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10 [Spoiler-Free] Reasons To Read The Divergent Trilogy Before The NZ Premiere!

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Divergent-series-by-Veronica-Roth

The film adaptation of the first book, Divergent, in Veronica Roth’s Divergent series will premiere in New Zealand on the 10th of April, just over three weeks after its American release on the 18th of March. While this may suck for everyone here who’s already read the series, and are ready to go, it gives some slackers the chance- and more time- to get their asses into gear and read the trilogy.

But why? I hear you ask, ‘It’s just another dystopian novel’ and ‘gee whiz, sounds like a rip-off of The Hunger Games’. Stop right there, pull your head out of your wazoo and get thee to a bookery! The Young Adult trilogy is dystopian, yes, and there’s a strong female protagonist, yes, but that’s where the comparisons end. Not true- there are more, but the storylines are completely different, each story complex in their own way but more importantly there’s no bloody love triangle in Divergent.

However below are 10 reasons, off the top of our domes, as to why you should read the Divergent trilogy before the movie comes out.

10. Because Reading Is Fun.

This goes without saying, really. Reading is a great way to spend your time. And with Divergent the story is interesting and engrossing, never seeming like a chore to get through.

9. Why Wait For The Movie?

readthebookSeriously, who even has the patience?

8. Spoilers Will Eventually Get You.

Why risk it? In this day and (internet) age you’ll never be safe from spoilers. Preempt that douche bag person who’s going to finish reading the book and make their facebook status: OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE [SPOILER] HAPPENS AND [SPOILER] [SPOILER]!!!!!!

7. So You Can NerdRage With Other Readers.

NerdRageInstead of getting spoiled by one of those douchebags, be one of those douchebags! Kidding, be the kind of reader who nerdrages with other nerdragers away from the innocent eyes of the uninitiated. Believe me, you’ll need to speak to someone else who’s read the series stat.

6. Get To Know The World.

Sure it’s set in a Dystopian Chi-town (Chicago) however there’s more to the setting and context than visual exposition can provide. A lot of the tone of the place and what makes it tick is described in the pages of the series in a way that might not translate well.

5. Get To Know Your Characters.

Surely you want to know more about Four than what you’re presented with in the movie? And sometimes a movie with a lot of characters can be a bit overwhelming. Through reading the book series you’ll be better equipped for the barrage of characters sure to bombard you.

Also, there’s a chance some characters or character’s characteristics have been left out in the transition from page to screen- you need to be acquainted. Uriah springs to mind, he better be in the movies. Or I swear…*nerdrage*. Also the final book gives you much more insight into Four’s character than the movie probably will.

4. For Comparison’s Sake.

Did the book do it better? Or was the movie able to match your expectations- more often than not it doesn’t. However when you’re able to watch with just a hint of objectivity you’ll find comparing the two doesn’t have to be a disgruntling task. You’ll be able to hark back to favourite scenes from the book and compare them to how it’s been rendered onscreen, hopefully liking both respectively.

3. Mental Stimulation!

The underlying themes are rather thought-provoking. There’s the idea of choice and how much of it you have, and what happens when that choice defines who you’re supposed to be for the rest of your life. The books give you ample time to mull over these ideas of choice and identity while also confronting you with the idea of the individual versus the collective.

2. Strong Female Protagonist- GIRL POWER, FEMALE EMPOWERMENT!

The movie’s going to showcase Tris’ strength, however she’s also plagued by quite a bit of internal conflict which you may or may not be privy to unless you read the books. There’s something about Tris’ gradual growth and development in between the pages that you can absorb and revel in, granted there are moments you want to throw the book at the wall- but her strength as described in the books is something to behold.

1. Mental Preparation.

I can’t stress enough how much you need to be prepared for what happens in the third movie (that is if the first movie does as well as I think it will and they make the rest and they don’t split it into two parts for no particular reason) for the sheer fact that in my opinion it saves the entire series. Sure movies take creative liberties with the source material all the time, however it pays to know what’s coming all the same so you can be ready for it. Prepare yourself mentally for how this series ends. (It involves a clown, always be mentally prepared for clowns.)

