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Divergent,

directed by Neil Burger

(PG-13, 143 minutes)

Shailene Woodley is in every scene of Divergent. That, along with bleakly beautiful set design, is the best that can be said about this ambitious futuristic epic, which has good intentions but bogs down in its own self-importance and mediocre writing.

Woodley plays 16-year-old Beatrice "Tris" Prior, a teenager who lives in post-apocalyptic Chicago, heavily damaged in a massive war that took place 100 years back. She's about to take a leadership-mandated test to determine which of five virtue-based factions she belongs in.

The results suggest in which faction she's best suited to spend her life: with the smart people (Erudite), the lawyers and truth-tellers (Candor), peaceful caretakers (Amity), selfless do-gooders (Abnegation) or Dauntless, wild and highly physical warriors who protect the city and serve as its military force.

There's also an off-the-menu group nobody talks about: Divergent. They're the ones who don't fit in anywhere because they're inclined toward independent thought. And they are not rewarded for it. In this society, it doesn't pay to be able to think outside the box.

When her test turns out suspiciously inconclusive, Tris chooses to join Dauntless, where she'll fit right in. Or so she's led to believe. "We train soldiers, not rebels," a Dauntless trainer instructs the new recruits. But guess what Tris really is?

Based on the first book in a trilogy by Veronica Roth, Divergent is grim, violent, complex and loaded with action. Somehow, it still manages to be boring. Director Neil Burger (The Illusionist) is apparently so enamored of his subject matter that he indulges in overlong sequences that contribute mightily to the film's tedious 143-minute running time.

Woodley, a pleasant if not commanding presence, does what she can with what she's given. But she can't improve the awkward dialogue she shares in scenes with hunky, humorless Four (Theo James), an artistically tattooed Dauntless trainer who starts out as her tormentor but ends up on her side in more ways than one.

The trend toward cashing in on the current passion for young adult global disaster films will have to run its course until the next big thing. Popular themes aren't guaranteed a lengthy life span. But in the meantime, at least we'll all likely learn how to spell "dystopian."

God's Not Dead (PG, 95 minutes) A one-sided, poorly written and overbearing drama in which Christian college freshman Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) finds his faith challenged in a philosophy class by dogmatic professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo). Josh's assignment: Prove God's existence. Directed by Harold Cronk.

Need for Speed (PG-13, 130 minutes) Just because Aaron Paul was distinctive as a conflicted drug dealer in Breaking Bad doesn't mean he can carry a movie. That's one of several problems with this dull action adventure about a cross-country car race that pits lowly mechanic Tobey Marshall (Paul, complete with jeans, stubbly facial hair and Jesse Pinkman's limited talent at conversation) against uppity, arrogant former NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). Watch it for the pretty cars. With Imogen Poots; directed by Scott Waugh.

Oculus (R, 105 minutes) A haunting, tricky horror drama in which teenage Tim (Brenton Thwaites) is convicted of the murder of his parents, although his sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan) is convinced they died because of a supernatural force unleashed through an antique mirror in their family home. Directed by Mike Flanagan.

MovieStyle on 08/08/2014

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