HD DVD Review: Transformers
THE MOVIE 4 stars out of 5(Transformers will be released on HD DVD on October 16)
Transformers is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LeBeouf, Josh Dunamel, Tyrese Gibson, Megan Fox, Jon Voight and John Turturro and was executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Transformers was one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer of 2007 grossing over $650 million worldwide. and is the most eagerly anticipated release of the year on HD-DVD. This was the film that so set off the Blu-Ray crowd when Paramount announced it was dropping Blu-Ray as they would not be getting Transformers on Blu-Ray.
The film is based on the Hasbro action figures of the same name. The plot is very simple. A group of living machines, the Decepticons, led by Megatron, come to earth looking for a lost Allspark cube with the intention to use it to bring the earth's machines to life and exterminate the human race. To prevent that and to destroy the cube, the Autobots, lead by Optimus Prime, come to earth to do battle with the Decepticons. They join forces with humans to save the world. Is the movie dumb and filled with plot holes? Does it rely too much on special effects? Yes and yes. Is it action packed and fun? Oh yeah. Is it entertaining? Damn right it is! It is the type of mindless fun that is perfect for a summer blockbuster. This film is well worth a look. In fact, for the reasons noted below, this is a must buy for any fans of action films with an HD-DVD player. In fact, if you don't have an HD-DVD, go out and get one for this film. Don't waste your time with the DVD.
THE VIDEO- 5 stars out of 5
Encoded using AVC (MPEG 4), the video on this disc is outstanding, almost perfect in fact. It is almost the equal to my favorite looking disc to date, Hot Fuzz. If you don't have that one, get it. The film is presented with incredible clarity and a bold color palette. Very deep blacks give this film a totally three dimensional look with excellent detail. The image literally leaps off the screen. The close up shots looking amazingly detailed as do to far shots which remain razor sharp. There is not even a hint of softness to this presentation on HD-DVD. Is it better than Spider-Man 3? To my eyes, yes, by just a smidge due to some softness of the image in just a couple of scenes in Spidey 3. They are both excellent. However, I must say that the CGI on this film is better than as seen in Spidey 3. The integration of the robots into this film is simply amazing. One never gets the impression that you are watching CGI unlike in Spider-Man 3. Clearly, this is a great time to be format neutral with these great new releases. This is reference video, folks.
THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5
THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5
Simply put, this is one of the best sounding discs I have ever heard. There were a lot of complaints when the specs for this disc were announced in August and did not included a Dolby True HD track. How could this title be released with only a Dolby Digital Plus track was the cry. It shows the lack of capacity of HD-DVD discs was the complaint. Not to worry. It turns out that all those complaints were unfounded. The Dolby Digital Plus track is outstanding. The sound on this disc is smooth and totally dynamic. The dialogue is full, rich and clear. The voice of Optimus Prime in the narration is totally lifelike. The sound field is totally immersive. Despite all the explosions and action, one never has any problem hearing the dialogue. The bass is incredible, among the best I have heard on disc. It is deep, taut and powerful. The surrounds are constantly in action. The battle scenes are fantastic with objects whizzing all around you constantly. I can't imagine how this disc could have sounded any better with True HD. I guess we may never know but after hearing this disc, I was certainly not longing to find out. The audio is that good. This is reference audio folks.
EXTRAS
This 2 disc set is chock full of extras with audio commentary by Michael Bay, Transformers H.U.D., Intelligence Mode web-enabled features, Tech inspector and behind the scenes footage of how the film was made including the incredible CGI. Well worth a look.
IN CONCLUSION
This disc is a fun ride and one the entire family can enjoy. It a reference disc for audio and video and will really show off your system. Crank it up and enjoy.
For more high-def news and views, please click: TVPredictions.com
For more high-def news and views, please click: TVPredictions.com
41 Comments:
Ok, going neutral.
I've been mulling buying an a3 or a35 for a couple of weeks to go with my ps3.
This title and the review did me in!
I give up!
Well I was going to buy this movie on Blu Ray. I guess I won't be buying it at all now. I feel betrayed by Paramount. I seen this movie 3 times on the big screen and was waiting for the blu ray. If there is a Transformers 2 I will not go to see it. I will no longer support any Paromount Video no matter what it is. I will avoid them all. You could at least let the people dicide which format they want instead of trying to force one or the other.
i dont care i would rather wait til it comes on tv i have blu ray and because paramount wont put this out on blu ray because hddvd pay them off they can go to hell f- them hddvd suck
Thanks for the useless comments, BD users. You probably review movies by bit-rate & specifications, too.
Seriously, go neutral. I have. Save up for a combo player if you hate having two playback devices.
I am definitely getting this.
