Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Transformers: Age of Extinction 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Bigger and better in 3D.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 17, 2014

Director Michael Bay brings a grace to cinematic madness much in the same way a director like Tobe Hooper does, but usually without so much gloom and terror mixed in and on a significantly larger and more audience-friendly and mass-appealing scale. Bay's atmosphere and skill with the camera -- his uncanny ability to find that perfect angle and position the action just so for a dazzling display of technical know-how meets real life meets the fantastical -- always produces guaranteed results, but results that may be tiring audiences. Now on his fourth Transformers movie, Bay's signature filmmaking style and his signature franchise continue to dazzle in a bubble, but the movies are growing old. The franchise was so exciting when it debuted. It was fresh and impactful, not necessarily the direction hardcore fans in their 20s and 30s who grew up with the toys and the cartoons wanted but a spectacle of epic proportions that has only been topped by additional installments in the series and this latest masterpiece of technical wizardry in particular. Yet the movies feel heartless and soulless, like the spark has been ripped from their chests. They show signs of greatness beyond the eye candy and deluge of pristine audio flowing into the ears, but they've really become technical highlight reels worthy of popcorn munching and practically nothing more. Transformers: Age of Extinction at least tries to push the series in a new direction while maintaining the signature look and style and precision, but it just winds up as more of the same, a lot of movement and chaos with loose story threads and flat characters and off-the-cuff humor that's been a little toned down but still presented in excess. Buckle up, because it's an eerily familiar, overly long, and really bumpy ride.

This shot wasn't in one of the other three movies?

A struggling inventor named Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) works out of his Texas shed and home, trying to make ends meet by repairing odds and ends for neighbors and hoping to strike it rich with the next big robotics invention. He's also doing what he can to watch out for his seventeen year old daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz) whose college education depends on the family's nonexistent finances. Cade one day purchases a rusty, beat-down truck and, while attempting repairs, is surprised to discover that it's actually Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), leader of the Autobots who has effectively been exiled from humanity. The world is still reeling from the destruction the Transformers have caused, particularly in the city of Chicago, and there is a bounty out for their heads. Cade's friend Lucas (T. J. Miller) would rather turn the Transformer in, and a phone call yields the arrival of a government spook squad out to retrieve the national security "threat" without a warrant. Cade, his daughter, and Lucas barely escape thanks to the driving skills of Tessa's boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor). The foursome, plus Prime, finds itself on the run from the government and its secret collaborator, a sleek bounty hunting Transformer named Lockdown (voiced by Mark Ryan). Meanwhile, a successful robotics entrepreneur named Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) is inventing his own Transformers, including the speedy Stinger and the mighty Galvatron (voiced by Frank Welker).

Age of Extinction gets the formula right but really does nothing to set it apart from the other films in the series. The story is merely a means of tying together visual effects shots and cool photographic skills into a mostly coherent, and terribly linear, and far too long, demo reel. It's almost literally 150+ minutes of the same thing: big battles, lots of destruction, quirky characters, quips galore, flat but good-looking human characters, and the promise of chaos and "Bayhem" that's delivered in spades, and all of the other cards in the deck, for that matter, which actually make an appearance, Iraq War-style. The movie is undoubtedly a success of technical triumph of the highest order. If it weren't so tired and stale it would be flat-out exhilarating, and it's so good that, even though it's all been seen before -- all that's really changed are the details, like backgrounds and, sometimes, characters involved -- it often captures one's attention on sheer strength and will of scope alone. The transformations, both the classic style and those new to this film -- "digital" deconstructions and reconstructions -- look incredible, so much so that Blu-ray viewers will want to go frame-by-frame and watch the magic unfold in detail. The visuals are amazingly seamless both in terms of how real, and complexly so, that they look, and in terms of how naturally they integrate with real-world environments and human characters. There's not a bad shot in the movie from a technical perspective; blend that expertise with Bay's penchant for stunning camerawork and it's no wonder the movies keep making money, even if audiences are paying to see the same thing every time.

