Are we all divergent after all?

Speciality Theatre

Divergent

***

Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet

Director: Neil Burger

Rated: PG-13

Showing: Fri-Sat 2:30pm, 6:15pm, 9:30pm; Sun 2:15pm, 5:15pm, 8:30pm; Mon-Thurs 2:30pm, 6pm,  9pm.

Runtime: 139 minutes

Action, adventure, sci-fi.

In the futuristic world of Divergent, the notion that you can do anything, be anyone and go anywhere does not apply.

At age 16, Chicagoans are forced to pick their lifelong path from one of five “factions” or groups: Abnegation, whose members are selfless; Amity, peaceful; Candour, honest; Erudite, intelligent; and Dauntless, brave.

Regret your choice and you’re out of luck; there are no mulligans. This isn’t like changing tracks or majors or colleges or enjoying the modern luxury of a gap year.

This is your life — for life.

That is the backdrop for teenager Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley), who lives with her parents (Tony Goldwyn and Ashley Judd), part of the Abnegation faction, meaning they dress in gray, drab clothing, wear plain hairstyles and adopt unassuming demeanours so they can focus on others.

When Beatrice undergoes a mandatory aptitude test to determine her faction, she shows equal leanings for Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite, which makes her Divergent and extremely dangerous in some unspecified way.

She is warned not to tell anyone, including her family, and when it comes time to pick her faction, she chooses Dauntless to the surprise of everyone. Her brother (Ansel Elgort) opts for Erudite, and Beatrice sees how the other one-fifth live, finds she has to literally fight for a spot in Dauntless and is unnerved by Four (Theo James), the guarded, tough teacher of the initiates.

Divergent follows Beatrice — now calling herself Tris — as she discovers just how perilous her secret label is, experiences her deepest fears thanks to drug-induced hallucinations and uncovers a plan that endangers her and those she loves.

The carefully constructed society is about to be upended by the darker side of some of the factions in this movie naturally being compared to the Twilight and The Hunger Games franchises.

Divergent to its benefit, gives moviegoers something to chew on. What happens when teens, especially, are stereotyped and defined by a single characteristic? Does anyone really fit into such a narrow slot, or are we all divergent?

Can fears and human nature be controlled to such great extents? And is there room for yet another YA franchise, even one that is very faithful to the text, at the multiplex? 

Need for Speed

**

Stars: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Scott Mescudi

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra. 

Rated: PG-13

Showing: Fri 2:30pm, 6pm, 9pm; Sat 6pm, 9pm; Sun 2:15pm, 5pml 8pm; Mon  2:15pm, 6:45pm; Tues-Wed 2:15pm, 7pm; Thurs 2:15pm,  6:45pm.

Runtime: 130 minutes

Action, crime, drama.

For anybody tired of digital movie car chases that, while fast and furious, routinely defy the laws of physics, here’s one where the cars and stunts are real (mostly) and spectacular. A cross-country sprint followed by a daredevil dash through rural California by the superest of today’s supercars, Need for Speed is a car-lover’s dream, a showcase for everything from Bugatti Veyrons to vintage Camaros. 

Neptune Theatre

Tyler Perry's The Single Mom's Club

****

Stars: Nia Long, Amy Smart, Wendi McLendon-Covey.

Director: Tyler Perry.

Rated: PG-13

Showing: Fri 5pm, 9:30pm; 

Sat 3:30pm, 6pm, 8:30pm; 

Sun 2:30pm, 5:30pm; Mon-Thurs 7:30pm.

Runtime: 111 mins

Comedy, drama.

It’s understandable why director/writer/actor Tyler Perry has continually gone back to his female comedy persona of Madea: it makes big money.

For The Single Moms Club, Perry trades the over-the-top antics of Madea for a sometimes serious — and often funny — look at what it means to be a single mom as seen through the perspective of a variety of women. 

Five women — brought together by the antics of their pre-teen kids at private school — must set aside their differences to work on a school fundraiser as penitence for the crimes of their children. 

It starts out with a clash — like trying to mix oil, water, vinegar, cider and pure grain alcohol. Perry manages to find a way to blend these elements into one pleasing concoction. 

Liberty Theatre

Hired out for the Bermuda International Film Festival.