Hi, Some are complaining that Toshiba paid off Paramount. It is business. Do we think that SONY did not pay Target/Blockubuster to get the shelf space? The SONY should have paid them well 2. The retailers(bestBuy and others) were getting the big commission becuase we pay more for the Blues so they were supporting the BluRays at the expense of our money. Wake up.
I agree, go neutral.
I invested a lot of money on my ps3, and then picked up an a20 and now can watch it all.
This is a mush have HD title.
The Blu-ray consortium has said on many occasions that they didn't have to pay off anyone. Every single one of the Blu-ray supporters accepted it because it is the better choice, and I agree. I had both HD DVD and Blu-ray at one point and once it was clear which was the over better choice I returned the HD DVD player, as it was clearly inferior. Just because you lack the skills to discern the difference doesn't mean that there’s no difference. For those that own the equipment and know what to look for the difference is quite clear. I will never, ever, purchase an HD DVD player nor will I purchase anything from Paramount until they earn my trust and respect back.
The BD guys are pathetic. Stop whining please, better go work on your spelling.
HD DVD is not inferior, this is to the BD loser posting just before me. I have a $20K professionally calibrated theater setup with both BD and HD DVD players, and i can tell you there is NO difference whatsoever in PQ or IQ of identical titles. HD DVD just gives you more bang for the buck in terms of features and the HD DVD players are future-proof. Overall HD DVD is better and more mature. And THAT was the reason Paramount went exclusive with HD DVD. Transforners is a great techie movie, the disk release needs special features that are techie and advanced and BD was just not on par to provide that functionality in ALL players on the market. BD is not even a standard yet.
Everyone outthere who is hesitating to enter the HD world, Transformers is your perfect chance, go buy this disk (and an HD DVD player), you will not regret your choice and you will greatly enjoy the movie and the quality of HD. Do not pay ANY attention to the BD underaged fan boys here.
I was going to buy it on Blu-ray, but seriously it is not a good enough movie to buy into a whole new format for. There is no such movie - you have to look at the whole lot of them before you decide which way to go. Since Blu-ray has more support from studios and from people actually buying movies - I'll say don't waste your money on HD DVD.
I too am going format neutral this coming Sunday...I am tired of not being able to see the other HD flicks like Transformers because I only have a PS3. Enough is enough plus my Wife wants Shrek in HD. There is easily 30-50 HD DVD titles right now that I would love to have. I already have about 25 blu ray titles. I hope there are some good deals on a HD DVD player this weekend because I'm buying. Consider my format neutral.
format neutral with the XA2 and PS3. fanboys are both sides are missing out. like it or not, the format war is gonna be around for a long time. life is too short to not enjoy the great titles on both sides.
I will definitely become format neutral this Christmas. I expect the Blu-Ray Players to fall low enough to be affordable then. Until then, I will console myself with this fantastic title, and my HD DVD player. I pre-orderd this on on amazon last week, and my 42 inch 1080p plasma arrives about the same time. Don't get me wrong... I love my 26" LCD,(about to be relegated to my bedroom.) but this one deserves the BIG screen. Glad to hear it's so awesome.
Thanks Joe!
The Blu Ray fanatic whiners here are a major target of laughter. First they boast about a particular exclusive BD title and how that's the reason BD is superior. Now when HD DVD coninues to offer outstanding titles, they cry like a bunch of babaies becuase they can't get it for their little game machines. Boo Hoo. Tough. next time pick the right format - HD DVD. If you want to see great movies with great video and audio, stop your immature complaining and drop $219 for an HD DVD player. After all, you spent alot more than that for a stupid game console that pretends its a movie machine - heck - most of you folks rent movies anyway. After they sell over 5-600,000 of these - maybe people will wake up and smell the roses. HD DVD is for movies, Blu Ray is for games (PS3) - that's why HD DVD players outsell Blu Ray players 2 to 1 (we have no reason to even count PS3's).
For those BD only adherents, maybe Transformers is not enough to get you to go neutral beause it isn;t your cup of tea. Maybe The Bourne Ultimatium will be which IMHO, is the best movie of 2007 hands down and an HD-DVD exclusive on Universal?
I was solidly red, and decided that being so was silly if it meant I would miss out of some good movies from Disney and Fox.
So I picked up a PS3 and now have both.
The only thing preventing anyone from going neutral is cost. If you can afford it, you're neutral. If you cannot afford it, well, you shouldn't be playing this game because being an early adopter means spending money.
My first DVD player cost me about a 1000 dollars. That cost is actually less than the combined cost of my two HDM players, so I'm not too upset.
hddvd sucks point blank
"hddvd sucks point blank"
Gosh, what an intelligent post! You managed to do with four words what millions have failed to do.
You have managed to prove that blu-ray is supported by inbred, illiterate teen boys who might be lucky if the see a girls nipple at 50 yards.
Good Job!
