperfect but its certainly provides a lot of food for thought. The question which faction would you choose almost immediately makes you think about how you have some of each faction in you and isn't everyone divergent? What would a relatively small group of survivors in the future pick as a social structure to try to keep the human propensity for war/power/violence from destroying the world again?

So there were things I liked and didn't like about both.

The problem I found with Hunger Games is they brushed over what made Panem with the wars. Otherwise it was good with Katniss being the one to realize the lies of the government in her year of being the spokesperson to everyone. To me that why the future rests on Katniss but it seems like from Mockingjay, there were a host of others that Katniss just spoke for.
For Divergent, the concept of the test and where you fit in made me wanted to see the film. But when I saw the movie the portrayals, the acting and the execution of the movie was just plain poor and made me hate it. And I was kind of excited for the sequel before I saw the first film...