Check out our INSURGENT Blu-ray review for all the ins and outs of the home release!
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT is out on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow! You already dig the movie, but you don’t know what else you’ll get. So we’re giving you a Blu-ray review that breaks down the best of the special features within!
The Blu-ray edition of the film includes commentary, a feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary, and several smaller peeks. Let’s break them down, shall we?
AUDIO COMMENTARY FROM PRODUCERS DOUG WICK AND LUCY FISHER
Unfortunately, it’s pretty rare to see the stars of films doing audio commentary these days, but it’s still great to hear from others involved in production. Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher were part of every major decision for this film, they know they world and the platers involved, and this have some great stories to tell! It’s not zany, but it’s a fun trip!
INSURGENT UNLOCKED: THE ULTIMATE BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS
What isn’t involved in this documentary?! This baby is feature-length and takes us through every major moment, setting, and stunt for the film to see how it all came together, using a cool picture-in-picture effect to show the before and after of each scene. Some of the moments involved will be loved by fans, including these gems:
- The building of the beautiful Amity set, meant to contrast against Tris’ harsh emotions, with a fake decrepit highway overpass so convincing that both Veronica Roth and Octavia Spencer thought it was real.
- The cast discusses claiming rooms on the Factionless set, each of which were decorated intricately.
- Coordinating fights with common objects, real weapons (Theo loves ’em!), and a Cirque du Soleil acrobat.
- Addressing changes and reshaping of the sims and the box for the book– and why they worked better that way for film.
- Extreme measures taken for the perfect special effects sequences.
Like the movie, the documentary felt a little sim-heavy at times, but it’s understandable since a lot went into those scenes. Overall, this is the really juicy meat of the special features that will satisfying your cravings for behind-the-scenes knowledge!
FROM DIVERGENT TO INSURGENT
This short feature discusses the progression from one movie to the next, Tris’ journey from student to warrior, and very deliberate shift in tone in Tris and her relationships, especially with Four. The screenwriters good a great job discussing how they worked to convey Tris’ psychological state every step of the way.
THE OTHERS: CAST AND CHARACTERS
This is a really quick look at the newbies this time along. It includes Keiynan Lonsdale, who was cast as Uriah in part due to his “smiling eyes”; Rosa Salazar and Emjay Anthony, who discuss being “from the same cosmic tribe or something”; a majorly underused Suki Waterhouse, and Jonny Weston, who talks about his character being a departure from the books and what he adds to the film.
ANATOMY OF A SCENE: THE TRAIN FIGHT
Believe it or not, the train fight sequence between Tris, Four, Caleb, and the Factionless was one of the most difficult scenes to complete. The train car was custom built, the fight had to be choreographed in a small space while displayed each character’s individualize fight style, and a combination of practical and special effects needed to be deployed. See it all come together is insane, but in the best way possible!
THE PETER HAYES STORY
When we first saw this feature, we got really excited. Peter’s backstory?! Well.. no.
We’re not hatin’ on this special feature, but we’d hoped for more than some discussion of Peter’s well-known moral ambiguity and the way he begins to question his path in this film. We’re not exactly part of the “Peter’s Princesses” group, but we know this character has more depth that we could’ve dived into.
DIVERGING: ADAPTING INSURGENT TO THE SCREEN
Yup, we’re talking about the book-to-movie changes!
Veronica Roth says she down with the changes to some plot points so long as they don’t jeopardize the characters’ true selves or take the focus off of Tris. She discusses some of the changes in detail, in particular the simulation testing and opening the box:
“[The sims] are all in the book. They’re just spread out … The Box takes a lot of my favorite scenes from the book and puts them together at the same time.”
The producers and screenwriters say Veronica Roth was consulted often and is wonderfully chill about the changes needed for a movie adaptation.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’re a Divergent fan and a special features junkie, you’re going to love seeing everything that went into this film. Check it out now in Digital HD (with special features) or on August 4th on Blu-ray/DVD!
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