Yet the movie, and the series, could be so much more, even if it's not a complete reflection of the classic series and toys but instead a creature of Michael's Bays creative genius. The series shows potential out the proverbial wazoo. The action scenes, particularly the engagement that ends the first film, are as intense, well done, largely scaled, hectic, and graceful as anything ever seen in a war movie, and much the same holds true here. This film's open is incredibly beautiful, novel, eerie, and spellbinding all at once. The black ops and secret alliances and deals and mistrusts between the robots and the government could have been the kind of stuff The X-Files only ever dreamed of. Just build a core story of robots battling it out on Earth, make it dark, emotionally challenging, dramatically intense, and keep all of the trademark Michael Bay style and there could be a classic in here, the perfect movie, or series, that finally pushes the boundaries of special effects merged with a story and atmosphere to match. Godzilla comes much closer to what this series could be. Imagine that with giant robots and far less darkness to really see the special effects. That's something that makes these Transformers movies so great; there are no shadowy, hidden-by-the-dark visuals. Add to those an edge-of-seat sort of story without all the hackneyed comedy, forced story lines, and generic human characters, and well, that's all just wishful thinking. The series is making far too much money to change, but fans should dare to believe, anyway.

Despite a fresh new coat of paint on the surface, the movie still feels rather generic and like it's just more of the same. Fresh faces made of steel and flesh and blood both are scattered throughout, but none of them particularly matter in the grand scheme of things. The new Transformers are, well, different, and include a figure in a green duster out of the old west or The Matrix, a blue samurai voiced by Ken Watanabe, and a round, bearded, cigar-chomping (with, admittedly, a nifty trick up his sleeve for that stogie) soldier in a classic G.I. Joe style who would have fit right into The Dirty Dozen. There's also a bounty hunter type character who has nothing on Boba Fett but who is at least a different face for the enemy, albeit one that really doesn't offer much of a distinct look in comparison to his more colorful Autobot opponents, appearing streamlined and predominately silver rather than colorful and full. In the end, they all pretty much do the same thing, which is gracefully, and sometimes not so gracefully, battle and serve up a number of quips along the way, particularly from the Hound character, voiced by John Goodman who does extremely well with the part, even if the character looks out of sorts (a fat Transformer? Really?). The film also introduces the fan-favorite Dinobots, essentially robots that turn into dinosaurs. Unfortunately, they enjoy precious little screen time and the absence of the dopey Grimlock speech pattern is sorely missing. The human characters are all rather flat. Even considering some obvious parallels and juxtapositions -- including an interesting dynamic between inventors Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci -- they're little more than small pieces that drive the story towards the big battles that define the movie. The film spends far too much time fleshing them out for such a small payoff, and trimming their scenes might have drastically improved the almost continuously sluggish pacing, an astonishing feat for a movie with this much motion.

Transformers: Age of Extinction 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Transformers: Age of Extinction isn't a whole new movie in 3D, but it plays better. The 3D presentation is spectacular, and mixed with a whole lot of 1.78:1 IMAX footage, the movie just seems to tower. Even on smaller displays -- the 3D review display, for example, clocks in at a mere 50" -- the movie experience absolutely rocks in its bigger format. The blend of scope ands depth is truly something to behold, and this might very well be the best example of 3D IMAX available on Blu-ray. Suffice it say, depth is significant, regular, and awe-inspiring. Deep landscapes, such as the opening prehistoric fields and mountains and ravines and, after, long distance snowy landscapes, seem to stretch on for miles. It's so inviting and real, especially in the big format, that audiences will be tempted to stand up and walk right through the screen and into Michael Bay's playgrounds. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The wide Texas shots look fantastic, whether stretching on out from a field towards the Yeager ranch or seeing the expanse of the dilapidated movie theater or Yeager's robotics workshop in all their spatial glory. Battle scenes are hugely impressive, whether on wide-open freeways or in the dense urban areas of Hong Kong. The entire movie feels like an open world of space and depth, supported by a quite a few protruding visuals, particularly large Transformer gun barrels. Debris and other light, floaty elements sometimes appear to exist beyond the front confines of the screen, and characters and terrain and buildings all enjoy a very real sense of volume.

