Who could have guessed Michael Bay would make what is perhaps the most controversial film of the year? Even though the 'Transformers' sequel is one of the highest grossing films in history, I really thought the general consensus was that most audiences hated it.
Boy was I wrong. Now I have nothing against anyone liking or disliking any film, that's their prerogative. But the vicious disagreements concerning this film have got way out of hand.
At the end of the day it is just a movie about giant robots fighting each other, I mean c'mon guys. Despite the fact that a small number of elements did work for me, as a fan of the franchise since childhood, I was personally disappointed in both films.
But I didn't lose any sleep over it and put it behind me as soon as I walked out the theater. Movies, good and bad can be so powerful that just about anyone can find themselves getting fanatical so I guess we can chalk it up to human nature.
At the time this film was released, I blamed acclaimed screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci for it's rather lacking story, till I realized they were probably following Michael Bay's lead (even though rumor has it Bay wrote most of the story himself due to last year's writer's strike). Shia LaBeouf is a talented actor who has been able to hold his own with the likes of Harrison Ford, Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Voight (who wisely opted out for this one), but at times his performances can be erratic.
He was rather terrible in the first film, because he took the term “hormonal teenager” to the extreme. The film made the mistake of devoting screen time to him rather than focusing on the Transformers, who became guest stars in their own movie. His performance this time 'round is a lot worse along with Meagan Fox, who has become a teen idol merely by showing her cleavage and wearing lip gloss.
For a kids cartoon, there was actually a bit of depth and humanity within the original animated series and you forgot these characters were fictional robots. This is a kids movie and its been dumbed down to the extreme. Much of this sequel is a chase film. The Decepticons chase Sam and the Autobots protect and defend him. He runs from college to New York, New Jersey, the Smithsonian and finally the pyramids in Egypt. Sounds like a smooth scenic trip when in actuality its a bumpy ride. It's like run, run, run, explosion followed by run, run, run, explosion, with boring exposition in between.
A lot of work went into the design of the robots, their photo-realism as well as the personalities given to them by the animators and voice actors. At times my heart warmed to the thoughts of seeing different versions of beloved characters from my childhood and at others, I sat there wondering what the f**k is this? Just when there's something to appreciate or dare I say, “awe inspiring” within this film, either something really dumb happens or things get blown up. You could almost set your watch to it or make a drinking game out of it. Apparently the dumber the better. Fight sequences you thought looked cool in the trailer turn out not to be as epic as you hoped and are rather brief.
Only two battle scenes are presented in the high resolution IMAX format and they are choreographed and edited badly. Christopher Nolan proved he is a greater master of the medium with 'The Dark Knight' last year, because those IMAX sequences looked intricately planned and served as a storytelling device. Bay's work in the format feels like a last minute afterthought (which it was) and brings out the flaws in the CGI animation. I will admit, that certain elements made me smile, such as voice actor Peter Cullen's iconic characterization of my childhood hero Optimus Prime, as well as his and Bumblebee's heroism and ability to kick some serious ass. I wanted to see giant robots beat the crap out of each other and there's more of that here than in the first film. But all of it feels like nothing without some substance to back it up.
This film made a killing at the box office and will no doubt make a killing on home video. It's biggest draw are no doubt adolescents and even though some haters of this film may think parents who buy the video for their kids are irresponsible or insane, it's rather harmless entertainment. Several of the big chains like Best Buy and Target have their own exclusive versions of the video release, which entail some form of special collectable packaging. Walmart went one further and paid Paramount to give them the exclusive rights to sell Bay's IMAX cut of the film on DVD and blu-ray. Most audiences didn't see this version because not every city has IMAX theaters. You would think that after Paramount and Bay took a note from director Chris Nolan and partially shot 'Transformers' in IMAX they would make that version easily available on blu-ray just as Warner Bros. did for 'The Dark Knight'. It's a scam, a gimmick – they want fans to buy every special packaging or version of the film available and may actually get their way. What's funny is that even though the IMAX version is 60 seconds longer and features sequences that fill the entire 16:9 HDTV frame, it's still the same damn movie.
