Every once in a while, Editor Chris Boylan and I agree completely on a film. This is one of those times. Here's what he had to say in his review when "Age of Extinction" hit theaters back in June:
The Film
It's safe to say movie-goers don't line up for Michael Bay films expecting Shakespeare. But somewhere in the middle of Transformers: Age of Extinction I was reminded of a line from Macbeth as the protagonist waxes poetic about life:
"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Though I wouldn't go so far as to say that Michael Bay is an idiot (though he may have appeared that way at a certain Samsung press conference), this latest Transformers film isn't raising the intellectual bar for the director's work. There's a whole lot of sound and fury here: plenty of explosions, chase scenes and gunfire, as well as those cool transforming robots - now even Dino-bots! But ultimately, there's very little depth and really not a lot that's new here.
This, the fourth film in the franchise, picks up a few years after the third film. In the wake of Chicago's decimation at the hands of the Decepticons, the government has stepped in to take back the planet, hunting down Decepticons and supposedly offering sanctuary to the Autobots. But really the CIA has secretly teamed up with yet another alien being - a Transformer bounty hunter - to wipe out both Autobots and Decepticons alike.
Meanwhile, things aren't much better for humans. Hard times have fallen upon most regular folks. Inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is doing what he can to get by, fixing stuff for his neighbors for whatever they can afford to pay and salvaging junk which he uses as parts for his own underwhelming technological creations. His domestic servant robot is almost (but not quite) able to deliver a tasty beverage to its master and his robot guard dog's faulty voice recognition software can't tell friend from foe.
Yeager buys a beat-up old Mack truck (using borrowed money) and takes it home thinking to strip it for parts but finds out that it's actually none other than our friend and mechanical hero, Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. The CIA learns of Prime's location and sends in its black ops team to take him out, with whatever collateral damage occurs along the way.
The token "hot chick" this time around is Nicola Peltz who plays, not our hero's love interest, but his 17-year-old daughter Tessa. The "romantic" sub-plot (and I use the term loosely) centers on Tessa and her boyfriend, Shane (Jack Reynor). Previously unknown by Tessa's dad, Shane rescues our hero and daughter with some fancy driving and tags along as they attempt to save the world. Kelsey Grammer is here as the head of CIA black ops and Stanley Tucci plays the billionaire corporate inventor who believes he is on the brink of creating his very own new, improved Autobot army. But is he the one in control or is there a dark force at work, pulling the strings?
Transformers: Age of Extinction has at least one strong point: the action sequences (of which there are many) were filmed using the new IMAX 3D Digital Camera, which captures both the left and right eye images at 4K resolution. If you get the chance, see the film in an IMAX 3D theater as the IMAX sequences are absolutely stunning.
The Picture
If there's one positive thing you can say about all of Michael Bay's films, it's that each one is a technical marvel - and Age of Extinction is no exception. In fact, it's safe to say the bar has been raised. Paramount sent me the 4-disc 3D Blu-ray edition for review and it might just be the best-looking, best-sounding disc they've ever produced.
On the video front, the 4-disc edition includes the Blu-ray 3D edition on Disc One and the standard 2D Blu-ray on Disc Two. Disc One is the superior choice for two reasons. First, and most obviously, Disc One presents the film in 3D. Although I'm hardly a 3D advocate, it works well here. Like every 3D presentation, some scenes work better than others. But overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses. For a taste, look no further than the intriguing opening sequence, which features a curious dinosaur impressively layered against its prehistoric surroundings. Very cool.
The other reason Disc One prevails is that it features an alternating aspect ratio to more accurately reproduce the IMAX experience theatergoers originally enjoyed. (Disc Two employs a fixed 2.40:1 aspect ratio for the duration of the film.) Michael Bay filmed a good deal of the film using IMAX cameras and these scenes really came alive on my 92-inch Carada Masquerade screen. When you're not watching an IMAX sequence, the Blu-ray drops back to the more traditional 2.40:1 aspect ratio, a technique that's been used to similar effect on discs such as Warner's The Dark Knight and Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Some folks don't care for this shifting aspect ratio technique - especially owners of fixed height systems - but personally I love it when it makes sense. Age of Extinction takes full advantage and the net effect is even more size and grandeur given to these already towering machines and dazzling action set pieces.
Moving beyond aspect ratio, everything about Age of Extinction on Blu-ray is five star, demo-worthy, and reference quality. From the gorgeous sun-drenched exteriors of Cade's Texas ranch to the dimly-lit interiors of his barn and a dusty, downtown movie theater, shadow detail is exceptional, skin tones are spot-on, and an authentic layer of film grain is visible throughout. In a word: stunning.
The Sound
As impressive as this disc's video is, the sountrack is the bigger story here. Transformers: Age of Extinction is the first Blu-ray Disc to feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack for the home. What is Dolby Atmos, you ask? Read what our own Ian White had to say when he recently attended a Dolby press event showcasing home theater equipment featuring the impressive new format.
Unfortunately, like most of you, my home theater is not (yet) set up for Dolby Atmos. The good news is that the Dolby Atmos layer sits atop a standard Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack, so regardless of whether or not your A/V processor can decode Dolby Atmos, you can still enjoy this bone-crunching, highly directional, and surprisingly nuanced Dolby TrueHD that rivals anything I've heard on Blu-ray to date.
Luckily, editor Chris Boylan is busily turning his home into a Dolby Atmos-phere and here are his thoughts on the the Atmos soundtrack.
As Greg said, there's a lot going on in this soundtrack, even more so in Dolby Atmos: gunfire, helcopters and flying autobots all make good use of the height plane throughout the film. There are a few scenes that highlight the Atmos track particularly well. Early in the movie when the Autobot Ratchet is being hunted by CIA black ops, there are helicopters and mortar fire aplenty. Start at 15:30 and let it run for about 4 minutes. The scene is punctuated by a missible launch which is particularly impressive in Dolby Atmos.
Another extended scene that makes good use of Atmos is the final battle among men and machines with an alien spacecraft sucking anything metal up into its bowels (and spitting it back out again). Start at 2:24:00 and let it run for about ten minutes for an audio/visual extravaganza. Compared to 7.1 surround, the Dolby Atmos experience in this scene is a bit more enveloping and immersive, thanks to frequent use of the height plane.
The Extras
If you make it through the film's six hour (feels like it!) running time and you're just dying for more, Disc Three has you covered. The multi-part "Evolution with Extinction" is rather expansive and covers various aspects of production. "A Spark of Design" is an interesting piece that takes viewers inside Hasbro's Rhode Island headquarters to see how characters are designed, modeled, and created. Also worth a look if you enjoyed the character of "Lucas" is the segment entitled "T.J. Miller: Farm Hippie." It isn't a laugh riot, but there are a few fun moments worth watching.
Final Thoughts
At the end of day, Michael Bay's fourth Transformers film is roughly 45 minutes too long and continues the franchise's tradition of loosely-drawn human charcters, weak dialogue, and action sequences that look and sound amazing yet fail to stir up any real emotion. But the news isn't all bad. This is the first film in the series where I could actually tell which robot was which and I could even make out what was happening during most of the action. Also, Kelsey Grammer should only play shady government big wigs from here on out.
If you're still having flashbacks to the previous two sequels in the franchise, I don't blame you. Just know that this one IS a bit better. And more importantly for Blu-ray fans, this disc's five star video presentation and an industry first Dolby Atmos soundtrack are more than meets the eye AND ear.
Product Details
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