Product Description

Shia LaBeouf, Megan FoxDirector: Michael Bay

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #908 in DVD
• Brand: Blu-ray Science Fiction
• Released on: 2008-09-08
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Format: Widescreen
• Original language: English, Italian, French, German, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .26 pounds
• Running time: 144 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
"I bought a car. Turned out to be an alien robot. Who knew?" deadpans Sam Witwicky, hero and human heart of Michael Bay's rollicking robot-smackdown fest, Transformers. Witwicky (the sweetly nerdy Shia LaBeouf, channeling a young John Cusack) is the perfect counterpoint to the nearly nonstop exhilarating action. The plot is simple: an alien civil war (the Autobots vs. the evil Decepticons) has spilled onto Earth, and young Sam is caught in the fray by his newly purchased souped-up Camaro. Which has a mind--and identity, as a noble-warrior robot named Bumblebee--of its own. The effects, especially the mind-blowing transformations of the robots into their earthly forms and back again, are stellar.

Fans of the earlier film and TV series will be thrilled at this cutting-edge incarnation, but this version should please all fans of high-adrenaline action. Director Bay gleefully salts the movie with homages to pop-culture touchstones like Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Kong, and the early technothriller WarGames. The actors, though clearly all supporting those kickass robots, are uniformly on-target, including the dashing Josh Duhamel as a U.S. Army sergeant fighting an enemy he never anticipated; Jon Voight, as a tough yet sympathetic Secretary of Defense in over his head; and John Turturro, whose special agent manages to be confidently unctuous, even stripped to his undies. But the film belongs to Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and the dastardly Megatron--and the wicked stunts they collide in all over the globe. Long live Transformers! --A.T. Hurley

Special Features
NEW--See Blu-ray live for all new Transformers content. Latest Blu-ray live features include:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen trailer; plus sneak peaks from TF2:ROTF scenes • “Adobe Hut” • “Shanghai” • “We’re Gonna Die” (aka “Helicopter Attacks”)

Synopsis
Based on the Hasbro toy line that initially captivated kids in the 1980s, director Michael Bay's Transformers finds two warring bands of shape-shifting alien robots renewing their intergalactic conflict on Earth. While the Decepticons, followers of the malevolent Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving), strive to take over the planet, the Autobots, led by the valiant Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), are intent on protecting humanity. When young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) discovers that his new car is really the Autobot Bumblebee (voiced by Mark Ryan), it sets the stage for a massive giant-robot showdown. A shining example of the Hollywood summer blockbuster at its best, Transformers combines stunning CGI effects and thrilling action sequences with drama, humor, and a touch of romance. Featuring a large cast that includes Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Jon Voight, John Turturro, Anthony Anderson, and Rachael Taylor, the film is anchored by LaBeouf, who always displays an engaging Everyman charm, whether he’s running from colossal robots, interacting with his well-meaning parents (hilariously played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White), or pining for his gorgeous classmate (Megan Fox). While some Transformers purists may be dismayed by certain aspects of this bold big-screen adaptation (Bumblebee is a Camaro instead of a Volkswagen), the movie balances its spectacle with an admirable amount of substance, giving it an appeal far beyond pre-teen boys and their nostalgic Autobot-loving elders.

Customer Reviews

Popcorn movie, Test disc for BD home cinema, Pure silly fun!
First up thanks to Mr P whose review influenced my ordering this disc. I'll deal with the film then the technical geek stuff. I thought the film was huge fun, very entertaining although often very silly (but I think self-consciously and tongue-in-cheek a la "Iron Man"). The performances are all pretty good at the appropriate level, and I really liked Shia Labouef who I had otherwise only seen as a slightly annoying Indy Jr in "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull". He is funny and engaging, although I have no idea what this "channeling a young John Cusack" in the Amazon own review is supposed to be !?# This is not a P.T.Anderson or Lars von Trier film and no-one expects it to be, I hope. Just shift the brain a few gears down, or even into neutral, and fun is all but guaranteed.

On the technical side: wow! Absolute reference sound and vision. It is Dolby TrueHD and not DTS, in response to a query on the comments page, and I am not quite sure what Mr P meant about LPCM, this is in my view in no way superior to TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio and nothing to mourn for (the best PCM soundtrack I know is "Casino Royale", but the two Nolan Batman films have TrueHD soundtracks which are at the very least just as good). All images are super sharp and in best resolution, the CGI images always shine but the normal film scenes are also brilliant. This is absolutely on a level with "Casino Royale" or "Indy 4". The sound is not only crystal clear, detailed and full, but the management of surround effects is really well achieved. You really will be turning your head back to the surround speakers in near alarm at moments like the little robot sneaking around on Air Force One. And anyone here like bass? This film turns your subwoofer into a nuclear weapon.

This film does not take itself at all seriously and it is not for people who take themselves seriously. But it is for people who take their home cinema technology seriously and want to see it shining at supernova levels. Buy it now!

My new favourite Bluray showoff movie
The film is good fun, but this review is about the bluray disc.

Excellent picture. Had a friend round to watch it, he has seen films on my system before (sony 40 inch bravia with PS3) but his jaw was dropping to the ground on this.

The CGI in particular is stunning on the Bluray disc, every time I watch it I notice some new bit of detail on the robots, though generally every scene is of very high visual quality.

The sound is available on DTS HD, which is very good, although it is a pity they did not go for linear uncompressed.

As I say the sound is very good, all channels are clear and crisp and the bass in particular is impressive.

This bluray disc is a brilliant showpiece for your home cinema system.

Movie: 4/5 Picture Quality: 4.5~5/5 Sound Quality: 5/5 Extras: 4.25/5
Version: U.S.A - Disc One / Region Free
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 1080p / 23.976fps / High Profile 4.1
Protection: AACS
BD-Java: Yes
Running time: 2:23:27 (h:m:s)
Movie size: 44,482,652,160 bytes
Disc size: 45,753,719,301 bytes
Total bit rate: 41.34 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 31.43 Mbps
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 3659Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)
DD AC3 5.1 640Kbps French / Spanish
DD AC3 2.0 192Kbps English
DD+ AC3 2.0 192Kbps English
Subtitles: English / English SDH / French / Portuguese / Spanish
Number of chapters: 23

HD DVD Disc One Stats
MPEG-4 AVC HD-30
Running time: 2:23:18 (h:m:s)
Movie size: 26,911,285,248 bytes
Disc size: 27,972,889,186 bytes
Total bit rate: 25.03 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 20.54 Mbps
DDPlus 5.1 1536Kbps