Since I reviewed the Divergent trilogy, it’s only fitting that I review the movie adaptation of Divergent.
I went into this movie with no expectations. For every great adaptation (like Ender’s Game or the Harry Potter movies), there are several bad ones (the Disney version of The Black Cauldron), or downright awful ones (City of Bones and Starship Troopers). So I wanted to be open-minded.
First off, I did have some problems. I felt the movie rushed through the first act. The book took a lot of time to let you get to know Beatrice and her family. It did a great job of world-building, letting you see how each faction lives. The movie doesn’t let you get to know Beatrice before the Choosing Ceremony where Beatrice decides her faction.
However, there were some things the movie did right. The movie didn’t has as much time as the book, but it was paced well after the first act. Beatrice and Four were still very compelling. The dystopian version of Chicago was well-designed and looked similar to how I pictured it from the book. The woman playing Beatrice did a good job.
So, was it good? For the most part, I could forgive the movie’s flaws. I realize that every movie has only so much time to tell a story. Books always have all the time they need to tell a story (for the most part), so movies always have to compensate. Some do it well, and some don’t. Final word? See it for yourself, and be open-minded. You might like it.
Aspie Catholic 
Any author lucky enough to have a movie based on their work has to take into account the differences between media, and adjust their expectations accordingly. I’ve read a few books that would have been better off as movies (not the fault of their authors, really, some stories are just better suited to a quicker-paced visual medium).
Most all of the time, though, a book has time to explore the little details and minutiae a film does not….
I’m guessing that’s why Rick Riordan isn’t too distressed about the two awful Percy Jackson movies. Even a bad movie can still garner interest in the books. My second cousin Bryce is proof.