Transformers Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray Review

Transformers Two-Disc Special Edition

Blu-ray Review
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release: September 2, 2008

Ever since Paramount announced that they were going to support the Blu-ray format, I was anticipating the release of Transformers, as it was so impressive on the HD-DVD, and even the DVD format, that it would be an immediate must-buy.  Needless to say, the day has come as Transformers has hit the Blu-ray format, and man is it awesome!

Transformers took the world by storm 20 years ago and has been brought to life once again thanks to the tremendous film by director Michael Bay.  The cartoon, the toys, the culture, have all been brought to the screen in ways which fans could have never imagined.  Optimus Prime is back in action and ready to take over once again.

Transformers has been brought up to speed in the modern culture with millions upon millions of fans of the film from 20 years ago dying to see some high quality action.  Michael Bay was at the helm and he by no means let anyone down.  Michael Bay, who is known for films with huge action and tremendous special effects from projects such as Pearl Harbor and Bad Boys, has given Transformers the golden treatment from start to finish.

The film is broken up into many storylines at the beginning which end up all coinciding in what becomes a terrific movie with fantastic interwoven plots which all shape up and come together by the end.  The film starts off in Qatar with a group of American soldiers who are bombed by a helicopter who transforms into a huge robot.  You are introduced to Captain Lennox who is played by Josh Duhamel beautifully.

You are also introduced to Sam Witwicky played by Shia LaBeouf.  He starts out as a student in grade 11 who wants nothing more than a car, but has to get straight-As in school and some cash to make it happen.  He convinces his teacher for an A, gets his cash together, and meets a 77′ yellow Camaro which is a bit out of his price range.  From here before you know it the car transforms into a huge robot.  Things continue to evolve as the United States tries to figure out who is attacking them.

Things escalate into a movie focused on the Autobots and Decepticons as the Transformers are drawn to Sam through his eBay page.

With Transformers you have to expect to see some of the most impressive CGI sequences of all time with amazing special effects and action.  Top this off with some amazing acting and the original voice for Optimus Prime played by Peter Cullen, and you have a film which is an instant-classic in the eyes of millions.

Want to show off your Blu-ray player, throw in Transformers and prepare to impress just about anyone!  The video quality from the Blu-ray release is absolutely top-notch, with amazingly vibrant colors, solid black levels, and overall a crystal clear transfer.

The audio quality is just as flawless throughout, as you get a great Dolby Digital TrueHD release which does a an awesome job of showing out the great sound effects from this film.  The audio mix with the sound effects and dialogue are extremely crisp and clear throughout.  This is a very engrossing experience, and is a great thing to use to show off your home theater.

The Blu-ray release of Transformers features a vast array of extras thanks to the fact that it has been released in a 2-disc special edition.

The first disc starts out with an audio commentary track by Michael Bay, as well as BD-Live features for exclusive online content, and a picture-in-picture feature.  The picture-in-picture feature allows you to check out behind-the-scenes stuff while you are watching the film, and adds a whole new level of entertainment from it.

Disc two packs a featurette which is around 45 minutes long and is called “Our World.”  It is split up into various parts and talks about everything in regards to the Transformers movie.  It discusses in great detail Michael Bay’s vision for the film.  This goes from the extreme early development all the way to the finished product you now get to enjoy anytime you want.  The action scenes are explained in great detail as well as the locations where everything was shot.  There are also many interviews with the cast and crew of the film and is a must view experience for anyone who enjoys the work of Michael Bay or Transformers.  There is also another very big featurette on disc two titled “Their War.”  This featurette is over an hour long and is broken up into four parts.

Each of the four parts focuses on the Transformers and goes from the original merchandise of Transformers from Hasbro and extends from there.  Fans from Transformers 20 years ago will absolutely love this.  It also talks about the Autobots and Decepticons and explains how and what changes were made when making the new film.

“More than Meets the Eye” is also included on the Blu-ray release as a special feature.  This looks some extra things which took place in the movie including a close-up look at the sand attack scene, as well as concept reels, and a section of trailers.

Transformers has been a long-time coming in regards to being released on the Blu-ray format, and does not disappoint in any regard.  It packs some great Blu-ray exclusive extras, a demo-quality audio/visual presentation, and of course, the awesome film itself.  If you own a Blu-ray player, you have to own Transformers!

Film: 9.5 A terrific movie from start to finish with a great story, and some of the best CGI work ever from director Michael Bay making for an instant classic for Transformers fans.

Video: 10 As flawless as you can get, demo-quality to say the least!

Audio: 10 A perfect audio mix which will absolutely engross you from start to finish.

Extras: 9.0 A great set of Blu-ray exclusive extras, a worthy 2-disc set for any fan!

Final Score: 9.8

Do you have a product that you would like featured on dBTechno? If so, drop us a line at vicb@dbtechno.com

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