The Movie
Hasbro's enduring line of Transformers toys has in recent years become one of Paramount's most successful franchises, with Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon released so far, and a fourth installment reportedly in development. Fans of the wee plastic playthings--in actuality, alien robot-beings disguised as cars, trucks, planes, etc.--and the '80s animated TV series flocked to the theaters to see the adventures executed in live action, and an entire new generation of fans thrilled alongside at the staggering scope of the spectacle, shepherded by action maestro Michael Bay.
The world war on distant Cybertron continues here on Earth as the freedom-loving Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, resume hostilities with the ruthless, oppressive Decpticons, under Megatron. The good guys won the first round, disposing of Big M's body at the bottom of the sea, but a too-easy reboot later and he's back with a bunch of new characters destroying a whole lot more of our stuff. And with the Decepticon threat under control, but never neutralized, the Autobots have taken to solving human problems, until the biggest threat yet rears its ugly metal head. This plan has been taking shape for 50 years, and Chicago will certainly never look the same, but do man and machine have what it takes to overcome a superior enemy? Warm up the 3D TV and get ready to find out.
To clarify, a more basic box of the three movies was released in December of last year, before the Dark of the Moon Blu-ray 3D and the bonus disc were ready, both of which are now central to this new Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray boxed set.
The Picture
It should come as no surprise to any follower of these movies on Blu-ray that the 2.4:1 image is stupendously sharp and wildly colorful as it captures every fast-paced, special-effects-laden moment of this sci-fi/action saga. I will concentrate then upon the newly released Dark of the Moon Blu-ray 3D disc featured in this set, which manages to be even more spectacular.
The computer-generated elements in particular, since they can be tweaked to director Michael Bay's exacting specifications, are especially compelling, transporting us to entire worlds with a you-are-there depth and clarity like we have never seen before. Smart touches like debris and sparks and lens flares further sell the illusion.
Some shots are more subdued however, positioning the camera and the characters in such a way as to properly convey the relative scale between the Transformers and humans. A great many scenes are wonderfully layered, taking Bay's signature foreground/midground/background composition to a new level.
But the bread and butter here involve high-tech gadgets--some sentient--casually floating in three-dimensional space one moment, aggressively flying the next, or maybe falling toward or away from the camera. Occasional shots busily combine live action and CGI but are meticulously rendered in slow motion, giving us little choice but to sit and stare and just say "Wow."
I noted a fair amount of edge enhancement, and blacks often lack even the most basic detail--I watched portions with my active shutter glasses off and the problem remained, so don't blame it on the technology's inherent loss of brightness--but I still consider this disc to be absolutely breathtaking.
The Sound
Pop in any of the movies and you'll be assured of a ground-shaking, ear-pounding extravaganza of digital audio as only the biggest, most hectic of Hollywood blockbusters can deliver. For Dark of the Moon, we graduate from 5.1 (Dolby TrueHD for the original, DTS-HD Master Audio for the first sequel) to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, and while I was amazed the first time I heard it on the 2D Blu-ray, I now have a newfound appreciation.
This is 3D audio at its finest, pairing magnificently with the three-dimensional visuals. Cues are placed discretely around the home theater, sometimes zipping from speaker to speaker with genuine precision. If the images look like they could be happening right there, then the sound sells them even further.
The quality is outstanding throughout, from the sparkling trebles to the many low-frequency beats. Both Dark of the Moon discs also offer "Discrete" Dolby Digital 5.1 and "Discrete" Dolby Surround 2.0, remixed and remastered for optimal playback on those specific speaker setups.
The Extras
As is typical, there is no bonus content on the Blu-ray 3D disc, but surprisingly still no extras on the 2D Blu-ray either. I would have thought that Bay, so passionate about his craft, would have added an audio or video commentary to the movie, but oh well. The third Dark of the Moon platter is packed with all-new supplementary materials in a variety of straightforward and interactive media. Up first is the five-part Charles de Lauzirkia production Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon, almost two hours total. It goes in-depth on the most fascinating aspects of the latest chapter while referring to the first two--especially Revenge of the Fallen--for perspective, often with a frank, even amusing self-criticism.
"Deconstructing Chicago" presents two sets of a dozen multi-angle video sequences that reveal the modern filmmaker's toolkit in an inventive manner. We can toggle between the simply digitally-animated Previsualizations--with optional commentary by Bay and previs supervisor Steve Yamamoto--and a Previs/Final Shot Comparison. The Visual Effects section, with optional commentary by visual effects supervisors Scott Farrar and Matthew Butler, again lets us use the remote to switch between behind-the-scenes imagery and a Visual Effects/Final Shot Comparison, this time repeating the bottom image as needed to show us all of the different passes applied by the CGI craftsmen.
A still-frame gallery allows us to study the designs of the alien visitors at our leisure: heroes and villains, their environments, their weapons, assorted gear and ships. Five quite disparate featurettes are collected under the "Dark of the Moon Archive" banner. A well-publicized live summit between Bay and 3D guru James Cameron is boiled down here to a three-minute snippet, while the world premiere in Moscow (reportedly the studio's largest ever) is summed up in two-and-a-half minutes. We meet the "Birdmen" in wingsuits, learning how these real-life daredevils landed the job and made the Chicago battle that much more exciting. We are also introduced to a very persistent, very special actor named Cody. Tucked away in this section is a too-brisk nine-minute exploration of the sound of Dark of the Moon. It's in high-def, like all of the video extras, but how cool would it be if it was also in Dolby TrueHD 7.1?
Those who enjoy a little science fact with their science fiction should check out "Uncharted Territory: NASA's Future Then and Now" (26 minutes). Also supplied is a gallery of promotional materials from the release of the film.
Transformers and Revenge of the Fallen are each included in their original two-disc glory, with a commentary plus a bonus Blu-ray of extras as issued back in 2008 and 2009 respectively. A full, movie-specific listing of contents can be found below.
I must also mention the elaborate, shiny box that the seven discs arrive in, disassembling and unfolding almost like a Transformer itself, housing each title in the trilogy inside a different panel of its eventual triptych. And as a final carrot to entice buyers to this substantial upgrade, a series of iconic film images has been encased within a Lucite plaque signed by Michael Bay, suitable for display.
Final Thoughts
Dark of the Moon fans who held out for the extras, or the 3D version, now have a choice. A new single-movie edition with the Blu-ray 3D and the extras disc--as well as a DVD and a Digital Copy not found in the big silver box--is also available (check out our link below), but those wanting to add the Blu-rays of Transformers and Revenge of the Fallen to their collections should consider this impressive trilogy set.
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