Will "Divergent" Be A Hit?

With so many failed film adaptations of popular young-adult novels in the past year alone, can 'Divergent' break through the clutter and be the next hit that the genre and Hollywood so desperately need?

In today's culture you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't know anything about Twilight or The Hunger Games. These two young-adult series broke down barriers and proved — with box office dominance and fervent fan-bases — that these types of stories have a place in the world of blockbuster cinema and caused a surge in film adaptations of young-adult book series. Sadly, if you asked a stranger on the street today, I bet they wouldn't know a thing about The Host, Beautiful Creatures, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones or even last month's Vampire Academy. After this string of failures, it appears studios across Hollywood have finally realized getting people to show up to this new sub-genre is easier said than done. On March 21, Divergent, the latest attempt to be the "new" Twilight or The Hunger Games, hits theaters, and studio executives and young adult authors alike are holding their breath in hopes that Divergent will be the next pop culture phenomenon.

Adapted from the novel by Veronica Roth, who recently championed the film adaptation with a rave review of her own, Divergent takes place in a futuristic Chicago where the population is split into five factions based on each citizen's greatest asset. 16-year-old Tris (Shailene Woodley) discovers she is "Divergent," meaning she fits into more than one faction. In this world, the trait is highly dangerous and unpredictable which leads to a war between Tris, and others like her, and the government at large trying to eliminate those who are "Divergent" from their society.

At this point, it's fairly clear that Divergent isn't going to completely bomb. All three of Veronica Roths' books have been in the Top 10 on the Amazon Best-Seller list for a lengthy period of time and its fan-base already seems larger than those of other would-be franchises. However, the biggest question looming over the films release is how great of an impact it will actually have. When Twilight and The Hunger Games both premiered, they didn't just make a lot of money, they ignited a worldwide conversation and an unstoppable buzz that led their first film releases to ridiculously long theatrical runs and unavoidable word-of-mouth. You literally couldn't turn on the TV or open a magazine without seeing something about the series or its stars. Twilight in particular, turned Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner into global superstars. For years, you'd be hard pressed to find a magazine that wasn't featuring at least one of them. The Hunger Games catapulted Jennifer Lawrence into the stratosphere of pop culture awareness. For Divergent, the question remains how big will stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James get and will the series pop culture impact lead to a full-blown franchise?

Just last week, Woodley was featured on the cover of the latest The Hollywood Reporter with one of those always ridiculous comparison headlines: "the next Jennifer Laurence?" These headlines are so dumb. For one, they suggest only one female can rule Hollywood at a time and second, she is her own person, she's not the "next" anyone, she's the first and last Shailene Woodley. Annoying press aside, all signs point toward big things for Woodley. In real life, she appears genuine with a great personality that never seems to be trying too hard and she has the acting cred — a critically acclaimed performance in The Descendants — to back it all up. Theo James is more of a question mark. His largest credit outside of this role is the lead role in CBS' short-lived drama Golden Boy. Then again, Robert Pattinson was a relative unknown when he was cast as Edward Cullen in Twilight and we all know how that turned out.

Another factor that seems to be leaning in Divergent's favor, opposed to those other failed adaptations I mentioned earlier, is it seems to be boasting fairly strong awareness levels. The marketing team at Lionsgate/Summit (the company behind both Twilight and The Hunger Games) have done strong work in proving to the mainstream media that this release is indeed an event for everyone and not just fans of the book. The trailer releases have been strategic but not overbearing and the tabloid and talk show circuit has also proven beneficial. Magazine covers, features and appearances on major morning and late-night shows are of paramount importance — not only to appease existing fans of the franchise, but also to increase awareness to the casual moviegoer. This mainstream attention and slow building "buzz" has already put Divergent on a higher playing field than that of say Beautiful Creatures or The Host.

Initial tracking for the film was released about a week ago and early predictions are looking at around a $40-$50 million dollar opening weekend. This is a solid number and one that Lionsgate/Summit is probably very happy with but it doesn't suggest Divergent will be quite as big as Twilight's opening weekend and nowhere nears The Hunger Games opening frame. However, advance sale tickets for the film began on Fandango on Tuesday, March 4 and it appears the film's momentum is growing. Per Fandango, over half of the site's ticket sales for that day were for Divergent and it was outselling the second place holder by a margin of five tickets to one. If this kind of sell-out behavior continues over the next couple of weeks, it is looking like Divergent could easily open in the $65-$70 million dollar frame and pending the final marketing push — it could go even higher.

