review: TRANSFORMERS

Paramount  //  Buy from Amazon.com The first live-action film based on the enduringly popular "robots in disguise", TRANSFORMERS features the ultimate battle between good and evil, as the peace-loving AUTOBOTS seek to protect humanity from the evil forces of the DECEPTICONS. I was a pretty big "Trasnformers" fan as a kid (as well as "Go-bots" but I won't go into those in this review) and enjoyed the toys, the comic books and the cartoon series. In fact, the theme song for that series is one of those childhood memories that are forever burned into my brain. So, when I heard/read online that Spielberg & Michael Bay were going to be putting together a live-action "Transformers" movie, I was definitely intrigued... I did go see this one in the theaters (one of my rare jaunts to a room packed full of obnoxious animals eating like cows, talking too loudly and kicking the back of my seat) and genuinely liked the film. It was definitely "fluff" - not much in the way of real story or charismatic characters - but for a kick-ass, action-packed, popcorn movie, it absolutely delivered. Sitting down to watch it again on DVD for this review, I found myself enjoying it just as much - if not a bit more (now that I knew what to expect, and what not to expect.) What I really got into were the MANY making-of and/or behind-the-scenes featurettes on the 2nd disc - every single aspect of this film is covered in these and it makes for some really interesting viewing, especially on the reasons behind the robot vehicles/shapes selected for this film. Plus, some of the easter eggs were pretty amusing as well. All in all, fun, lightweight eye candy... and there ain't nothing wrong with that! Video Presented in its original 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, this DVD looks fantastic. With nary a defect, the powerful cinematography and very detailed special effects leap off your screen in fine form. Audio A booming Dolby 5.1 surround mix provides an excellent audio presentation for this film to go along with the top-notch visuals. Extras audio commentary w/ Michael Bay making-of featurettes: Our World, The Story Sparks, Human Allies, I Fight Giant Robots, Battleground special effects featurettes: Rise of the Robots, Autobots Roll Out, Decepticons Strike, Inside the All-Spark scene study: The Skorponok Desert Attack concepts reel trailers plus a few easter eggs! Closing Thoughts Great (mindless) popcorn flick + bonus disc of interesting extras = very much a solid night's entertainment!