IMAX and I'm talking the real IMAX, is presented in a 1.44 to 1 aspect ratio. 'The Dark Knight' had plenty of sequences where the aspect ratio would shift from 2.40 to 1 scope to IMAX full frame. There's also IMAX Digital, which involves digital projectors using a standard 1.85 screen in a regular ole' theater. This is the version Walmart's got. Just like 'The Dark Knight', a 1.44 to 1 image would not make an impact in the HDTV ratio because it would be pillar-boxed with black bars on the sides. Then when the film would shift to standard lettter-box with bars on the top and bottom it would really be distracting, so the original IMAX image has been cropped a bit. The problem is that 'The Dark Knight' has about six major sequences shot in IMAX where as 'Transformers' has two and they don't last that long. The Optimus Prime brawl is perhaps the most exciting action sequence in the film and watching the scene shift from scope to IMAX or 16:9 is slightly dramatic. The only other time we see this are shots of the colossal Decepticon Devastator and we know just how controversial that character and his steel “scrotum” was. Well maybe not as controversial as those Autobot twins a buddy of mine called “Sambots” but you get the idea. I can really say what the sixty second difference is between both the standard cut and this one, but I imagine it consists of additional shots instead of more plot. (As if this movie had a real plot.)
The thing is, if you want the blu-ray, Walmart did something smart. They're selling it this week for only 13 bucks. Not $13.99, 13 bucks even. Forget Best Buy's doorbuster deal of 21 dollars or any other sale price Target is promoting, I can't think of any major blu-ray release of a new film hitting stores for that cheap. I mean it's cheaper than any of the DVD versions. (Update: I've been told that this low price is an unadvertised special availale in only some Walmart locations. Most stores are selling it for $19.96 which is still pretty low, but you might get lucky.) Now I'm sure some of you are already saying “I don't care, I'll never buy that crappy movie” (I didn't either, I got mine for free from a friend) but there are many that wish to purchase 'Transformers' and I have to admit Walmart has the best deal. The thing is, everyone doesn't have a Walmart in their area (including me) so some can either get a friend who does to pick one up or just cut their losses. It is 'Transformers' afterall, not 'The Godfather'.
I have to say the presentation on this IMAX or “Big Screen” edition as they are calling it is superb. You can notice the image quality slightly improve during the shift to the IMAX scenes even though there are barely any. The DTS HD Master Audio track is also outstanding and will probably be a popular demo in homes during the years to come.
If you pick up the standard blu-ray, all of the extras and A/V quality are the same. It's just that the IMAX shots are cropped to 2.40 to 1 as they were for 35mm showings in theaters. I know that there's an equal number of supporters of this film as there are haters and wanted just to inform the fans that there are additional options. And no, Walmart didn't pay me to write this article (though with my salary, I could use the money). For those who haven't upgraded to blu-ray, the “Big Screen” version is available as a Special Edition DVD at Walmart as well.
Extras: The Human Factor: Exacting 'Revenge of the Fallen' (HD, 2:14:31), a seven-part making-of documentary: Seeds of Vengeance (30:03 mins), Domestic Destruction (24:27 mins), Joint Operations (9:59), Wonders of the World (13:19 mins), Start Making Sense (9:24),Under the Gun (29:00 mins) and Running the Gauntlet (16:36 mins).
A Day with Bay: Tokyo (HD, 13:23 mins) Bay prepares for the stressful Tokyo film premiere. Big deal! 25 Years of Transformers (HD, 10:44), NEST: Transformer Data-Hub (HD), The Allspark Experiment: gives you the option to customize a selection of vehicles
Deconstructing Visual Bayhem (HD, 22:46 mins) 15 pre-visualization available by themselves or side-by-side with the finished product. Deleted and alternate scenes: Sam and Alice at the Dorms (HD, 2:10 mins), The Witwickys in Paris (HD, 2:54 mins), and Leo Refuses to Go to Egypt (HD, 0:56 secs). Giant Effing Movie (HD, 24:03 mins) a montage of moments from the set. Linkin Park - New Divide (HD, 4:40 mins) your basic music video. The Matrix of Marketing features two theatrical trailers (HD, 2:18 & 2:32), six TV spots (HD, 2:12mins total), and still galleries, one each for theatrical posters and promo/marketing. I tried the "unlock an exclusive augmented reality experience" by placing the Blu-ray packaging in front of my webcam but couldn't get it to work so if you do, let me know how it is.
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