Supernatural: 8 Scariest Monsters

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Dean - Scared

Whether you’re a fan of gore or eerie hair-raising terror, which usually leads to something that makes you jump, Supernatural manages to deliver moments of genuine fear. The show’s excellent use of mythology and lore has produced some genuinely scary monsters/creatures. Below we posit 8 of the scariest monsters the Winchesters have faced for your perusal, while keeping in mind that fear is subjective.

Feel free to disagree and make your scariest monster’s case below in the comment section!

8. Hellhounds

Hellhounds, first introduced in season two, are usually invisible, aggressive and violent. They commonly appear to kill a person who’s made a deal with a crossroads demon, and drag their souls to Hell. In the days before the end of a person’s time, Hellhounds will appear to the victim in dreams and hallucinations. When the Hellhounds do come a knockin’ they hold nothing back, not even for lead characters as Dean is torn apart right in front of Sam at the end of season three.

7. Wraiths

Imagine being stuck in a psych-ward, seeing this creature’s face in the mirror whenever a ‘normal person’ walks by it and being genuinely afraid but not being taken seriously due to the fact that you’re a mental patient. It’s bad enough that you’re there trying to get better but there’s this creature there in the guise of a doctor or nurse feeding off of your highly drugged brain fluids.

6. Wendigo

Being in the woods at night has been the basis of many a horror story, imagine being taken by a Wendigo and eaten? Supernatural did a rather splendid job of making us question whether we’re safe in our own homes, let alone safe out in the woods where even experienced campers go missing. However, as brilliant hunters themselves with the ability to mimic a human’s voice crying for help? Nope.

5. Changelings

Changelings are humanoid creatures with discoloured, slimy skin, hollow eyes, and a round mouth with many teeth. They can appear human, but their true nature is revealed in reflection, much like Wraiths. Also, like with victims of Wraiths, you initially question a victim’s sanity. What mother would place her child, or rather what appears to be her child, in a car and let drive into a large body of water? Granted you know that the child isn’t right, they act somewhat like children, but seem cold and off kilter. As such, some mothers notice that it is not their child.

4. Scarecrow

The very, jeepers creepers, feel you get from the scarecrow is what propels this particular pagan god to the forefront of its colleagues. Honourable mentions include the pagan gods who used Christmas wreathes to mark a home from which they would take a human sacrifice to dine on.

3. Bloody Mary

Surely everyone remembers daring friends, as kids, to stand in a dark bathroom in front of the mirror and say ‘Bloody Mary’ thrice. So it would be crazy of Supernatural not to have cashed in on such a well known urban legend.

The vengeful spirit, Bloody Mary, in Supernatural was a girl who was murdered and haunts an old mirror, killing people who hide secrets about unsolved deaths by burning out their eyeballs. Unfortunately she’s unconcerned about the specific role her victims played in their own victims’ deaths; she targets both Jill, a woman who killed a young boy in a hit-and-run and covered it up, and Charlie, whose boyfriend committed suicide when she tried to leave him.

Winning moments for Mary in this episode include randomly showing up in mirrors and one stunning shot of her climbing out of a mirror a la Samara from ‘the Grudge’.

2. Rakshasa

Clowns. Imagine waking up to see a clown standing over your bed. The mere thought would send someone with coulrophobia over the edge. However, thankfully, by the mere fact that a Rakshasa is the stuff of myths (right? RIGHT?) it doesn’t hold a candle to the number one scariest monster in Supernatural.

1. Humans

You may argue about any other monster on this list because, as initially stated, fear is subjective and each monster so far has one thing in common, they’re the stuff of myths and legends. Humans, however are not fictional, homo sapiens are very much real.

The episodes where monsters of lore take a back seat to humanity are scary on an entirely different level. The girl in the wall is scary when her presence is intentionally made to look like that of a ghost. It becomes terrifying and exceedingly sad when the show reveals that she is only human. The fear that inhumane atrocities perpetrated by other people highlights our inherent fear of what we, as human beings, are capable of. The family from episode 1×15 ‘The Benders’ comes to mind. I mean it really gave off them Deliverance vibes. There’s no metaphor at work here, humans have done unspeakable things, fearsome things… monstrous things. So yes, humans are the number one scariest monsters in Supernatural.

No doubt you’ll have your own ideas about what constitutes the scariest monsters produced by Supernatural, if you find any scary at all. So let me know what you think should have been included and why.

Go on, challenge my assertion.