Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Divergent 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Divergent series has kind of seemed like an “also ran” in the so-called dystopian YA sweepstakes, engendering little of the hysteria that greeted The Hunger Games 4-Film Complete Collection and (at least based on recent box office returns) failing to even muster the relatively tamped down response afforded to The Maze Runner franchise. Despite what appears to be the writing on the wall with regard to these multi-film roll outs involving young folks speaking truth to power (whether that be in the form of The Man or The Woman or simply The Monolithic Government), Lionsgate has brought the first three Divergent films out in 4K UHD.

Divergent 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Divergent is presented on 4K UHD with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. According to the IMDb, Divergent was digitally captured at 2.8K from which a 2K DI was prepared, presumably the source for this 4K UHD disc. As with other recent 4K UHD releases culled from 2K DI, there's a slight but appreciable uptick in detail levels, and the addition of HDR offers some noticeably better contrast and tonal gradations that tend to augment detail levels, at least in perception if not in "reality". This latter tendency is at least partially undercut at times by blacks that tend to waver in deepness, though I personally did not experience the kind of milkiness that I saw in either Ender's Game 4K or The Expendables 3 4K. As with several other 4K UHD discs I've personally reviewed, there was quite noticeable judder at times, especially in lateral pans. The opening credits sequence, for example, offered slight but quivery image instability first on the abandoned hull of a boat and then even more noticeably on the array of scaffolding that surrounds the city. Vertical pans don't tend to offer as much "resistance" to image stability. The film's tendency to exploit a kind of drab palette keeps much of this presentation from "popping" in a traditional way, though it's notable that once the black and gray outfits of Tris' "team" come into play, there's some appealing differentiation and detail levels in some of the more shadowy sequences that aren't quite as apparent in the 1080p Blu-ray version. Several of Tris' scenes are graded to the yellow side of things, and there's a more nuanced presentation of gradations of this color scheme now.

Divergent 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The original Blu-ray release of Divergent contained a blistering DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track that I rated as high as possible, and that excellence is only amplified (pun probably intended) by this new 4K UHD's DTS:X mix. There's some slight but noticeable increase in positioning and especially panning in this latest version, something that's sonically apparent as early as the production companies' logos, when a swirling array of fun panning sounds envelops the listener. The film's score is regularly separated very discretely, with individual instruments emanating from single channels. Narration is centered pretty firmly and is always well prioritized. There are several great sequences in the film that provide some really fun immersive effects, including the spooky "mirror" hallucination scene that offers a cornucopia of panning voices and score elements and, later, the growl of a pretty nasty canine. The big train set piece also has some really fun swooping effects that sound like they're actually panning downward, ending in some nice floorboard rattling LFE.

Divergent 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc contains no supplemental material, and the score above reflects that lack. The 1080p Blu-ray contained in the package offers the same supplements that were detailed in our original Divergent Blu-ray review.

Divergent 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm well outside of the YA demographic, and so the fact that I've found the Divergent franchise suffer from the law of diminishing returns should probably be viewed with my curmudgeonly proclivities in mind. That said, the first film has a decently interesting premise, some good visual effects and generally fine performances. It may be unavoidably derivative feeling, but the film is never less than entertaining, at least if taken on its own "popcorn munching fare" merits. This new 4K UHD version offers nice if occasionally problematic video and some fantastic sounding audio. A double dip may not be necessary, but for fans of this franchise who haven't picked up the first release and who have taken the plunge into 4K UHD, the results here are enjoyable, especially with regard to the DTS:X audio.