DVD Corner

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Blu-ray Review

“Transformers: Dark Of The Moon” is a flawed, but fun ride.

The premise: Sam (who is now trying to live a normal life with a new girlfriend while also trying to find a new job) finds himself once again working with the Autobots as they try to stop the Decepticons from finding (and using) the powerful Space Bridge transporation device that is contained on a shipwrecked Cybertronian ship (the Ark) on the moon. If the Decepticons get ahold of the device, humanity is essentially doomed. 

The first 98 minutes of ‘Dark Of The Moon’ are admittedly a bit rough. Not only are there too many seemingly needless characters (I’m looking at you Bruce and Jerry) that detract from the story, but very little happens in this time period. There’s a whole lot of story/character set-up and groan worthy comedic relief from the Wheelie and Brains Autobots, but very little action. And, let’s face it, when you watch a “Transformers” film, you want action. Thakfully, from the 98 minute mark and onwards, it’s smooth sailing as viewers are treated to an exciting series of set pieces that take place during an invasion of Chicago.

I’m not exaggerating when I say the last hour of the film is all action because it is. In fact, the action might be a little excessive, but what else would you expect from Michael Bay? Anyway, the set pieces in this last hour are easily the highlights of the film. The skydiving sequence, the building collapse, the Starscream batte, and, of course, the showdown between Optimus Prime, Megatron, and another character will have you on the edge of your seat or sofa. Of course, the success of the action should be credited to Michael Bay here and cinematographer Amir Mokri who stepped up to the plate to make the sequences as exciting as possible. It really helped that they shot the film in 3D because Bay was forced to linger on shots for more than 4 seconds so that the 3D would work properly. As you may have noticed in the past, Bay is notorious for his quick cuts which often led to confusing action scenes.

As for the characters and cast, they’re pretty hit-and-miss. On the downside, you have John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, and the irritating Autobots Wheelie and Brains who simply don’t belong in this film at all. They waste valuable screen time and slow down the pace. On the upside, a few of the new characters shine here. Alan Tudyk steals every scene he’s in as Agent Simmons’ pal Dutch and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proves to be a much better love interest for Shia LaBeouf acting wise. Leonard Nimoy (who voices the character Sentinel Prime) does a stand-out job here as adds depth to his character. I can’t really say much about his character, however, since it would get into spoiler territory. Last, but not least, Petter Cullen (who voices Optimus Prime) is the real star of this movie. Again, I won’t get into details about why, but I’ll just say he gets down to business when it comes to the battles.

Summary: “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon” isn’t perfect, but the action makes up for the movie’s shortcomings.

Video/Audio:

The widescreen 1080p picture quality is top of the line. The cinematography and bots have never looked better.

The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track might be the best audio track of the year. Everything from the explosions and gunfire/lasers to the score and transformations sounds crystal clear here.

Aside from a DVD and digital copy, there are surprisingly no extras. I expect a special edition set will be released in the not too distant future.

September 28, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Autobots, Decepticons, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Leonard Nimoy, Megatron, Michael Bay, Optimus Prime, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Sentinel Prime, Shia LaBeouf, Transformers 3 Blu-ray Review, Transformers 3 DVD Review, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Blu-ray Review, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon DVD