6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers' final battle.
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese GibsonAction | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 62% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (as download)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In the name of freedom, we take the battle to them.
Fans figuratively declared war on Director Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen for its excess bad humor, loose
plot,
and general mindlessness. That picture got everything buts its special effects and action-as-spectacle wrong, unlike its predecessor which emphasized not only the "wow" factor but its plot, too, while
downplaying, but not eliminating, its comic relief. Bay's willingness -- or lack thereof -- to tone down or eliminate completely all of the goofiness that
made Revenge of the Fallen such a drag of a picture was foremost in fan's minds leading up to the release of Transformers: Dark of the
Moon, perhaps even more so than the film's plot, its place within the trilogy, and maybe even the absence of star Megan Fox from the movie.
How
did Bay respond? Dark of the Moon is nearly everything a Transformers movie should be, at least as the franchise exists in
Bay's skilled hands. The movie has its problems -- namely an overly long first half -- but once the action gets going, there's no stopping it. Dark
of
the Moon is hands-down one of the absolute greatest movie spectacles of all time. It's not an all-time great movie, of course,
and it's
not even quite as good as the original, but in terms of sheer entertainment value, seamless and absolutely believable special effects, total
audio immersion, and pure fun factor, it's an unequivocal success.
I loved you in 'Fargo!'
Transformers: Dark of the Moon makes for one good-looking Blu-ray. Shot partially on film and partially on digital, different scenes feature different textures but the end results is a single pristine image that runs the entire course of the movie. The filmed segments feature a beautifully textured light grain structure that never fluctuates. The digital scenes are noiseless wonders that are smooth but neither flat nor devoid of detailing. In fact, there's never one shot in the movie that isn't perfectly detailed. Whether real or digital -- human faces, clothes, rubble, intricate robotic pieces, frayed and broken metal objects, scratches and dents, or common little background elements like the texture of a brick wall or paint flaking off an old door -- there's no shortage of glorious eye candy to be seen throughout. Colors, likewise, enjoy a natural vibrancy that's reserved for only the finest Blu-ray images. The red, yellow, silver, and other bright colors seen on cars that appear throughout the movie are nothing but a pleasure to behold; they couldn't look any shiner and true-to-life if they were being viewed in the real-world on the showroom floor. Flesh tones do take on a serious bronze shading, but such has been the case throughout the entire series. Black levels are absolutely flawless, too. No crush, no hint of gray, just solid and natural in every dark corner. Clarity is out-of-this world good, and there's a natural depth to the image, evident even without the added dimension for the 3D presentation. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the pinnacle of Blu-ray video. Incorporating both film and digital, it's the best of both worlds and a reference-quality transfer for both mediums.
No surprise here. Transformers: Dark of the Moon delivers one of the finest lossless soundtracks ever to grace a Blu-ray disc. Paramount's Dolby TrueHD 7.1 presentation is a true champion. Every musical note, every sound effect, every line of dialogue is so pristine, so natural, that there's never a moment where the audience isn't completely immersed in Michael Bay's chaotic world. The movie begins with a heavy pulsating electronic sensation as the Paramount stars fly on by and through the screen. The clarity, separation, and precision spacing and maneuvering of each one is second to none, and the real fun hasn't yet begun. Music is impeccably rich and satisfying. Its frontal delivery is seamless across each main channel, supported by just the right level of surround speaker activity. Atmospherics are naturally immersive as well. Light rain and a clap of thunder play in the background during Sam's first scene in the movie. It'll leave listeners believing it's the real mccoy. Minor directional effects are startlingly effective, too. One scene features a robotic character throwing an object towards the screen, and then it rattles around upon impact right in the back-middle part of the soundstage, just one instance proving the utility of the additional surround speakers. Needless to say, however, the real treat comes during the action scenes. Goodness, when did home theater audio get this good? Transformers has never been about raw volume, and Dark of the Moon is no exception. The film and its soundtrack instead strive for accuracy, stability, naturalism, and immersion over absolute power. Sure the low end rattles and bass rumbles, but it's the spacing, clarity, and perfect maneuvering of each and every sound, no matter how prominent or how tiny and supportive in nature, that make this one a real success of sound engineering. Everything plays in absolute harmony together, and the result is action so immersive, so real, that every sound -- whether familiar real world effects or make-believe robotic creaks, rattles, and rumbles -- comes together to create what is one of the finest surround sound experiences of all time.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon contains no supplements, but included in the package is a promotional $10 coupon towards the purchase of the upcoming Blu-ray 3D release which should include the bonus content fans crave. This set does include a DVD copy of the film on a second disc as well as a redemption code for a downloadable digital copy which, unfortunately, was unaccessible from Paramount's digital copy website at the time of publication.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon bests Revenge of the Fallen in every way imaginable. The movie's first half threatens to bore the audience to death -- there's just too much filler -- but it's nothing but pure adrenaline the rest of the way. Bay responds to his critics with a movie that's more in-line with what the series promised to deliver in the first place: giant special effects robots doing battle, causing ungodly amounts of damage, and devastating theaters with some of the most immersive audio ever to accompany a motion picture. The movie is far from perfect, of course, but Bay took heed of the feedback and made a bigger, far more comically toned-down, but certainly not leaner picture. It's still excessive and too long at two and one-half hours, but it moves by very fast once the action begins to dominate the movie. Simply put, there's no greater example of 21st century special effects and movie spectacle as this. It's a very fun ride that's well worth taking, all its other flaws be damned. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon delivers flawless video and audio -- did anyone expect less? -- but no extras. An upcoming 3D re-release promises supplements, and fans on a budget will have to weigh their choices carefully. However, for those who don't want a 3D copy and who couldn't care less about extras, this disc is as good as it gets. All others would probably be best served with a rental and pre-ordering the bigger set once it appears on Amazon.
Movie-Only Edition
2011
Single-Disc
2011
Limited Edition Packaging
2011
Two-disc special edition
2011
Limited Edition
2011
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Limited Edition
2011
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Limited Edition
2011
2011
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2014
2009
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2007
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1991
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IMAX
2013
1977
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1996
2018
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011