Better still, the film loses no sense of its bold colors or tremendous detail in 3D. The image retains that excellent, natural texturing, which is actually more evident here, particularly on the complexly constructed, weathered, and war-torn Transformers. The effect is only aided by the subtleties of depth on display throughout their metallic bodies. Colors remain vivid and pleasant, and that slightly warm shading remains. Image clarity is striking, again, as it is on the included 2D only disc. Black levels remain true, and flesh tones only slightly push towards that orange shade. Of note is that the shift in aspect ratio between 1.78:1 and 2.40:1 is regular (a good example of rapid-fire shifting comes in a dialogue scene between the Transformer Lockdown and Kelsey Grammer's character), but after a few minutes of movie the switches don't really seem bothersome, though certainly audiences may be wishing to see the entire movie in the larger format, because it does work very well. In fact, the movie was, for this reviewer, a fair bit more enjoyable in 3D, hence the slightly higher movie rating above compared to the score awarded to the 2D-only review. Maybe it was just the jaw-dropping visuals doing the talking, but the scope and scale really seemed to bring out the movie's best. It's still a flawed, overlong, and repetitive experience, but 3D is certainly the way to watch it. On another note, watch for a couple of shots that are not 2.40:1 but that are a little wider (very small black bars) than the 1.78:1 frame. A shot at about the 1:16:58 mark is an example. Finally, note that all screenshots are from the 2D only version of the film.

Transformers: Age of Extinction 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Of special note is that Transformers: Age of Extinction is the first Blu-ray to be available to the public with the new Dolby Atmos sound presentation. Listeners will select the Atmos track regardless of whether they own compatible equipment in order to enjoy the included Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. The following text accompanies the track: "This audio presentation is mixed specifically for Dolby Atmos® enabled receivers and speaker configurations to produce full, multidimensional sound without channel restrictions in the home -- even overhead. Dolby Atmos is compatible with current generation Blu-ray players. Also select this option for Dolby 7.1 TrueHD speaker configurations. For Dolby Atmos playback, set your Blu-ray player to bitstream out and disable secondary audio. For more information, visit Dolby.com" (reviewers note: and a good place to start is the Dolby FAQ page). Also included are blurbs about the included Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 discrete options. Also included is an English audio description track as well as French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 presentations. English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitle options are also included. Unfortunately, Dolby Atmos gear and setup was not available for review purposes at the time of publication.

With that out of the way, on to the review of the 7.1 TrueHD presentation. What? Review? Who needs it? The track rocks, end of story. Yup, it's everything and a whole lot more, a reference level rampage of sonic harmony on an epic scale and throughout the entire range, from soft and subtle effects to dazzling explosions and chaos. The film employs a classic Transformers sound design, one packed with nuance that comes through even with all of the excess oftentimes going on around it. The precision with which the track handles all of the transforming sounds, all of the gunfire, all of the movement, all of the excitement is really uncanny. Its balance is even more amazing as the entire listing area almost itself transforms into Texas or Hong Kong, to realistically recreate the sounds of hot breezes or heavy machine gun fire. Indeed, atmosphere is unbelievably natural, and even though most in the audience will have never experienced the sort of chaos the battles bring, there's no doubt that the replication of real life is pitch-perfect. Every element enjoys perfect balance and nuance, even at volume. Explosions send debris scattering all over the stage, all but leaving the listener in the rubble and dodging the immediate aftermath. Shots ring out of every corner, crashes plop into the middle, and the corners are alive with activity every second of the movie. Musical delivery is clear and precise, excellently spaced and accurate whether score or Pop. Dialogue reproduction is strong, with special note of the effortless spacing the track provides to a few lines in a cavernous old movie theater from a sequence early in the film. Overall, this is a reference track and right up there with Godzilla as the best of the year, with advantage to Transformers.