Personally, I hope Divergent is a big 'ole hit. I think young-adult tentpoles are imperative to the movie industry in today's culture. Not only do they bring massive business to multiplexes everywhere, but these types of franchises create such a fervent passion and energy in their audience that is quite simply unmatched elsewhere — even when comparing it to some of the biggest male-driven franchises. These types of films event-ize the movie-going experience which is everything Hollywood, and those that profit from its success, want to happen. With so many superhero and fantasy driven blockbusters, I think a series like Divergent is necessary to break up the monotony that the movie industry so easily falls into. The fact that its success will also help drive studios to take more chances on new ideas and stories is just the cherry on top.

The Final Theatrical Trailer For Divergent:

Divergent hits theaters nationwide on March 21 and tickets are available now at Fandango.

Update: Divergent opened to an estimated $56 million dollars over its opening weekend. Perhaps, this will be the first Y.A. series to find a very comfortable (and profitable) middle ground between box office juggernaut and complete flop. Here's to Insurgent! 

TV REVIEW: "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." -- Premiered: September 24, 2013

Well, it's here, whether we needed it or not.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is hands down the most anticipated and closely guarded pilot of the new fall season. It's also hands down the pilot with the most obnoxious and ridiculously crafted title, too. I love Marvel and I love superhero movies but I was never fully onboard with this idea. Even with the auspices attached, I couldn't bring myself to believe this show was going to be any more than a rote procedural with enough references to popular things to make it interesting. Come to find out, I think that's exactly what S.H.I.E.L.D. is and is going to be.

The opening of tonight's pilot, after a weirdly written intro, which of course shamelessly uses footage from The Avengers to make it feel more appropriately epic, is supposedly set in Eastern Los Angeles. If by Eastern Los Angeles, they mean the most stark (no pun intended), and half set-dressed backlot available for use in LA then they are correct. The scene feels empty and anemic, hardly the setting you want to hit your audience, who have come to expect $250 million dollar production value, with right out of the gate. The scene introduces the us to its first "superhero," or the first person in the series who is on his way to realizing he might want to be or has the potential to be a superhero. There's an explosion and he scales a wall and it looks OK. Look, I understand that this is a TV show and there are limits, you can't knock a show too much for it's audacity and courage, but this is the pilot, the very first thing you are showing your audience, you shouldn't have any "oh, that could have looked better" moments. Leave those for the episodes that will surely come later down the line.

After the brief prologue, we cut back to S.H.I.E.L.D. business and the re-introduction of Clark Gregg's Special Agent Coulson. Of course, he died in The Avengers and his return here is no surprise, thanks to the nature of needing the star of a TV show to promote said show, and also ABC's relentless marketing campaign. Sadly, fans hoping for some incredible reasoning as to WHY he is alive and well will be disappointed, as the logistics of it all are kind of tossed in a "we'll talk about it later" basket. I happen to love Clark Gregg and Agent Coulson. He's a nerdy, average looking bad ass that I think a lot of Marvel fans relate to. Oh god, that sounded so sad. Whatever, it's true. His introduction is handled with a perfectly calculated Joss Whedon-y scene – two characters are talking and the time for a dramatic entrance arrives so Coulson steps from the shadows between them: "Sorry," he explains. "That corner was really dark and I couldn't help myself." Good stuff.

One of my main concerns is how this pilot works for someone who isn't knowledgable about anything related to the Marvel universe. For instance, I spoke with my Mom on the phone this morning and she mentioned the show. So yes, ABC has done their job making people AWARE that this thing exists, but I can't imagine her understanding any of this nonsense if she decided to tune in. Yeah, they try and explain stuff. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission is to survey the population for superheroes, supervillains, and monsters and decide if they are a threat to humanity or if they could use them for the greater good. I'm sure eventually someone corrupt will invade S.H.I.E.L.D. and want to use them for evil but I'll give them a few episodes before those shenanigans begin. "We're the line between the world and the much weirder world," Coulson explains. When you boil it down, it's actually pretty simple, but I imagine the non-initiated to be a tad confused by the end of the hour. I'm sure this question is one of the biggest things plaguing ABC and Marvel and I'm positive it has been brought up in many an executive meeting. If Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is too broad, it will turn off the Marvel-obsessed fanboy contingent and if it's too detailed it will turn away the majority of the wide-audience and become a cult-"hit" with 4 million weekly viewers by February.

Most of tonight's premiere is exposition and scene-setting and character introduction. Sadly, mostly everyone fades into the surroundings a little too much. Outside of Coulson, the S.H.I.E.L.D. crew is just your generic group of nerdy, BUT ATTRACTIVE, misfits who talk in exposition A LOT. They have accents and are basically just story engines at this point. We do get to learn a bit more about a hacker (Chloe Bennet) who joins the agency in the pilot and is the only one to assert some spunk and sass into the proceedings. I'm sure we will get to know more about them as things develop but for now I wasn't particularly invested in any of their stories or who they are outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.

