2014 was the year of YA adaptations, Divergent being one of the most noteworthy. Shailene Woodley, the star of the movie, also appeared in The Fault In Our Stars the same year. Divergent is about a futuristic dystopian world wherein society is split into five factions: Amity, Abnegation, Dauntless, Candor, and Erudite.
Beatrice "Tris" Prior doesn't fit squarely into any of the factions, making her a Divergent (hence the title). But Divergents are dangerous, so she pretends to choose Dauntless. Soon enough, though, powerful people are after her and her loved ones. The science-fiction drama filled the void left by the Hunger Games franchise with its first release, but the sequels didn't live up to fans' expectations. Fortunately, there are other movies like Divergent to pick up the slack.
Updated on May 20th, 2021 by Svetlana Sterlin: Divergent may have been the beginning of the end for the teen dystopian sci-fi era, but many films like Divergent continue to be popular with viewers years later. Though it seems that movies like Divergent and The Hunger Games have all been made, fans of these YA series can look back through the archives to films that may have inspired these popular franchises. The target audience for movies similar to Divergent has matured enough to explore some of the titles that may have influenced the YA hit, along with other contemporary dystopian movies like The Maze Runner.
V For Vendetta (2005) - Available on HBO Max
Like Divergent, V For Vendetta is set in a futuristic world, but the story takes place in Britain. Also like Divergent, the nation is ruled by a totalitarian government. However, V For Vendetta is aimed at older audiences.
A masked freedom fighter who goes by V uses terror tactics to scare his society's oppressors, but he's just one person against an entire government. When he rescues Evey from the neo-fascist police, she decides to join him on his quest to take down the government.
Minority Report (2002) - Available on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, YouTube, and Pluto TV
Minority Report is set in the year 2054 - a not-so-distant future, much like Tris's, only in this speculative version of America, new technology has been developed that allows police officers to capture criminals before they commit the crime they're accused of.
John Anderton is a police officer who is accused of a crime he doesn't believe he's going to commit. He sets out on a mission to prove his innocence while on the run from fellow law enforcement officers.
The Matrix (1999) - Available on HBO Max
For viewers who enjoyed the simulation aspect of Divergent, The Matrix is the perfect choice to watch next. Computer programmer Thomas Anderson, whose hacking alias is Neo, is chosen to lead a secret war against powerful computers that have created the world he knows as reality - the Matrix.
Neo must rise above himself to open his eyes to the truth of the world, not the truth that he, along with so many others, has told himself. The sci-fi action movie deals with alternate realities, conformity, sacrifice, and other themes explored in Divergent.
Ready Player One (2018) - Available on HBO Max
Virtual reality has taken precedence over the real world in Ready Player One, based on the acclaimed novel by Ernest Cline. This post-apocalyptic teen movie is one of the few successful successors to Divergent.
A business mogul named James Halliday has created a virtual world that people much prefer over reality, one where they can be anyone and do anything. Wade, a teenager, sets off on a journey to find the key to Halliday's fortune left for a worthy player to find after his death. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg and was his first big Hollywood action movie in years.
The Fault In Our Stars (2014) - Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video
Shailene Woodley isn't the only Divergent star to appear in this movie. Ansel Elgort, who plays her brother in the sci-fi flick, portrays Augustus Waters, Hazel's star-crossed lover. Hazel and Augustus meet at a cancer support group and soon fall in love.
The Fault In Our Stars is adapted from John Green's popular novel of the same name. The title comes from a line in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar ("The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves, that we are underlings.").
The Spectacular Now (2013) - Available on Showtime
Another Shailene Woodley picture, The Spectacular Now also stars her fellow Divergent castmate Miles Teller. They play romantic partners in this coming-of-age story.
Aimee is a rule-abiding introvert, while Sutter is a troubled party animal. However, both teens are clever and caring and find ways to connect amid their lonely, contrasting lives. Brie Larson also stars.
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond (2015) - Available on DirecTV, TNT, and TBS
For lovers of the dystopian, Tomorrowland is an exciting and unexpected watch. What seems to be a utopian world is in fact the opposite. Unlike Divergent, the movie is set in the present day, but in an unexplored dimension.
Britt Robertson's character, a curious teen named Casey, embarks on a journey of discovery when a strange artifact lands in her possession. She is assisted by a former inventor, Frank Walker, who is portrayed by George Clooney.
The 5th Wave (2016) - Available on Fubo TV
Based on Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave trilogy, this first installment in the franchise, unfortunately, didn't attract the kind of attention needed to warrant a sequel. However, fans of Divergent are likely to enjoy the movie's sci-fi and action elements.
Set in the not-too-distant future, a strange alien species invades Earth, seemingly with the intention of wiping out humanity. However, when people figure out that they have used human bodies as hosts, nobody can trust anyone. Cassiopia (Chloë Grace Moretz) is separated from her younger brother and must find him before it's too late.
Ender's Game (2013) - Available on Fubo TV
Asa Butterfield stars in this adaptation of Orson Scott Card's book series. Much like Divergent's Tris, the young Ender finds the weight of his society resting on his shoulders.
He is recruited by the International Military to lead the defense against a genocidal alien invasion. Hailee Steinfeld, Harrison Ford, and Abigail Breslin also star.
The Giver (2014) - Available on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and Pluto TV
The Giver, like Divergent, is set in a futuristic society that's supposed to be utopian but is in fact not. Much like Kate Winslet's character in Tris's story, here Meryl Streep plays the devil's advocate.
As an Elder, she ensures that members of her society do not experience any kind of emotion so as to lead ordered, satisfactory lives. The belief stems from the accumulation of humankind's residual trauma and pain— but of course, without pain, one cannot know joy.
Lucy (2014) - Available on Peacock Premium, DirecTV, TNT, and, TBS
Scarlett Johansson is Lucy, a woman who is accidentally given a huge dose of an illegal substance. As a result, she's able to tap into previously unexplored areas of brain function, allowing her to gain supernatural-like abilities.
The film presents some thought-provoking and bone-chilling ideas that force viewers to reflect on the kind of world they live in. Morgan Freeman stars as a wise professor who heeds Lucy's warnings.
The Maze Runner (2014) - Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video
Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up in a moving crate with no memory. He emerges in a giant maze and encounters others who are all in the same predicament as well as some eerie creatures who test them.
One day, for the first time, a girl is deposited into the maze who seems to know Thomas. Eventually, they realize they're part of some sort of experiment, so they decide to work together to escape the maze, only to emerge in a completely unrecognizable, futuristic dystopia.
The Hunger Games (2012) - Available on Sling TV and The Roku Channel
Just like the factions of Divergent, residents of Panem are divided into twelve districts, plus a Capitol. Each district has its own industry, and as such, varying levels of wealth and privilege.
Each year, the districts must send two children— one boy and one girl— to compete in a tournament where they fight to the death. A lone victor will remain and serve as a reminder to the districts as to why they should never attempt rebelling against the Capitol again.