“Divergent” is the the story of a young woman coming of age and discovering her identity.  The latest in a series of young-adult novels that have recently been adapted into films, “Divergent” takes place in the near-future in Chicago.

After a war that has laid waste to the earth, the surviving Chicagoans built a wall around their city and then divided their population into five different factions: Abnegation (selfless), Amity (kind), Candor (honest), Erudite (intelligent) and Dauntless (brave).

Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) has grown up to parents in Abnegation, but has never felt herself as belonging there. When it comes time for her to take an aptitude test that will determine which faction she’s best suited for, her results are inconclusive. She picks Dauntless. Training to be a member of Dauntless she very quickly learns, is a process that is resolutely unforgiving.

As her training to join Dauntless proceeds, Tris finds herself caught in the machinations of the Erudite leader, Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet), who is plotting for Erudite to take over from Abnegation, the group traditionally in power. Jeanine Matthews plan also includes the destruction of all Divergents – people who don’t fit into any one category – like Tris.

While the stale and derivative narrative of the the film might otherwise be unengaging to filmgoers, the strong performances (especially from Winslet) save it from being unsatisfying. The film’s strengths lie entirely in its cast, whose sheer talent overcomes the predictable plot.

The message at the heart of “Divergent” is anti-conformity, which is illustrated most clearly when the groupthink among Dauntless and Erudite very nearly has catastrophic consequences for their entire community. The anti-conformity message is hardly new, but it’s important. Time and again in the film, the danger of mob mentality are stopped only when someone is courageous enough to stand up for what’s right.

Ultimately, the storyline is formulaic and unoriginal, but it remains a well-casted film that’s sure to please both fans of the book and those who are new to “Divergent.”

Grade: B