Divergent

I went to the movies last night- I hadn't seen a movie in ages and I had the day off, so I thought it was a good way to relax anyway. I didn't really want to see Divergent but my friends had decided on it beforehand, and I didn't feel like being a complete asshole and objecting. Due to various reasons we were late for the movie- but after about 5min of sitting down I realized this was essentially a different version of The Hunger Games.

I didn't really like The Hunger Games novels- or the movies, for that matter, but I wanted to read Divergent after the movie. I don't know if they actors just do a better job or maybe the story is better- but I just liked it over THG. Mmmm, I don't think I can rightfully say the story was better, since I felt it was largely the same- but somehow the fictional scenario was slightly more believable than the one in THG? Also the guy who plays the male lead in Divergent was much more attractive than whoever played the male lead in THG.

Anyway I don't actually have any deep analysis to offer about the movie or anything- I mean it has valuable themes, but I just don't think that sort of stuff is worthy of appraisal. Not to say the story was shit, but I feel like teenagery novels should explore teenagery themes like sexuality, identity expression, conformity with the adult world and the sophisticated naivety harboured by the teenage mind. The film touches on some of those things, but for the most part it was just another one of those "the teenage hero who overthrows the big bad oppressive government" stories. It certainly is entertaining and somewhat uplifting to watch- but it's just not true. Like, real teenagers don't do that. Maybe one in a million do that- so they're the heroes we like to write novels about and make films about- but 99% of teenagers don't just decide "I'M GOING TO BE BRAVE" and decide to "get over" things.

So I can't talk about the topic of teen-fiction without thinking of John Green, so I'm just going to bring him up again. No no, I'm not gonna bash his work or anything, in fact I want to praise him as the author who almost got it right. Reading his works I felt as if he understood what the whole "teenage" thing was about, it's just that his expression of it in his work wasn't enough to encompass his own thoughts. That's just my opinion, anyhow- but to be John Green is one of those B+ English student who gets a B for hitting all the right points on an essay but doesn't get an A because he couldn't express his thoughts properly. 

Who knows, maybe someday I'll actually be really absorbed by teen-fiction: if someone manages to get it right. I actually felt that Twilight did a pretty fine job in that respect, except the whole vampire thing was totally shitty and it was just too ridiculous. I sort of want to write my own work and tell people: LOOK, THIS IS WHAT TEENAGERS ARE LIKE, but even though I haven't turned 20 yet I already feel like I'm too old. What we need is a prodigal author who writes their own life at 17- and then I'll shower them with praise.