I think I will wait to see it on HD through direct tv and keep it on the HD-DVR until the blu-ray is available next year. The contact is for a year or 18 months. Paramount can't give up sales. While it is not as good, it eliminates another piece of equipment. Plus I can't justify buying any studio's films that go from neutral to exclusive.
I am looking forward to future releases of spiderman, pirates at world's end, and harry potter.
In case you missed it, this 18 month rumor has been denied by Toshiba and Paramount.
The Blu Ray butt sniffers are really something. There is nothing good to say about Blu Ray itself, and not that they have lost the grip on exclusive titles, all they can do is make brilliant statemtns like "HD DVD sucks". Guess what....Blu Ray sucks...which is why no one is buying their players and most of the Million or so PS3 owners rent their disks. If HD DVD does really well this holiday season in disk sales (which is what this is all about, sorry to tell you BD fanboys), then look for more studio defections towards HD DVD. I predict Transformers will become the new HD disk leader of all time this year.
ATTENTION ALL BLU RAY FANBOYS:
It's about the titles stupid.
The HD DVD inventory has surpassed BD in terms of quality titles, and soon in number of titles.
Sony doesn't get it, which is why they lose the battles like Paramount, and ultimately will lose the war too.
Just curious about disk space. That seems to be the usual argument for Blu-Ray supporters.
Has Blu-Ray actually released a movie with the 50 or 100 Gb disks? Can the first gen players actually handle that?
I know HD DVD has released movies with their 30 Gb disk, but is Blu-Ray still using only their 25 GB disks.
If so, then it would seem HD DVD has the actual storage size advantage in the market right now. If Blu-Ray is using their 50 Gb disk, then does anyone know any CURRENT titles utilizing this format?
I'm curious to know what that extra space actually gets me in terms of extra features and content. That is to say, would Transformers actually benefit from a Blu-Ray release?
wow these posts on here are freaking funny.
seriously keep it up guys i havent laughed this hard in years.
i find it funny all the ps3 bluray owners are anonymous.
anyways i have a question for the person who feels betrayed by paramount.
and that they should give the coustmers a choice instead of forecing them into hd dvd.
why is it ok for sony and fox and disney and the others to force coustmers who want there movies to buy bluray but its not ok for paramount to do so.
and heres a question for all of you.
how many of the ps3 owners on here actually have there ps3 hooked up to a HDTV and how many of you are really watching your bluray movies on your ps3 hooked up to a standard tv set, thinking your still watching it in hd.
id say prob 80 to 95 percent of you.
Well David Albert, I'd say it's because the whole "being neutral" thing was their motto and then the big switch.
I bought a nice Grand Wega so once I got my PS3 I could watch movies the way they should be seen. I also don't go to theaters cause my setup satisfies me and hey..I can drink at home..
When Paramount and Dreamworks made this move it really felt horrid. Things I wanted to see, and had a guarantee to see in HD, got pulled from under me. Makes it hard for me to support you if you don't care to have me as a customer.
I'm in no way trying to justify some of the clear fanboyish comments on here but when you ask who actually watches BD on their PS3s I can tell you that EVERYONE I know does. In fact after seeing my setup 2 friends ran out to get a PS3 AND Grand Wegas..and the group gets bigger everytime a movie plays in my home..just sayin.
Well NeOz, your experience with your friends just shows that idiocy is contageous. Why buy a PS3 to watch movies when you can buy a standalone BD player, or even (provided you are not a sony fan boy) an HD DVD player for 60% less?
Do not you sony FBs understand that sony is evel for trying to push an inferior and unfinished video standard (BD) on you by the means of a game concole?
90% of the standalone BD players are not future proof and had been released based on a premature unfinished spec. Wise up sony and BD fan boys, realize that Sony is using you.
Hey, Big Fat Jerk, you're clearly very misinformed regarding Blu-ray disc capacity. Over 140 Blu-ray titles have been released on BD50, including 65% of all 2007 releases. They work on every Blu-ray player.
This is one of the many reasons that HD DVD is superior to Blu-ray. Better Movies and Better special features. I am glad I chose HD DVD over Sony... I mean Blu-ray. Transformers is going to be right up there with Halo 3 in my media collection.
see what would really be nice is if transformers was on blu ray and hddvd and see who sells more but that will never happen because hddvd company has no balls
this is really funny that blu ray is sell more then hddvd and hddvd has been out longer !!!!!!!
