Caffeinated Clint
Shia LaBeouf takes another big stride toward real stardom here by making the proceedings believable and relatable. He actually carries the first half of the movie – sans Giant Robot. I am really digging that kid now.
Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Megan Fox
Ok, growing up, I was a casual fan of the ”Transformers”, I admit. I’m not the fanboy most of my peers were; I was still stuck on ”Star Wars”. But, seeing early trailers for this did get my little Autobot to transform… if you know what I mean! The footage looked awesome and I was hyped (I admit- I must be the only film critic out there that actually like Michael Bay. F-me, but ”Bad Boys 2” rocked hard! And I for one ((apparently the only one)) actually dug ”Pearl Harbor.” There, I said it!).
That brings us to this little film called ”Transformers”. Right out the gate, this film had three strikes against it. One – it was Michael Bay, so 90% of the movie community were ready to knock it. Two, it was about giant fighting robots, so all self-respecting print critics were required by principle to trash it (unless you write for a major men’s magazine); and three, it was ”Transformers” (so all the fan-boy web critics were apt to tear it apart for every little “liberty” it took with the “Transformers Cannon”. Seriously, it’s a freaken toy, for Christ’s sakes! Who really cares if Optimus Prime had lips???). Me? I went in thinking “Hey – we get to see giant F-ing robots beat the crap out of each other, and destroy everything around them in the process!” AND WE GOT IT!!! And so much more.
The big surprise here is that in addition to the Giant Robots Beating the F out of Each Other, we actually got a coherent story, decent characters (most of them), and even a little heart (yes, I even shed a tear or 2; love that BumbleBee).
Shia LaBeouf takes another big stride toward real stardom here by making the proceedings believable and relatable. He actually carries the first half of the movie – sans Giant Robot. I am really digging that kid now.
If I had to have any real complaint about the movie, it would be the forced humor. There are way too many situations that did not have to be funny, but random silliness was wedged in (the cop interrogating Sam; don’t even get me started on John Turturo’s character – irritating as all hell). But this really ends up being a minor complaint to the rest of the adrenaline rush.
Bottom line – I wanted kick ass effects, and Giant Robots Beating the “F” out of each other, and that’s what I got…IN SPADES!!
Maybe it was just me, but it seems that the video here is a mixed bag. The effects and the Transformers themselves looked F-ing gorgeous! BUT… (again, could just be me) it seems as if a lot of the actor and non-effect shots seemed a little grainy in comparison. On the plus side, the colors were excellent and the darks were solid.
At first I was a little disappointed at the lack on a 6.1 or even a DTS track, but after listening to the 5.1 surround track on this disc- my disappointment passed. This is a crystal clear, loud, aggressive surrounding SOB. The action sequences really rocked my skull; this is a great soundtrack!
The movie comes in a clear keep case (hard shell) with opposing profiles of Optimus Prime and Megatron on either side. Over that, a clear plastic cover with the title up each side complements that… it’s cool and all, but the info page (what is usually the back of the case) is now a slip of paper that just falls off the back (you have to put it in the case with the discs if you’re one of those who wants to keep it safe). The Menu Design is cool, and sounds excellent.
Disc 1 features a commentary by Michael Bay which was very informative, and even entertaining (say what you will about Michael Bay – the man is outspoken). Disc 2 gives us what boils down to 2 documentaries; the first on the filming itself (which seemed a little dry – too much time just filming the set and shooting), and the second that focuses more on the creation of the robots themselves. This was much better. To round things out we have a featurette on the Desert attack scene, and some trailers.
**Major complaint – the IMAX version had deleted footage; where is it on the DVD? I smell a double-dip! For the biggest movie of the year, I expected a little more…
Do I really need to tell you to go out and buy this? Yes, the features are light, and the packaging is funky… but this movie rules!!! And, for the sound alone, this is worth the pick-up (or you can wait for the inevitable “Transformers Transformed” release with additional footage & features – your choice).
Rating : 
Reviewer : Danny Alves
