Blu-ray Review: Transformers

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5
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
Transformers was released on HD DVD in October 2007. My review of the video on that title is quoted below. As far as I was able to tell, the picture on the HD DVD and this Blu-Ray release are identical. Encoded using AVC (MPEG 4), the video on this disc is outstanding, almost perfect in fact. 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 Blu-Ray. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that this is one of the finest looking encodes I have seen to day. The integration of the robots into this film is simply amazing. One never gets the impression that you are watching CGI unlike in some of the more recent action films. Clearly, this is a reference video presentation and fully worthy of a 5 star rating. Those of you that missed this film on HD DVD will love this encode. This is reference video folks. Enjoy.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5
Back when I reviewed the HD DVD title of this release, my findings we as follows: 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.

Guess what folks, I was WRONG. The lossless Dolby True HD track here smashes the Dolby Digital Plus track in every way imaginable. If the HD-DVD track rates a 5, the Dolby True HD track rates a 7. To start off, lets look at the bass response. The bass here is much richer and fuller than that on the HD DVD release. The Blu-Ray release rocks the house. I also found the dynamics on the BD release to best the HD DVD release by a wide margin as well. This is a reference audio mix if I ever heard one. I also found the imaging and channel separation to be better giving the audio a much deeper image, allowing you to hear into the sound field much further than the HD DVD release which sounds a tad flatter in comparison. FInally, the audio on the BD disc is much smoother and open without even the trace of hardness, even much more so than the HD DVD. You can really crank this baby up without any issue of listener fatigue. Hearing loss? Well, that is another story.

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. If you have this release on HD DVD, I can assure you that a double dip here is warranted as the audio is that much better on Blu-Ray. Crank it up and enjoy.

Editor's note: Transformers will be released on Blu-ray on September 2.

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.