Transformers: Age of Extinction 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Transformers: Age of Extinction contains all of its supplements on a dedicated disc. Supplement subtitle options include English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Audio presentation is Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 Kbps). No 3D exclusive supplements are included.

• Bay on Action (1080p, 10:45): The director discusses his frenetic style, the cinematic trickery he uses, the hectic pacing of his style, his filmmaking approach, shooting in Hong Kong and Detroit, crafting the final battle, the film's style, and more.
• Evolution with Extinction (1080p): An eight-part making-of supplement.
  
  
  • Generation 2 (15:53): A look at how the film differs from the others but remains within the same universe; introducing new Transformers; building a father-daughter story; characters; casting, performances, and the qualities the cast brought to the film; the picture's scale; and humor in the film.
  • Drive Like Hell (13:29): This piece takes a closer look at a number of the vehicles depicted in the film.
  • Small Town, Big Movie (11:22): Setting the early parts of the film in Texas, scouting locations and filming locations, production design, robot design and implementation, and shooting action scenes on the location.
  • Shadow Protocol Activated (28:45): Chevrolet's participation in the film and the access the company allows the filmmakers, shooting locations in Detroit, alien spacecraft set details, making one of the film's biggest explosions, and filming in and around Chicago and detailing sets and scenes crafted there.
  • The Last Stand (11:03): A look at shooting Detroit for Hong Kong.
  • The People's Republic (12:54): This supplement takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the Hong Kong shoot, including the apartment rooftop chase, the challenges and rewards of the shoot and location, casting Chinese actors, shooting outside the city and on The Great Wall, and more.
  • Rise of the Dinobots (6:10): A look at bringing the fan-favorite Transformers into the franchise and digitally creating them for the film.
  • The Finishing Touch (23:10): A strong piece that takes the audience into the editing room, Michael Bay's Florida house, and sound studios for a look at editing, digital effects work, voice work, scoring, sound effects, and the film's Hong Kong premiere.
• Just Another Giant Effin' Movie (1080p, 10:03): A light piece that offers a collection of fun moments from the shoot.
• A Spark of Design (1080p, 15:24): This supplement takes viewers into the Rhode Island Hasbro headquarters for a look at character toy design and creation, with a focus on Grimlock.
• T.J. Miller: Farm Hippie (1080p, 19:43): A fun piece that features the actor visiting with Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, and Michael Bay.
• Trailers (1080p).
• Trailer 1 (2:34).
• Trailer 2 (2:34).
• Kre-O Transformers: Take Us Through the Movies! (3:42): A fun little take on the movie made with Lego-like toys.
• Angry Birds Transformers: Origin Story (1:16): A fun 1980s style/VHS quality Angry Birds take on the franchise.

Transformers: Age of Extinction 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Transformers: Age of Extinction won't win any awards for originality or even creativity, but it is pretty much everything fans expect out of a Transformers movie. It's huge, it's loud, it's detailed, and it's gorgeous. But it's just too much. It's too long, too much of the same, and too frenetic. The characterization falls flat and the action feels repetitive. It's little more than a skin change compared to the original films. Michael Bay is an excellent craftsman and movie set field general, but it would be nice to see him take those practically unparalleled skills and use them to make something a little more dramatically robust, focused, and meaningful. But for fans looking for more loud Transformers action on an epic scale, this film delivers as well as, if not better than, the rest. Paramount's Blu-ray 3D release of Transformers: Age of Extinction delivers first-class video, fantastic 3D elements, incredible lossless audio (and the debut of Dolby Atmos sound), and a nice variety of supplements. Fans simply can't go wrong with a purchase, and this package comes recommended; the movie works better in 3D.