BLU-RAY
REVIEW: TRANSFORMERS
08/31/08
Paramount Home Entertaining will be releasing the Blu-ray
version for the 2007s Summer blockbuster hit Transformers on
September 2, 2008, Fans of the franchise will have the
opportunity to enjoy this extravaganza of special effects
finally in the Blu-ray format. This Blu-ray version of the
film, it is basically the same HD-DVD version
released back on October 16, 2007, Don't expect any new featurettes. The pictures and sound are stunning in
Blu-ray. This is one of those film that was made deserves to
be watch in high definition. In better words. A must have
Blu-ray. However, it would be unfair to say that it
looks or sounds better than the HD DVD version of the film.
In order to help HD-DVD owners upgrade, Paramount Home
Entertaining includes a $10 mail rebate form inside the
Blu-ray version of the film.
REVIEW: In Transformers an alien race of
robots known as The Autobots, the good guys, and the
Decepticons, the bad guys, are in search of the Allspark,
their life source. Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots,
needs the Allspark to restore their home planet Cybertron,
while Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, needs it to
take over earth and wipe out the human race. The one person
that can help locate the Allspark is Sam Witwicky. The only
problem is, he’s a teenage boy more interested in getting
his first car and the hottest girl in school than saving
earth.
Director Michael Bay known more for
intense action sequences than a cohesive plot remains
faithful to his style. The plot is rather weak and mainly
used to showcase the Transformers while sacrificing the
narrative. The action, however, will leave you breathless.
The special effects are nothing short of spectacular. You
will be hard press to find a single flaw in any of the
special effect sequences. These are the best special effects
to date on any film and alone worth the price of admission.
It is absolutely amazing seeing the transformation from
harmless vehicle to fierce alien robot.
Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky) along
with Bumblebee are the heart and soul of the movie. Shia
shines in every scenes he is in and manages to both charm us
and make us laugh. Bumblebee, the 1976 Camaro, is the
transformer we can most relate to, as he shows the most
emotion. In one scene, where Bumblebee is attacked, you can
see the suffering in his face and it is heart wrenching to
watch. The only other performance that stood out was that of
Anthony Anderson who plays the role of master hacker Glen
Whitman. He was really funny even though his lines have been
long played out in countless other movies. A lot of these
action movies try to add quite a bit of comedy and it is
nice to see that in the case of Transformers, it really
worked.
The sound of the movie was also
incredible. When Optimus Prime spoke I could feel the power
of his vocals resonating throughout the theater. Hearing
Prime’s voice gave me a little feeling of nostalgia, even
though it sounded a little more robotic than I remember.
Prime was voiced by Peter Cullen the same person who voiced
him in the cartoon almost twenty years ago. Megatron,
however, was a big disappointment as he didn’t get enough
screen time and was not as menacing as in the cartoon. I
think the third act of the movie would have been much more
exciting had the conflict between Prime and Megatron been
intensified.
Movie
Review
By Milton Brayson
milton@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
1080p High Definition
AUDIO:
English,
French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital True HD
English, English SDH+, French, Spanish and Brazilian
Portuguese subtitles
BONUS FEATURES:
Feature
commentary by director Michael Bay
TRANSFORMERS H.U.D. (Heads Up Display):
In this mode, viewers can
access running text-based behind-the-scenes background
information on the production during the feature. Users can
also watch relevant picture-in-picture b-roll and video with
Bay, Spielberg and other filmmakers during select sequences.
Our
World:
This feature is divided in four parts
The Story Sparks - Steven
Spielberg discusses his love for the franchise
and early concept art for the film. Explores how the
writers adapted the cartoon into a live-action movie and
why Michael Bay is the perfect director for the film.
Human Allies - A look at how the actors were
selected and their experiences on the set.
I Fight Giant Robots - An exploration of the
military training that
Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson underwent for their roles
and the various stunts that the actors were asked to
perform.
Battleground - A piece on the senior officials from the
Department of Defense and Air Force who consulted on the
film to give it authenticity and the key locations that
the U.S. government provided access to.
Their War:
Rise of the Robots -
Explores the interaction between Hasbro designers and
Michael Bay to bring the toy line roaring to life.
AUTOBOTS Roll Out -
Michael Bay discusses working with Chevy and its designers
and the modifications that were made to the cars seen in the
film.
DECEPTICONS Strike -
The film’s military advisors discuss the “toys” they allowed
the production to borrow: F-22 Raptors, Ospreys and A-10
Warthogs.
Inside the AllSpark -
ILM’s digital artists discuss the challenges of bringing the
TRANSFORMERS to life.
More Than Meets The Eye
From Script to Sand:
The SKORPONOK Desert Attack - An in-depth look at the making
of this particularly epic and challenging scene from initial
storyboarding through production and visual effects.
Concepts - Early
sketch concepts of the robots.
Trailers - Contains
the four trailers for the film
TRANSFORMERS Tech Inspector :Gives viewers an
unprecedented look at the TRANSFORMERS robots through the
exquisitely detailed models created by ILM artists. Users
can zoom in on each detail for a closer examination and
pause and change the rotation of the models.
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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