After tonight's premiere, I'm mixed on where I end up with my overall opinion. I didn't really like the show I just watched. It was kind boring and kind of forced but there were also a few moments that ignited a little bit of a spark. A spark that leads me to think the show might find a way to be more than your average procedural with popular references. Within the Marvel universe, the possiblities are pretty endless and the show can have a lot of fun blowing some minds with clever correlations between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the expansive Marvel timeline. For our sake, I hope it does! I hope they find a way to make it work and have it be more exciting than the pilot was. But based on these initial 45 minutes, it looks like all this fanfare might just become a bridge to close the gap between the release of the next Marvel blockbuster. I mean, you did see that 2-minute trailer for Thor: The Dark World in one of the ad breaks, right?

GRADE: C  (for #CoulsonLives and ya know, being average.)

Stray observations:

• Typing out Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a level of torture I never thought existed. Seriously, the worst.
• I think the show is going to do HUGE business in the ratings tomorrow morning. Like, probably one of the biggest premieres in recent history. I also think that the situation will be very different in a few months. This could easily be the next Revolution.
• Can you name another show that is premiering on ABC this fall? Nope? Me neither.
• How weird was it when the ABC promo guy said "You don't want to miss the end of every episode!" Umm, okay? I'll miss the first half then?

MOVIE REVIEW: "Pacific Rim" -- Released: July 12, 2013

OH. MY. GOD. You know those people who don't see "the point" in seeing movies in theaters? Well, if you do, please take them to see Pacific Rim in IMAX 3D before it ends its run in a few weeks. Never has a film captured the "big screen" experience like this one. For two-full hours, it punches you in the face with an insane, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping experiment in pulse-pounding action and I couldn't help but smile from ear-to-ear throughout the entire thing.

With Pacific Rim, Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) has entered the world of the bona-fide blockbuster. Luckily, even with the additional budget at his disposal, his intricate attention to detail remains intact and is a constant reminder that amidst the relentless action, this is indeed a Del Toro production. The film glistens with special f/x glamour, not just during its epic robot on monster battles, but also adding incredible detail to the film's near-future, apocalyptic scenery.

Rim kicks off in a surprisingly whip-lash fashion. Foregoing a prolonged first act, it rips right into the meat of the piece. It's very evident Del Toro knows exactly what the audience came for and he refuses to pander to anyone's pre-concieved expectations. Look, it's the near future and an inter-dimensional shift in the Pacific ocean's floor has caused giant godzilla-like monsters (Kaijus) to be released from their depths waging war on Earth. In turn, our military force has commissioned the creation of giant robots (Jaegers) to fight them off and restore peace to our land. To operate these Jaegers, two pilots are paired together and "drift" into each other's minds to work together and operate these highly technical machines. That's basically it.

Beyond that, Del Toro keeps the plot machinations light. We're introduced to Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam), a mourning pilot who lost his brother in a past Kaiju vs. Jaeger battle. After his loss, Raleigh "retires" from the Jaeger missions and begins work at Pacific Rim's equivalent to a power plant. It isn't long before the Kaiju's attacks increase in frequency and intensity and Raleigh, known as one of the best fighters around, is asked to return to the force. After some initial hesitation, he's paired with Mako (Rinko Kikuchi), a newcomer to piloting Jaeger's, and who he feels a strong connection. The hierarchy of the force lies under the supervision of the commanding officer, Stacker (Idris Elba). Stacker is badass because Idris Elba is badass.

Charlie Hunnam & Rinko Kikuchi in Pacific Rim
Photo Courtesy:  Warner Bros. Pictures

This all might sound rather heavy and unnecessarily complicated for a monster movie, but Del Toro lets it all unfold quickly and without too much self-seriousness taking precedent.  The stakes are real, but he isn't afraid to find light bits of comedy throughout. Charlie Day, in particular, executes his usual Charlie Day-ness in an entertaining turn as a scientist who gets a little too close to a Kaiju. Whenever the film starts  to get a little too worn down in its "serious moments," Day pops back up and reminds us to laugh.

Movies don't get more "fanboy-ish" than this but Pacific Rim owns it in every sense of the phrase. It's one of the few times while seeing a film in IMAX that I felt the format's tagline of "an experience" actually meant something. Pacific Rim WAS an experience. The film surrounds you in its dark, murky, neon-hued world of monsters and robots, battling for the destruction or protection of Earth, crashing amongst the waves of the Pacific. It's an epic, epic movie that wears a geeky heart on its sleeve. While sitting in the theater, I felt like a young kid again, in awe of the magic I was seeing on the screen. Days after seeing the movie, I was still reenacting the action-figure "type" movements the pilots would execute while in battle. If that doesn't take you back to your childhood adventures, I'm not sure what will.

GRADE: A-

PACIFIC RIM
Directed By: Guillermo Del Toro 
PG-13, 132 minutes