Divergent (2014)

Divergent is a 2014 American science fiction action film directed by Neil Burger, based on the novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. The film is the first installment in The Divergent Series and was produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian, and Douglas Wick, with a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor.^[4] It stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q and Kate Winslet.^[5][6] The story takes place in a dystopian and post-apocalyptic Chicago^[7] where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Beatrice Prior is warned that she is Divergent and thus will never fit into any one of the factions. She soon learns that a sinister plot is brewing in the seemingly perfect society.

Development of Divergent began in March 2011 when Summit Entertainmentpicked up the film rights to the novel with Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher's production company Red Wagon Entertainment. Principal photography began April 16, 2013, and concluded on July 16, 2013, with reshoots taking place from January 24–26, 2014. Production mostly took place in Chicago.

Divergent was released on March 21, 2014, in the United States. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise going towards its concepts and action, and criticism focused on its execution. Reviewers found the film to be generic and unoriginal, comparing it unfavorably to other young adult fiction adaptations. Despite this, the film was a financial success as it reached the #1 spot at the box office during its opening weekend. After its release, the film earned over US$288 million worldwide against its budget of US$85 million.^[8][9] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 5, 2014.^[10]

A sequel, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, was released on March 20, 2015 in the United States.

In a futuristic dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intellectual). The remaining population are the Factionless, who have no status or privilege in this society. When children reach the age of 16, they undergo a serum-induced psychological aptitude test which indicates their best-suited faction, though they are allowed to choose any faction as their permanent group at the subsequent Choosing Ceremony.

Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) was born into Abnegation, which runs the government. Her father, Andrew Prior (Tony Goldwyn), serves on the ruling council along with the head of Abnegation, Marcus Eaton (Ray Stevenson). Beatrice takes her test with a Dauntless woman named Tori Wu (Maggie Q) as her proctor. Her results show equal attributes of multiple factions, meaning she is Divergent. Her divergence includes Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. Tori records her results as Abnegation and warns her to keep the true result a secret, saying that because Divergents can think independently the government cannot control them and they are considered threats to the existing social order.

The next day at the Choosing Ceremony, Beatrice's brother Caleb Prior (Ansel Elgort) chooses Erudite. After some indecision, Beatrice defects to Dauntless. After the ceremony, Beatrice meets Christina (Zoë Kravitz), Al (Christian Madsen), and Will (Ben Lloyd-Hughes), three other initiates from other factions who also chose Dauntless. Christina and Al are from Candor, and Will is from Erudite. The initiates' commitment and fearlessness are immediately tested, and Eric Coulter (Jai Courtney), a brutal Dauntless leader, makes it clear that anyone not meeting Dauntless' high expectations will be expelled from the faction to become Factionless. Beatrice is the first to volunteer for a leap of faith from a tall building into a dark hole, landing in a net. When Four (Theo James), a transfer initiates' instructor, asks her name, she shortens it to "Tris" leaving her Abnegation childhood behind.

Tris initially struggles in Dauntless training, ranking far below the cutoff after the first evaluation, but with Four's help slowly improves. Eric matches her against her nemesis — Peter (Miles Teller) in a fight. Tris is soundly defeated and wakes up in the infirmary. Informed that she will miss the most important test, Capture The Flag, Tris leaves the infirmary and joins the other initiates, secures her team's victory, and makes the final cut.

In the next phase of training, the initiates face their worst fears in psychological simulations. Divergents are resistant to serums and simulations, so Tris excels at these tests, solving them in peculiar ways, but Four warns her to solve the challenges as a normal Dauntless would in order to hide her abilities.

Tris visits Caleb. She tells him that Erudite is planning to overthrow Abnegation and become the ruling faction. He doesn't believe her. On her return to Dauntless quarters, Tris is attacked by Al, Peter, and Drew before being rescued by Four. The next day Al pleads for Tris' forgiveness but she refuses, calling him a coward. He later kills himself by jumping into "The Chasm" rather than live with the shame.

To prepare her for the final test, Four takes Tris into his own fear simulations, where she learns that he was Tobias Eaton, the son of Marcus Eaton. After the simulation, they kiss. Tris then passes her test and is officially initiated into Dauntless. The Dauntless, including Tris and Four, are injected by Dauntless leadership with a serum supplied by Erudite which is supposedly for tracking, but is actually for mind control.

The next morning, the Dauntless prepare to execute Abnegations by the orders of the Erudites and the Dauntless leadership working with them. Divergents are unaffected by the mind control serum. When the mind controlled Dauntless army are preparing for Abnegation execution, a confused Divergent reveals himself by asking everyone what is happening and is shot immediately by Eric. Witnessing this Tris blends in with the army to avoid suspicion. On the train, she carefully makes her way next to Four. She stands next to him and after a few seconds he reveals himself as a Divergent to Tris for the first time by holding her hand and she is relieved. While the Dauntless move to raid Abnegation, Tris and Four separate from the group and attempt to locate Tris' parents. Eric is suspicious of Four and tests him by pointing his gun at Four. Tris breaks their cover and points her gun at Eric. Their identities as Divergents are revealed to the Dauntless leaders and they both get captured. Four is taken into custody while Tris is ordered to be executed. Her mother Natalie (Ashley Judd) appears and liberates her. Tris now knows that her mother was also Dauntless. She tells Tris her father's whereabouts and that they have to get back to them immediately. Tris kills one of her friends, Will, and is really affected by the fact that she had to kill her friend to survive. Unfortunately, her mother is soon shot dead as they flee. Tris has to leave her mother's dead body to save herself from being killed.

Tris finds her father in hiding with several Abnegations, including Caleb and Marcus. The group sneaks into Dauntless headquarters, where Tris encounters Peter and forces him to lead them to the Erudite's control center. Her father sacrifices himself in a shootout, and Tris goes in alone to find Four, who is now under stronger mind control designed for Divergents and attacks her. Using her knowledge of his fears, she manages to wake him from the mind control and the two enter the central control room, where Erudite leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet) is about to have the Dauntless army execute the entire Abnegation faction. Tris uses a sample of the mind control serum on her to force her to cancel the program. The group escapes the compound and boards a train out of the complex.