Author: Robert Greenberger

With adolescence comes the question of identity with many a teenager thinking they are some freak of nature. As a result, the Young Adult fiction explosion of the last decade or so has amped that up, coupled with the Millennial generation’s worries about the future as seen in the preponderance of dystopias. As it is, the granddaddy of this genre, The Giver, was the only book my freshmen read, liked, and remembered from middle school. So, once Harry Potter proved box office gold, studios have been mining YA titles seeking similar profit. All too often, though, the adaptations have failed to capture the same themes and sense of wonder. Everyone wants to be the next Hunger Games and the Divergent series of books comes closest. When the first novel was adapted to screen this spring, I watched several of my fellow teachers and students reading or rereading the book in anticipation.

Divergent, adapted from Veronica Roth’s best seller by screen writers Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor, does a nice job bringing the world to life. The film has come to home video today from Lionsgate Home Entertainment in Blu-ray Combo pack form along with store-specific collector’s editions. Here, the world is brighter and shinier than the 13 Districts of Suzanne Collins’ Earth but there remains a corrupt underbelly that threatens the government, which is tightening its grip. Here, as you enter puberty, you begin to manifest powers and abilities that society wants to harvest so one by one, people are tested to see if they can be assigned to Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), Candor (truth tellers), Dauntless (the brave) and Erudite (the brains). Her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) is Abnegation, but is allowed to reject the assignment in favor of Erudite during the Choosing Ceremony (minus sorting hat).

Much as in Lois Lowry’s books, those that do not fit in must be culled and Tris (Shailene Woodley) is one of those mutants, who possesses a mélange of abilities despite coming from two Abnegation parents (Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn). According to Jeanine (Kate Winslet), she must be eliminated but her tester, Tori (Maggie Q), warns Tris. She then rejects Abnegation for Dauntless and so begins her Coming of Age. Tris leaves behind the world she knew and enters unknown waters, eventually coming upon other Divergents who have formed a mutual survival society and burgeoning underground.

Tris begins to train and train and train as the film slows down. Physically, she’s barely up to the demands of the Dauntless but thankfully the incredibly handsome mentor Four (Theo James), pushes her and makes her heart go pitter pat. She also gains a BFF in the bullied Christina (Zoë Kravitz). Once we get past this section, things pick up steam and we bring things to a somewhat satisfying conclusion, resolving some threads and laving others dangling for the sequels.

Director Neil Burger needs to work on his timing and editing since the film feels overly long but he does coax excellent performances from his cast which makes the entire film eminently watchable. Woodley’s Tris is a more decisive heroine than Katniss and she handles the action quite well. It’s not Burger’s fault that the film and the book its based on now feels derivative. We’ve been getting heavy doses of dystopia in print, on television, and in film so, like zombies, its feeling like pretty mined territory.

The high definition transfer is most satisfactory and is matched by the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix. Similarly, the extras are straightforward, informative, and useful if unspectacular. We have Audio Commentary with Director Neil Burger, who nicely credits his crew; Audio Commentary with Producers Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick, which delves more deeply into the pre-production and casting; Bringing Divergent To Life (47:17), four shorter pieces that examines the production, casting, and adaptation process; Faction Before Blood (14:51), looks at the structure of the walled in society; Deleted Scenes (4:27), nothing essential but good to see; Beating Heart Music Video (1080i; 3:48), trailers and poster gallery.

Jedi Academy #2: Return of the Padawan
By Jeffrey Brown
Scholastic, 176 Pages, $12.99

Jeffrey Brown is an incredibly entertaining storyteller and I fell in love with his Darth Vader and Son when I it was pointed out to me in a museum gift shop. Apparently, Scholastic and Lucasfilm love him, too, because they have recruited him to challenge The Diary of a Wimpy Kid with Jedi Academy a series of book presuming the trials and tribulations of middle school is the same in a galaxy far, far away.

Undiscerning young readers (this is aimed at readers 8-12) fell in love with the first volume and this month we see the release of the second installment. The main character is underdog Roan Novachez, who wants to be a pilot but his natural talent with The Force led him to be diverted to the Jedi Academy, taught by no less than Yoda himself.

While certain universal truths are here: unrequited crushes, rivals, bullies, challenging teachers, and mystery meat for lunch, the book is too thinly disguised. As a result, we have the equivalent of Facebook, Parent/Teacher conferences and genuine soccer. Everyone involved seems to have forgotten Star Wars is basically a space fantasy set nowhere near Earth and deal with archetypes not inside jokes.

The sheer joyful humor found in his single panel gags is absent here as Roan goes from mishap to mishap. Apparently, Yoda and his teachers know the reality of each incident but he is never vindicated in the eyes of his peers. As a result, the special quality that got him recruited to the Academy is absent. There are plenty of teaching moments throughout the story, which is mostly about his second year and attempting to master the flying simulator. The pressure of following in his father’s pilot footsteps is pretty much gone in this sequel so it has more to do with staying out of trouble.

Brown’s art style is appealing and the black and white page designs are nicely varied, switching from sequential panels to narrative. However, it also feels like he was handed a checklist of familiar visual elements to include to remind one and all this was really a Star Wars story. Wookiee? Check. Hoth?  Check. And so on.

What could have been a refreshing, enchanting story set in a well-known universe is merely a watered down Wimpy Kid knockoff. It is hard to say how much of this is Brown’s limitations from Scholastic and/or Lucasfilm or his own shortcomings. But, as long as these sell, we will no doubt follow Roan through the remainder of middle school until he how somehow saves the universe.