Eyyy don't be stup?? HD-DVD is closet to have 51 GB and is better cuz' is hard to scrash and is the best cuality look I have a 360 and now im goin to get a PS3 just to play MG3 because this is the only good game in ps3 in two years thats suck but im going to use both but more my 360 sure maybe Iget 2 0 3 games in 08 in my PS3 but i allready have like 15 good games in my 360 think ooo and today im getting transformer HD-DVD
and sony have to give you spaderman3 for free
Eyyy don't be stup?? HD-DVD is closet to have 51 GB and is better cuz' is hard to scrash and is the best cuality look I have a 360 and now im goin to get a PS3 just to play MG3 because this is the only good game in ps3 in two years thats suck but im going to use both but more my 360 sure maybe Iget 2 0 3 games in 08 in my PS3 but i allready have like 15 good games in my 360 think ooo and today im getting transformer HD-DVD
and sony have to give you spaderman3 for free
Eyyy don't be stup?? HD-DVD is closet to have 51 GB and is better cuz' is hard to scrash and is the best cuality look I have a 360 and now im goin to get a PS3 just to play MG3 because this is the only good game in ps3 in two years thats suck but im going to use both but more my 360 sure maybe Iget 2 0 3 games in 08 in my PS3 but i allready have like 15 good games in my 360 think ooo and today im getting transformer HD-DVD
and sony have to give you spaderman3 for free
Eyyy don't be stup?? HD-DVD is closet to have 51 GB and is better cuz' is hard to scrash and is the best cuality look I have a 360 and now im goin to get a PS3 just to play MG3 because this is the only good game in ps3 in two years thats suck but im going to use both but more my 360 sure maybe Iget 2 0 3 games in 08 in my PS3 but i allready have like 15 good games in my 360 think ooo and today im getting transformer HD-DVD
and sony have to give you spaderman3 for free
For everyone complaining about Paramount, and "selling out" to HD DVD, and saying they should release in both formats and let the formats decide who wins... wake up. if you're going to boycott Paramount for not releasing on Blue Ray, then why don't you boycott SONY for not releasing from ANY of their companies on HD DVD? Or Fox, or disney? If you are so mad at Paramount for picking a side, then why aren't you mad at the others that picked your side? Fools, all of you.
Seriously, a lot of Paramount bashing from posters. Hypocrisy at its best. Can anyone say Sony. Leave that horse alone and go beat yourself.
A few key points to bring out. After you read this post, you can call me a fan boy if you insist, however these are facts not fan boy posts. In the long run the winner of this so-called format war will be hd dvd. 1 concrete point. The Porn industry has sided with hd dvd because of cheaper production cost, period. I hate to bring Porn into the mix, but for those of your old enough, the demise of laser disk to video tape was the backing of the porn industry. Blu Ray is too expensive and not cost effective just like laser disk was at it's time. Major industry members have stated this and are currently signing with hd dvd. The smut industry has sided and the winner in the long run is hd dvd. Sorry to burst any bubbles, but it's true. 2nd point, for those PS3 Owners vs XBox 360 hd dvd owners. Microsoft chose to have the hd dvd player separate from its main consol for one main reason. It has been proven that a hd dvd playing/blu ray device is severely taxing on a consol. Systems burn out at an accelerated rate when watching movies. The integrated blu ray players in the PS3's are being extremely taxed each time they play a movie and games. Keeping the hd dvd player separate keeps the replacement cost at $179.00 (360 hddvd player) currently vice $5-600 for the PS3. I know many own both, and again, this isn’t aimed at those who own players. But for the PS3 owners, be careful, you are taxing your systems when you watch blu ray. But maybe that’s one way to drive up sales numbers for blu ray. Make you replace your PS3 lol. I play both PS3 and XBox 360, if you were wondering.
OK people BR/HDDVD debate is a dead horse...quit beating it. Like the DVD +/- format war, neutral players shall rule in the end. Having said that I'll actually comment on the content of the disk. The web enabled features are awesome, and the extras made for an evening themselves. In the web enable features there's a slick display that surrounds the movie, giving location and robot stat info. The downloaded videos are a treat too. One shows a parking garage video with a VW bug that then transforms just like the old G1 BumbleBee and stomps over the car ahead. The next is a rather large T-Rex shaped Transformer who walks past the camera in what looks like a construction site. The last is a video of a birthday party where it appears that the video camera itself transforms and freaks out he family singing Happy Birthday. More content is yet to come.
If that's not worth the cash, then I don't know what is. Time to watch it again!
J.
Those of you out there who refuse to buy the movie because it was not released on blu-ray are a bunch of saps.This is a must buy you sony loving fan boys. Go HD-Dvd.
Why would you commit yourself to blu-ray, it's only in it's first generation, hd-dvd is based on dvd which has been around for years so you know the quality is there, i wouldn't waste my money on blu-ray to find years down the track the discs are unreadable not mention how easily they scratch.
Answer to a previous post, blu-ray discs do use up more disc space, that's due to sony having to use the old mpeg2 compression on their movies where as hd-dvd uses newer compression techniques to achieve the same or even better quality at less disc space.
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