Six Words and a Review (This One is for My Daughter)

Today I will present six words that may or may not be familiar to you. They are certainly familiar in our house because my daughter has talked of little else over the past few months. I will explain a bit later.

1. Candor - unreserved, honest, or sincere expression

2. Abnegation - self-denial

3. Erudite - learned

4. Dauntless - fearless

5. Amity - friendship

6. Divergent - differing from the standard

Do you know what these words have in common? The book series and movie: Divergent

When Divergent (the movie) first came out, a couple of us youth group leaders went with some girls from our youth group to see it, including my daughter. She had read the entire series by Veronica Roth and was ecstatic to finally be seeing the movie. I had not read any of the books, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I am a movie-goer, and I enjoy seeing action-packed movies with a good story line. I was impressed by this movie. It was the fastest 2-1/2-hour movie I've ever seen. Yes, I know, 2-1/2 hours is always 2-1/2 hours, but this movie did not seem like 2-1/2 hours. I felt like I had only been sitting in the theater for a half an hour.

It is rated PG-13, mostly because of the violence. In this dystopian society, there are groups fighting against each other. There is killing, though very little blood. Several swear words are used. There is no sex, though Tris and Four kiss, and the new recruits are forced to share sleeping quarters. The movie shows some undressing, but no one is ever naked. During Tris' simulation test, which shows a person's fears, she dreams that Four is trying to physically hurt her as he throws her onto a bed. She kicks him and escapes.

Despite the fact that I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone with younger children, it is a well-made film. It is action-packed and quick moving. There are few, if any, slow spots.

Since we all have differing views of what is appropriate for our kids to watch, you should consider reading the review on Plugged in Online and then decide. I, however, felt that my kids could distinguish between reality and fantasy. They know not to swear. One good thing this movie does is provide a strong female character, one who isn't afraid to be different, one who stands up for what she believes to be right. In the scene where she and Four are kissing, she stops kissing him and tells him she doesn't want to go too fast. This strength of this character is a strong point for the movie, I believe.