Plot: What’s it about?
What happens when you capitalize on the success of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, throw in a bit of the still wildly-popular Harry Potter franchise and add a dash of originality? Evidently you get The Divergent Series! Now I digress as I actually enjoyed the movie, but to be completely and totally honest, I’d never even heard of the books/film(s) until a few months ago. Having read all of the Harry Potter books as well as The Hunger Games trilogy, I suppose I’m a bit biased, but after seeing Divergent it’s clear to see that there’s more than just a few coincidences. Stilll, I have to give a little credit to author Veronica Roth, since every aspiring writer out there must be trying to get a piece of The Hunger Games’ success, and she managed to make that happen (under the age of 25, no less). And throwing in red hot actress Shailene Woodley from The Descendants, The Spectacular Now and The Fault in Our Stars fame, certainly didn’t hurt matters. Now you know the history, so let’s focus on the present, er – future, shall we?
Insurgent picks up right after Divergent ended: Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), and some other Dauntless are on the run, but have taken refuge in Amity’s hippie commune. Traumatized by the death of her parents, Tris, with reluctant approval by Four, sheds her locks. Tris and Four spend most of the film running away from Jeanine’s (Kate Winslet) henchmen, getting caught, and then slipping away again, a cycle that continues on and on until the last moments. The pair is so often rescued by the auspicious arrival of allies that any suspense concerning their survival feels coerced. Of course we know and realize that there’s a third (and fourth) installment, but we’ve got to get there first.
It’s the job of a sequel to complicate themes and problems laid out in the first film, but Insurgent‘s plot holes raise questions that distract more than they stimulate. Why does Jeanine think the box holds the key to eradicating all Divergents when she doesn’t even know what’s inside? How does the much-discussed issue of “jurisdiction” work in the justice system of Divergent‘s post-apocalyptic Chicago? Why has no one ventured beyond the wall that surrounds the city to see if there’s any life left? In what world could people with too many talents (Divergents) possibly be seen as more dangerous and worthy of derision than people with minimal to no talents (Factionless)? These questions, will be answered in due time. Or will they?
Video: How’s it look?
Those looking for a true HD experience (pun fully intended with the use of the word “true”) need look no further. Divergent, in its Blu-ray offering last year, dazzled and amazed and it’s more of the same with its successor. The 2.40:1 AVC HD image is nearly flawless showcasing a pristine dystopic future in all its Blu-ray glory. Flesh tones seem a bit washed out at times, but it’s due to the film itself and not a fault of the transfer. Kate Winslet’s porcelain skin seems to produce a halo effect on screen. Contrast and black levels work well with one another and the detail is second to none. We can read little things in the background, see bits of rust and decay on things like a ferris wheel and everything in between. I noticed no errors at all, no banding and shadows seemed strong and consistent. Suffice it to say that if you’re looking for a bang up transfer, Insurgent delivers.
The 3D version of the film is also included on this Blu-ray and we get a 2.40:1 MVC encoded image. Though not shot as a traditional 3D film, there are some sequences in which I was really amazed. I’ve never been too big a fan of the 3D efforts, and this isn’t its greatest example, but for those that prefer to watch these sweeping epics in said format – here you go.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Now here’s where we get into a bit of trouble. You see, the film is encoded with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack the “latest and greatest” offering. But not many out there have a Dolby Atmos receiver. That and there were some reports that when the default Dolby TrueHD track was defaulted, it instead downgraded itself to a Dolby Digital track. How sad! I personally had no problems with it and I’m using a PS4 as my Blu-ray player of choice, but know that this might be an issue. That being said vocals are just one highlight of this uncompressed mix as the surrounds are nearly always in some action. The LFE get a workout in a few scenes as well, though the front stage takes on the brunt of this soundtrack. To me it’s the little things that stand out, like a knife whizzing by from the front speakers to the rear, a bullet has the same effect and the film has plenty of action to go around. Again, it’s the discrete details like the tapping of Tris’ fingernail on a pane of glass, the sound of someone diving in water – things like that that make this a top notch audio effort.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There’s a fairly decent offering of supplemental material here, though I personally felt that the Divergent set offered up more substance. At any rate…
- Audio Commentary – Producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher’s names might ring a bell as they’re the same two who offered up their comments on the Divergent disc. Some information about the shoot is shared as well as the liberties taken with the deterrent material from the book and some little tidbits here and there.
- Insurgent Unlocked – The Ultimate Behind-the-Scenes Access – If you remember Warner’s “In-Movie Experience” this is essentially that. This can be watched with the movie and a little box pops up with these isolated featureless throughout. Of course if this isn’t your cup of tea, then you can simply watch the featureless in the traditional way (and, I assume, the movie too). For reference, here’s a list of the segments covered:
- Building a Bigger World
- Creating the Big Screen Experience
- Exploring the Factionless
- From Factionless to Candor
- A New Landscape of Weapons and Stunts
- Composers and Simulators
- A Fight to the Finish
- From Divergent to Insurgent – Some members of the cast and crew discuss their roles here versus those in the previous film.
- The Others: Cast and Characters – Pretty much the same thing, only with some more minor characters.
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Train Fight – A breakdown of one of the film’s marquee action sequences.
- The Peter Hayes Story – Though Miles Teller isn’t the focus of this movie, he’s still a big part of it. I have to wonder if this would have still been included had it not been for Whiplash – injuring minds want to know…
- Divergent: Adapting Insurgent to the Screen – Some more cast and crew interviews as well as some behind the scenes footage.
- Marketing Gallery – A photo gallery with some looks at the posters, etc.
- 3D Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy
The Bottom Line
Insurgent was no Divergent. But who cares? It’s not like they’re not going to make the final two installments of the film based on this one, well, not being good. It delivers more of the same action and plot and while purists of the book might get a bit miffed, it’s still pretty much the same. The Blu-ray has above average tech specs and I’m sure the Dolby Atmos thing won’t be a deal-breaker. There’s enough supplemental material to warrant a purchase.
