Insurgent is the second film in the Divergent series, and is based off Veronica Roth’s novel of the same name. The story picks up shortly after the events of the first film. Tris (Shailene Woodly), Four (Theo James), Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Peter (Miles Teller) are hiding out in Amity after Jeanine (Kate Winslet) blames them for the attack she staged on Abnegation. Tris his having nightmares and blames herself for the death of her parents and Will.

Meanwhile, Jeanine finds an ancient box in the rubble of the attack which she believes is the key to bringing down the Divergent. The catch is that the only way to open the box is to pass sims for all 5 of the factions. She sends her troops to each of the factions to find Divergent she can use to open the box, but none of them seem to be strong enough to survive all of the trials. Tris soon realizes that this is her destiny and that she must fight Jeanine head on.

I have not read the Divergent books, so as I see each of these films, I’m going in fresh, not knowing anything about what’s going to happen, or what is to come in the future.

This second film in the series feels more like place-setting for the final book to come (which will likely be broken into two films as it seems to be the custom these days) rather than a stand-alone film of its own. Like the first film, Insurgent doesn’t build to a definite conclusion where everything is wrapped up. Instead, it leads up to a major reveal that will be explored in the next film. This second installment is all about Tris’ emotional journey and overcoming her grief in order to prepare herself for her ultimate mission. Tris isn’t the only character who goes through a change in the film—we also see big changes for Peter and Caleb as well. And we get to see another side of Four, and meet his mother.

Throughout this film we also get to see a lot more of the other factions that weren’t explored in Divergent. The film’s creators have done an excellent job giving each of these factions its own unique, visually-interesting look and feel.

While there is this emotional journey at its core, Insurgent still has many exciting moments. There are a lot of great action sequences, such as when Jeanine’s troops are hunting down the Divergent, an exciting fight on a movie train, and when Tris goes through the sims—these are the most visually-stunning sequences in the film (and where the 3D Blu-ray release would be recommended for those who have the ability to watch it).

One thing that surprised was the film’s willingness to kill off some of the characters I thought would be around for a long time. I really appreciate films and TV shows that are willing to do this, as it adds true stakes to the world they are building, and gives the viewer some truly unexpected moments. I was also surprised by some of the violence in the film and just how dark it got.

The Blu-ray video presentation looks great, capturing every detail of the film’s breathtaking special effects, and the visually interesting landscapes and structures that make up each faction’s home. The audio track provides clear dialogue as well as an aural experience that brings the viewer right into the action.

The Blu-ray contains an excellent collection of bonus material, the most impressive of which is the feature-length behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, which I found thoroughly-interesting. Also included are an audio commentary, and over 40 minutes of other featurettes and photo galleries.

For just a couple of dollars more than the standard Blu-ray release, you can pick up the 3D combo-pack, which also comes with a 3D Blu-ray and DVD of the film. And for those with 2D-only setups, Best Buy is offering an exclusive steelbook version of the Blu-ray, while Target has its own exclusive version of the Blu-ray that includes both the DVD and an extra disc containing 45 minutes of bonus material.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:59:00)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Optimized for Late Night Listening, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 8/4/2016):

• iTunes Digital HD Copy
• UltraViolet Digital HD Copy

Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (1:59:00)
  Producers Lucy Fisher and Doug Wick provide a sparse running commentary throughout the film. There are quite a few of gaps of silence, but when they do talk, the producers give lots of interesting facts about the actors and behind-the-scenes tidbits about the production.
• Insurgent Unlocked: The Ultimate Behind-the-Scenes Access (1:56:32)
  An excellent, detailed behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film which takes a picture-in-picture format. The film plays in a small window of the screen over interviews with the cast/creators, behind-the-scenes footage, production photographs, pre-vis sequences, script pages and more. The film pop-up comes and goes as needed so the behind-the-scenes footage can be seen full screen.

