Neil Burger makes a point to jump right into the thick of things by having main protagonist, Tris (Shailene Woodley), explain to the audience the basics in order to help them understand the story. While the names of the five factions (Candor, Dauntless, Amity, Erudite and Abnegation) mean the same thing in this dystopian society as they do in the real world, I feel that many people would be unfamiliar with these terms, making the story difficult to follow early on (and ultimately making Tris’ opening narration less than effective). From what I understand, the book series, written by Veronica Roth, was very well written; it was detailed and full of excitement. The film didn’t fill the expectations that fans would have had going in. The story itself was, in fact, interesting and had so much potential to make a good film, but I thought that the pacing and the acting (or lack thereof) ruined most of that potential. Like previously mentioned, Burger makes sure to jump right in rather than making the audience wait; this should have been a sign that the ride would have been fast paced and enjoyable, but the story quickly slowed down after Tris chooses her faction not long into the film. Compared to other dystopian series film adaptations, such as Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games and James Dashner’s The Maze Runner, this film takes a long time to set up. We know, briefly, about the issues that take place in Tris’ world but it’s not until the end that anything significantly materialized. The cast was full of interesting choices; it’s as if Venus Kanani and Mary Vernieu made it a point to cast the most borderline actors they could find. They chose actors that were close to the verge of stardom, but have managed to fall short their entire career. Actors such as Theo James (Four), Ansel Elgort (Caleb) and Maggie Q (Tori) were chosen to portray quite pivotal roles in the film. While their acting wasn’t terrible, it was simply their lack of emotion that caused the film to drag a bit; this shortcoming caused a disconnect between character and viewer. The best part of the film was the final fifteen minutes or so. Everything came together and ultimately led smoothly into the next installment of the film franchise. While I struggled at certain points to remain interested in the film, I am looking forward to the sequel, Insurgent (2015). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1840309/?ref_=nm_knf_i1
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