OTS #10: Divergent the Movie

As many people know, Divergent was released on the 21st of March, 2014. Many anxious Divergent fans have long-awaited this moment while also acknowledging the fact that pansycakes everywhere will claim to be Divergent fans when they didn't even read the book. READ THE BOOK; IT'S AWESOME!

Of course, the movie was good, but not as good as the book. One of the scenes that I anticipated the most happened to not make it in the movie (if anyone was wondering, the scene I'm talking about is the Peter, Edward, and butterknife bit).

Other aspects of the book were changed in the movie, such as Tobias/Four's age. In the book, Four is said to be 18, only two years older than Woodley's character, Tris Prior. Their age difference isn't that big and is accepted by most readers. HOWEVER, in the movie, Four is suppose to be 24 because the actor playing his character, Theo James, is 29 and looks it. This puts 8 whole years in between Tris and Four, which is unappealing to some, especially since Tris is still a minor while Four is not.

Obviously, the number of fears Tris has is not going to be very important in the plot of the movie. In the book, she has seven, a number that changes later on in the series. But in the movie, only five are shown. One of her fears, intimacy with Four, is portrayed as an almost-rape. I can't remember the movie as well as I did yesterday, but I don't think Four reacted to seeing that fear (since he was in the room during the final test) as he did in the book when Tris told him about it. In fact, I don't think Four reacted to it at all.

After seeing Divergent, I became very anxious to see TFIOS, which happens to be featuring Shailene Woodley as Hazel and Ansel Elgort as Gus. Both actors were in Divergent as bother and sister (Woodley played Tris and Elgort played Caleb). Luckily for TFIOS fans, Elgort is only 20 and will be able to pull off being a teenager. Woodley happens to be 22, making her older than Elgort, but I couldn't tell.

Anyway, it's a fantastic movie! I would recommend it!!!

Book Blog #70: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
# of Pages: 487 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Rating:★★★★☆
Synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
Review: Below are two reviews; the first is my original review I wrote in January 2013 (not directly after reading) and the second being my new review.

Original Review - January 15, 2013

My rating? 3.5 stars!

I love the unique concept that Roth came up with. If you are fortune (or unfortunate) enough to live in this futuristic setting, you would live in one of five factions. Each faction fosters a certain character trait. The book starts off by immediately captivating the reader into the details of this different society. There was suspense and intensity; the tone was set for each scene.

But near the end, when she (SPOILER ALERT), finds love, my mind feels like its walking through mud. The books seemed to run out of steam. It disappointed me.

Second Review - November 7, 2013

Looking back at my original review, I'm a little ashamed of it. I had no idea what I was talking about. Jeez.

Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is what I call an enjoyable read. Once again, I am reminded that a good book goes by quickly. I was able to finish the book two days earlier than it usually takes me to read an almost five-hundred page book.

Now, yes, the book isn't perfect (thus why I gave it four stars instead of five). There were clichés, and sometimes I detected a bit of the annoying-main-character-syndrome. But the important part is that I fell in love with Divergent all over again. Even though there were some flaws, all is forgiven once the reader falls in love with the plot, the characters, everything!

I am so glad that I reread Divergent (in honor of Allegiant's release). It was so worth my time. If you have not read this wonderful gift of a book, please do. It's fantastic.