5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 2.9 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Autobots must escape sight from a bounty hunter who has taken control of the human serendipity: Unexpectedly, Optimus Prime and his remaining gang turn to a mechanic, his daughter, and her back street racing boyfriend for help.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Jack ReynorAction | 100% |
Adventure | 82% |
Sci-Fi | 65% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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.
Shocking.
Transformers: Age of Extinction has been made from a blend of digital and film. While the transition from lightly gritty to digital clean is sometimes jarring, the net effect is reference material on both ends. The filmed elements enjoy a light but firm and natural grain structure, while the digital photography is smooth and clear. Both are incredibly well detailed, finding the finest nuances in clothing, facial features, and Transformer bits with an effortlessness that's, frankly, astonishing even this deep into Blu-ray's lifespan. Image clarity is second-to-none. There's detail to spare all around the frame; the film enjoys a sharpness and robustness even at distance that will dazzle even veteran HD audiences. Colors are fantastic, whether bright green grasses, orange fireballs, bright yellow cars, different colored trims, or clothes. Anything and everything Bay throws at the film all enjoy exceptional balance and vitality. There's a hint of warmth throughout, which provides a slightly orange skin tone texturing, but needless to say such is a constant throughout the series. Black levels are perfectly deep and accurate. The image does suffer from a few instances of annoying shimmering and aliasing, particularly evident early on and seen on car grills, awnings, and chrome accents, but the picture quality is otherwise simply too good to knock down its score over a few brief hiccups. With that one caveat, this is a perfect HD image that's every bit as good as anything else on the format today.
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 AtmosŪ 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 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).
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 release of Transformers: Age of Extinction delivers first-class video, 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, but the disc comes generally recommended only as a demo piece for picture and sound.
2014
2014
Limited Edition Gift Set with Grimlock and Optimus Collectible Statue
2014
Optimus Prime Packaging
2014
Blu-ray + KRE-O pack
2014
Bumblebee Mask Packaging
2014
w/Alternate Slipcover + 3 Figurines + Magnet
2014
Movie-Only
2014
with Limited Edition Drawstring Bag
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1977
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Live. Die. Repeat.
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IMAX
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