  Includes interviews with producers Doug Wick, Lucy Fisher and Pouya Shahbazian, production designer Alec Hammond, 2nd unit director/VFX supervisor James Madigan, author Veronica Roth, set decorator Kathy Lucas, screenwriters Akiva Goldsman and Brian Duffield, supervising art director Alan Hook, stunt coordinator Darrin Prescott, transportation coordinator Denny Caira, director Robert Schwentke, 2nd unit stunt coordinator Wade Allen, executive producers Todd Lieberman and Barry Waldman, fight coordinator Jeremy Marinas, special effects coordinator Bruno Van Zeebroeck, supervising location manager, supervising art director Alan Hook, property master Sean Mannion, composer Joseph Trapanese, special effects Thomas Amborn, and stars Shailene Woodly (“Tris”), Theo James (“Four”), Octavia Spencer (“Johanna”), Kate Winslet (“Jeanine”), Miles Teller (“Peter”), Ray Stevenson (“Marcus”), Jai Courtney (“Eric”), Jonny Weston (“Edgar”), Ansel Elgort (“Caleb”), Maggie Q (“Tori”), Keiynan Lonsdale (“Uriah”), Zoë Kravitz (“Christina”), Naomi Watts (“Evelyn”), Daniel Dae Kim (“Jack King”), Emjay Anthony (“Hector”), Suki Waterhouse (“Marlene”) and Ashley Judd (“Natalie”).

  The feature is broken down into seven chapters, but flows as one long feature-length documentary. Activate All or select from “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” and “A Fight to the Finish”.

• From Divergent to Insurgent (5:09)
  The film’s cast and creators talk about taking what what set up in the first film and the development of characters Tris and Four in this sequel.
• The Others: Cast and Characters (3:40)
  The film’s creators and some of the new cast members talk about the characters Uriah, Lynn, Hector, Marlene and Edgar. In addition to folks already interviewed in the previous features, we hear from actress Rosa Salazar (“Lynn”).
• Anatomy of a Scene: The Train Fight (4:01)
  The cast and crew take a detailed look behind the scenes of the big train fight.
• The Peter Hayes Story (2:40)
  The cast and creators of the film talk about Peter’s arc in the film.
• Divergent: Adapting Insurgent to the Screen (4:00)
  The film’s creators talk about the changes made to the source material while also maintaining the same spirit of the book and character dynamics.
• Marketing Gallery
  • Sneak Peek (2:45)
    Promotional featurette for the film that includes film clips, behind the scenes footage, and interviews with the cast and creators.
  • Sneak Peek, Presented by Shailene Woodley (1:25)
    Shailene Woodley provides an intro to this short version of the Sneak Peek for Regal Cinemas.
  • In-Theater Promotional Making-Of (1:33)
    Another promotional sneak peek/behind-the-scenes featurette shown in theaters.
  • HBO First Look (12:38)
    HBO’s First Look special takes a look at the premise of the film and gives viewers a glimpse behind-the-scenes at the making of the film. Includes clips from both films and interviews with the cast and creators—much of which is also used in the other featurettes.
  • Theatrical Trailer 1 (1:07)
  • Theatrical Trailer 2 (2:34)
  • Theatrical Trailer 3 (1:11)
  • Theatrical Trailer 4 (1:12)
  • Theatrical Trailer 5 (1:10)
  • Image Gallery
    Step through photos all of the various marketing posters used for the film.
  • Animated Character Portraits
    Nineteen-second animated ads for the films. Select from animated portraits for Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts.
• Also From Lionsgate (6:57)
  Trailers for The Last Witch Hunter, The Age of Adaline, The DUFF and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Final Thoughts:

Insurgent feels less like a standalone film and more like it’s setting characters and events up for the final chapter of the trilogy. However, it does provide some exciting action, an interesting emotional arc for the main character, and leaves viewers interested in what’s to come. The Blu-ray presentation is top-notch, with stellar audio and video, and an excellent selection of bonus material. I highly recommend paying a couple dollars more for the 3D release if you have the ability to watch 3D at home. Otherwise, there are a various retailer-exclusive versions available as well as this standard release. This comes highly recommended for fans of the franchise.