Divergent Series Ranking

A few weeks ago, Sarah and I decided to watch the Divergent film series. It also happens that Shailene Woodley has a new movie, To Catch a Killer, coming out this weekend. Because of that, I thought it would be fun to go through and share my thoughts and ranking of the Divergent films. I first read through the Divergent books back in middle school when they came out. So naturally, I was excited when they decided to make movies about the series. The films have had declining amounts of success to the point where they didn't even finish the series because of how poorly the 3rd movie did. Overall, I enjoyed the Divergent series. It isn't my favorite dystopian young adult series, nor is it the worst. With that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the three Divergent films.

3. Allegiant

Allegiant is the disappointing conclusion to the Divergent series. Originally, there was supposed to be a fourth film, but this film did so poorly that the final film got scrapped. The only positive thing about this film is that it is never boring. It has quite a few solid action sequences and the escape sequence at the beginning is fun to watch. Other than that, I really don't care for this film. The plot itself is very thin. There isn't much of any story pushing this film along and no real conflict is established until the later half of the film. When the villains are finally established, their plan just doesn't make much sense, and is really unclear what their end goal was. I also wasn't a fan of the story structure switching between the side plots of all of these characters, never giving one character a focused story. Finally, what bothers me the most is the blatant disregard for the source material. This movie really makes no attempt to stick to the plot of the book and essentially makes up its own story to the point where the ending of the book wouldn't have been possible for the final film. I have no issue when a movie doesn't stick with the book and goes in favor of something that works better but this movie changes things only to produce a watered-down inferior story. Overall, this is just a disappointing finale to the Divergent series that really wastes the potential of the source material.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

2. Insurgent

Insurgent is a slightly more compelling story but is still extremally disappointing considering the source material. This movie does have quite a few fun sequences specifically in the first half of the film. I also really enjoyed that we get to explore the other factions. However, just like the final film, there is a lot about this movie that I am not a fan of. One of the biggest issues is that I was not a fan of the magic divergent box plot that the whole movie is centered around. I feel like it oversimplifies the story that was so much more complex in the book. I also felt that the book jumps around too much. We never get to spend enough time in any one faction or really see any characters grow or change. The movie also sidelines a lot of side characters that add important aspects to the book in favor of having a lesser story. Finally, I felt that the movie's final battle is a big letdown. The movie chooses to eliminate a big final attack on Erudite where all the factions are working together and instead replaces it with a small-scale simulation where Tris fights herself. I think the movie would have had a much more satisfying ending had it gone for a big final battle like in the books. In the end, just like in the final film, this movie eliminates exciting aspects from the book in favor of a lesser climax and in turn produces a sequel that is far inferior than what it should have been.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

I. Divergent

The original film is definitely the strongest in the series. This movie has the strongest story as well as sticks the closest to the books. One of the coolest things about this film is the world-building. This movie does a great job of fleshing out what the factions are and how each one operates. It also does a great job of showing off the daily life in the Dauntless faction. I also really enjoyed the base plot of the story where the characters essentially have to compete in a tournament to stay in their faction. I think easily, the best part of this movie is the whole training aspect, both the physical and mental sections. I think those sections do a great job of portraying life as a Dauntless trainee. Finally, I thought the film did a great job with Tris's journey throughout the film. She starts as a timid girl but then grows in confidence as well as strength. It is done in a way that seems so natural that you can totally buy into the journey that she takes. Overall, this is an effective story and a solid adaptation of the book. While it may not be the best dystopian movie out there, it is still a fun story.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B