Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Allegiant Blu-ray Movie Review

Three's the charmless.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 1, 2016

Is the so-called “young adult trilogy" phase coming to an end? It may seem so, if for no other reason than filmmakers keep attempting to extend supposed trilogies into quadrilogies (perhaps more accurately termed a tetralogy), with the Divergent series being just the latest example (and, considering its increasingly lackluster box office performance, perhaps one of the last). As I mentioned in our The Maze Runner 4K Blu-ray review, that franchise’s recent shutdown due to star Dylan O’Brien’s on set injury doesn’t augur particularly well for that series, but even without any similar near tragedy visiting the working environment of Divergent: Allegiant, this third entry is an often tired and frustrating experience, one that is in a way similar to another “trilogy”’s third entry, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, a film that ended up feeling like nothing much better than a long shaggy dog story that was simply a gambit to get the characters (and the audience) to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Unfortunately, Divergent: Allegiant has little of even the somewhat questionably intermittent pleasures that Mockingjay Part 1 afforded, and it’s probably no surprise for some to hear that in the wake of the critical drubbing Divergent: Allegiant took during its theatrical exhibition and its less than thrilling ticket sales that the proposed fourth film in this ostensible “trilogy” has been dramatically scaled back.

For those wanting a "refresher course" on the story of Divergent so far, more information is available by clicking on the following review links:

Divergent Blu-ray review

Insurgent Blu-ray review

Note: If you have not seen the previous two films in the Divergent series, you’re encouraged to skip the rest of the review so that you won’t expose yourself to any potential spoilers.

In the wake of the demise of Jeanine (Kate Winslet in the previous films), it would seem that a “happily ever after” is within reach not just for Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James), but for all so-called “divergents” and even the run of the mill members of the various (former?) factions. Of course, that would mean that this franchise would indeed be a trilogy, with just a few dangling plot threads to weave together before the final credits. Instead, an increasingly melodramatic series of events intervenes, starting with one of the film’s better sequences, one which details the fraying relationships between the factions and the perhaps duplicitous aims of Jeanine’s ostensible replacement, Evelyn (Naomi Watts). The execution of a supposed “traitor” makes it quite clear that despite “the tyrant” supposedly being overthrown, tyranny is a transferable behavior.

There’s already a bit of illogic at play, with Evelyn closing “the gate” which would allow Chicagoans the ability to get out into whatever is left of the big, wide world. That of course sets up a plot conceit that is awfully reminiscent of The Maze Runner, with Tris and her cohorts struggling to get through (or in this case, over) a labyrinth to discover what’s “out there”. It’s at least to the film’s credit that the group (or at least most of it) does escape, only (of course) to find itself more or less prisoners again at the (yep, labyrinthine) Bureau of Genetic Welfare, where Tris begins interacting with a (yep, duplicitous) guy named David (Jeff Daniels).

Allegiant struggles mightily to come up with anything new to say in the increasingly repetitive dystopian future young adult subgenre, and in fact large swaths of this film seem to have been lifted whole cloth not just from the aforementioned Maze Runner franchise, but the “big kahuna” in this particular sweepstakes, The Hunger Games 4-Film Complete Collection. Though pretty tired and predictable from a plotting standpoint, Allegiant is buoyed by a rather bracing production design and some well done visual effects, but those aspects tend to be window dressing attempting to prettify a rather dull center.

My colleague Brian Orndorf was perhaps even less impressed with Allegiant than I was. You can read his assessment here.

Allegiant Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Allegiant is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. As with the previous films in this franchise (and according to the IMDb), this third outing was digitally captured with a variety of Arri cameras at resolutions varying from 3.4K to 6.5K, and then finished at a 4K DI. Also as with the previous films in the series, this is often an enticingly sharp and nicely defined looking presentation. While a lot of the film falls back on tired color grading gambits which cast several sequences in a cool blue or slate gray, once Tris and "the rest" get beyond the wall, the film starts exploiting a really interesting series of rust colored tones that may remind some of The Martian. Detail is often extremely impressive in a number of close-ups, where everything from skin pores to flyaway hairs are easily discernable. Though some of the CGI has the typically slightly soft look that seems to be unavoidable with this technology, some elements, like the floating globes, offer really nicely rendered textures that are virtually palpable. Contrast is generally consistent, though as tends to be the case with some digitally shot films, a few interior scenes are slightly murky looking at times.

Allegiant Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Allegiant features a great sounding Dolby Atmos track (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core for those with receivers not yet able to decode this newer format). As with Insurgent, this is a wonderfully forceful track that regularly utilizes floorboard rattling LFE while also offering pinpoint accuracy in placement of discrete effects. There are a number of "flying objects" (identified or otherwise) throughout the film, many of which provide nicely rendered overhead panning effects which can completely subsume the listener. Even quieter, less effects laden, sequences offer excellent use of surround channels to establish ambient environments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly and is always well prioritized on this problem free track.

Allegiant Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher


• Allegiant: Book to Film (1080p; 4:51) discusses the adaptive process and the questionable gambit of splitting the book into two films (with one crew member unfortunately describing the effort as "treading water").


• Battle in the Bullfrog (1080p; 3:56) is a brief look at one of the film's set pieces.


• Finding the Future: Effects and Technology (1080p; 10:32) looks at the some of the VFX as well as practical items like props and production design.


• Characters in Conflict (1080p; 5:58) is quick overview of some of the plot dynamics at play in the film.


• The Next Chapter: Cast and Characters (1080p; 7:36) is more of the same, with interviews.


• Building the Bureau (1080p; 11:56) is an interesting look at how O'Hare was supposedl retooled for a new "purpose".

Note: Try as I might, I could not get this disc to load in my PC drive, which is how I typically check resolution of supplements. Since there was no discernable HDMI handshake involved when I played the supplements on my PS3, I'm assuming all supplements are in 1080p.

Allegiant Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As mentioned above, one of the talking heads in one of the supplements on this disc makes the unfortunate decision to describe "other" attempts to split one book into two films as leaving a feeling of "treading water" in the first film, something that is more or less exactly what Allegiant often seems to be doing. Fans of the film will probably be willing to "get through" this one in order to finally arrive at the big finish, but that's an awfully low bar to be setting for a franchise that started with such decent promise. The film is a visual and sonic feast, however, and that may help some viewers and listeners to cut it a bit of slack. Technical merits are excellent for those considering a purchase.