Divergent

Actors: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Maggie Q and Kate Winslet.

Rating:  8 out of 10, I’m guessing this is some sort of Hunger Games rip off and I later learned it’s part of a trilogy penned by a young female author in that vein.  Thank God it wasn’t some of that soulless Twilight crap and was actually pretty entertaining.  It’s set in a future post-apocalyptic Chicago surrounded by a huge wall.  The people have divided themselves into factions based on their abilities which leads to a lot of intrigue.  Shailene Woodley who was the best thing about the movie The Descendants stars as the lead character and does a good job of carrying it. She’s a “divergent” which is a bad thing in this strictly structured class society and we follow her initiation into the war fighting faction.  Since this was penned for the young and female there’s a hunky trainer who falls madly in love with her but that doesn’t distract from the action and a fast moving plot.  It’s evidence that good acting can elevate some marginal writing, this was a lot of fun to watch.  Maggie Q and Ray Stevenson are severely underused but Kate Winslet chews up a lot of scenery as the villain.    

MVP:  Woodley shines as Trice, the divergent around which everything revolves