Directed by Robert Schwentke, the third installment of the science fiction adventure saga was originally thought to be bringing closure to the series. The Divergent Series: Allegiant is the first of two cinematic parts adapted from the novel Allegiant, the final book of the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth.
Starring some really well known actors, including Jeff Daniels, Miles Teller, Bill Skarsgard and Naomi Watts, this film is the sequel to Insurgent and will be followed with the final film of the saga, Ascendant. Originally Allegiant and Ascendant were to be titled as Allegiant – Part 1 and Allegiant – Part 2 respectively, but that has since changed.
Allegiant had a theatrical release date of March 18, 2016 and was heavily criticized by film critics all over, ultimately ending up as a box office disappointment. Grossing just $179 million worldwide on a $110 million budget, this resulted in budget cuts for the fourth and final installment of the series scheduled to hit theaters in June of 2017.
The Movie Itself (3.5/5):
While watching through Allegiant, I found myself finally getting some answers for the questions that I had from the two earlier films. Despite this film being heavily criticized during its theatrical release, I really enjoyed the experience that it had to offer. While the story felt as if it were a little “soap opera-ey”, it wasn’t overly done.
As someone who hasn’t read the books that this series is based from, I was glad to finally get some clarification on the story. I’m sure that my opinion would be completely different had I read the book, as most book-to-film adaptations tend to distort the story that was originally offered drastically. This film included its fair share of action sequences that were able to maintain my attention, and it never really had a lull that would cause me to ultimately become distracted by something else. However, this says something about the film if the biggest takeaway was that I did not walk away or do something else; like I said, it isn’t horrible for the genre, but it is by no means a work of art.
Picture Quality (5/5):
Presented in the absolutely beautiful 2160p resolution that 4K has to offer, Allegiant as a visual masterpiece. Even with the inclusion of the obvious CGI remnants, the presentation of the futuristic technology felt extremely real. Not only the futuristic technology on display, but the overall scenery of the various atmospheres and settings really stood out. The colorization of this movie really popped on my television set. Sequences were extremely clear, crisp and beautifully presented. There were no experiences with distortion in any capacity.
If you too have been following this series during its film adaptation and are interested in checking out the 4K UHD release, it is, at least in my opinion, worth the investment to grab the UHD copy. Even if you don’t have the player or television set to support the new format and plan on upgrading, I would personally recommend it as a way of future proofing your experience with this film franchise.
Audio Quality (4.5/5):
Moving on with the inclusion of the Dolby Atmos audio track, Allegiant was a fantastic experience for the ears. I did deduct a half-point from my experience on this release as, while the included musical score was extremely fitting, there was an abundance of bass that roared through my subwoofer at some extremely unnecessary times. If it weren’t for the overpowering bass during those handful of scenes, I would have given the audio rating a perfect score. However, the bass often overpowered other elements, meaning that the audio mix was a bit flawed.
With that aside, the Dolby Atmos track on this film was a great experience and certainly warranted with the various action sequences that played out in this film. Now, having the ability to be much more immersed in the at-home audio experience that Atmos technology offers has been a phenomenal experience.
The Packaging (3/5):
This release of The Divergent Series: Allegiant comes packed in your typical 4K UHD amaray case. This release does feature a slipcover for its first run of the release. Included in the case, the contents are just like every other 4K UHD release, is the 4K UHD Blu-ray, the standard Blu-ray and the UltraViolet redemption pamphlet for Allegiant.
With the 4K UHD Blu-ray format still being in its infancy, expect similar packaging for a while until they branch out and start doing special editions that feature this format.
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Special Features (5/5):
Unfortunately, the UHD Disc does not contain any special features. However, the Blu-ray disc contains all of the same special features as its stand-alone counterpart. The Blu-ray comes jam-packed with an abundance of additional content that is definitely worth your time should you decide to add this film to your personal library.
- Battle In The Bullfrog
- Allegiant: Book To Film
- Audio Commentary With Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher
- Finding The Future: Effects & Technology
- Characters In Conflict
- The Next Chapter: Cast & Characters
- Building The Bureau
Technical Specs:
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Original Aspect Ration: 2.39:1
Audio
English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD Compatible)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English, English SDH, Spanish
Final Thoughts:
I was really glad to have had the opportunity to sit down with this film. Despite all of the negativity the film had received, I really liked it for what it was. It does answer some questions that were left unanswered with the previous two films and it does a fantastic job in building up to the next film in the series that is scheduled to be released in 2017.
Making full use of the 4K UHD/2160p format and resolution, this release of Allegiant was an extremely beautiful audio/visual home theater experience. I am genuinely curious to see where they go with the upcoming film and how they try to maintain the theatrical experience with its budget cuts, but hopefully they finish strong and produce another excellent 4K UHD home media release.
Note: This Blu-ray was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.