Year: 2009
Running Time: 149 min.
Rated: PG-13
SRP:$ 29.99
Studio(s): Dreamworks, Paramount
Release Date: October 20, 2009

Pop Culture Shock usually gets the blu-ray of such big studio releases but due to limited material PCS was given the DVD to screen. I will try to list the differences where possible.

Film/Feature: C-
To run the plot down quickly, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is trying to move on with his life and enjoy the normalcies of a young adults. Go to college, go through a rites of passage, etc. but his relationship with the Autobots, and especially his grandfather involve him in things out of his control. He must live out a destiny, reluctantly, and accept it to save the human race against one of the original Decepticons, The Fallen who last visited the Earth thousands of years ago.

Megatron is revived, and gets his troops back together with the help of a very cool update of Soundwave and Ravage who retrieve the last known piece of the Cube from the last film. Sam though has the rest of the key for a great big weapon that will call the Fallen back to Earth, and arm a weapon that will destroy the sun, ending all of humanity as we know it. They set a trap for Optimus who gets ambushed and slaughtered in a righteous forest battle. Sam escapes and regroups with the help of his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), his college roomate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), and Seymour Simmons (John Tuturro) and an ancient Decepticon turned good, Jetfire who they find hanging out at the Smithsonian, warp to the middle east where the Matrix of Leadership is hidden and must be retrieved to revive Optimus Prime. Everyone converges upon the great Pyraminds of Egypt that are covering the weapon the Decepticons want to unleash. Can Sam get the Matrix to Optimus in time? Can he rescue the day? Can he please rescue this film from it’s paper-thin plot? I wish.

This says it all doesn't it? LaBeouf on the left, Bay on the right

The thing that aggravated me about this film was the same as the first, and that’s too much of the Witwickys, too much of the college roomate, Leo, and all of these arbitrary things that are put in because apparently I’d be too dumb to be able to follow an entire film about just the Transformer characters. Sam’s mother in particular is one of the most annoying characters in mainstream film since Jar-Jar Binks. She’s that bad. I watched a cartoon for several years that was just that that only had Spike, his dad, and his friend in a wheelchair as most of the human interaction. I don’t need much more than that, honestly. I came to see a film about the Transformers, not Sam Witwicky. I don’t care about whatever rites of passage he needs to take on, and I don’t believe that this kid is the only one who can bail the Transformers out every time. I was so annoyed by the above that I wasn’t even phased by the completely unnecessary “Autobot Twins” Skidz and Mudflap who are unintelligible, street-talking, doofuses who just get in the way. There are hundreds of characters Bay could have used instead of creating two throw-aways who also sparked a racial controversy.

There were improvements made to the film franchise like the redesign and silhouettes of the Transformers which make them easier to distinguish from each other. Also the animation was much more aggressive by having most of the transformations happen while on the move. This review has no beefs with the technical side of the film, and Bay does know how to make an explosively huge film that flocks of people want to see. Of note there were some excellent voice talent that came back for the second film. Peter Cullen who everyone knows as the voice of Optimus Prime and Hugo Weaving (LOTR, Matrix) played Megatron in the first film, both reprise their roles, and Frank Welker who played Megatron and Soundwave amongst many others in the 80′s cartoon was brought back to play Soundwave, Devastator, Reedman and Grindor. So it’s not all doom and gloom.

This story suffers from much bigger things and that’s creating a Transformers story where if you take LaBeouf’s Sam out of the picture, the story has nothing else built up about the actual transformers that could carry the film. We have these great characters, regal, proud race of robots that depend on a human every single time to save the day. The Autobots lived long before and will live long after the humans, so why is there such a dependent crutch in Sam? Because of that, I feel that the writers and Bay just do not understand what the Transformers are about. Ultimately the studio gives them free reign to make a big moneymaker but as far as the film goes, it’s a running joke. The Transformers should be independent of the humans, and not be suffocated or be held back based on what’s written for LaBeouf and Fox. Give me a point of interest that doesn’t involve either one of these characters, and eliminate the parents, and that will be the start of a Transformers movie that’s done right. Revenge of the Fallen though will be one of those films that people show off all the bells and whistles of their home theater, but because of how the film itself disappoints, the DVD and Blu-ray for that matter will probably not get as much replay value as one would hope.

Video/Audio: B+/B+
Revenge of the Fallen on DVD is presented in a 480p MPEG-2 encoded transfer in 2.40:1 aspect ratio that’s full of rich and vibrant colors and detail maximized as best as can be on standard definition. Blacks are nice and dark, grain is present throughout, and while the DVD may satisfy the less critical eye, it lacks the clarity and crispness of high definition. The impressive shock and awe of a blu-ray is incomparable so that’s why the grade isn’t higher, but make no mistake, this is still a fine looking DVD. The audio soundtrack is a 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track can be defined as the very best that can be heard in DVD. This is a Michael Bay film and so goes the subwoofers and surrounds with all of the activity that will travel round in this viewing experience. The dynamic body blow effect isn’t as prominent as it would be in blu-ray so I temper my grade accordingly. Other audio selections include: 5.1 Dolby Digital French and Spanish tracks and subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.

If you do have blu-ray, know that it is presented in 1080p high definition with an English 5.1 DTS-HD lossless Master Audio track and is an incredible reference disc for your home theater.

Ravage Reimagined

Extras: A

Disc 1
Audio Commentary by director, Michael Bay and writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman is actually two tracks in one. Bay’s comments come in sparingly while the writers talk at length about different parts of the filmmaking performance. If you’re looking to hear more from Bay, be patient because you’ll get plenty of him on the rest of the extras, trust me.

Disc 2
The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen is a huge 2 hour and 15 minute documentary chronicling the entire production, (pre, principal and post) complete with cast and crew interviews. This is a first rate making-of, almost exhausting investigation of how this film was made and perhaps a little too much glorification of Michael Bay. Still, it’s one of those extras that are a must-see, if only to see just what kind of strings Bay can pull in the movie industry.

• Seeds of Vengeance-Development and Design SD (30:04) reviews the first Transformers film as the boy who gets car and then gets girl story, then trying to jump the hurdel of the writer’s strike to get a script done on the sequel.

• Domestic Destruction-Production: United States SD (24:20) Cast and crew find out or tell all what a tyrant Bay can be to work with jumping around to location shoots in New Mexico to Pennsylvania.

• Joint Operation-Production: Military SD (10:02) This part really blew my mind. To see what Bay is able to do as far as military access and full carte blanche almost, is insane. But the military sees Transformers as a big commercial and recruiting tool, so everything is okay.

• Wonders of the World-Production: Middle East SD (13:17) Again Bay uses his and Spielberg’s pull to get access that’s unheard of by any other filmmaker by being able to film the pyramids and be able to have actors climb on the actual Wonders of the Earth boggles the mind. They go from Egypt to Giza and to Luxor in magnificent sights that need to be seen in one’s lifetime. This is one section where I really wish I had the blu-ray.

• Start Making Sense-Editing SD (9:20) reveals how Bay edits a film using four editors who simultaneously work on the same scenes in an unorthodox tag-team method.

• Under The Gun-Visual Effects SD (29:03) With Revenge of the Fallen shooting to be bigger than the first film, Industrial Light and Magic undertook the taske of creating the most complicated VFX movie in history. The Devastator VFX alone requried 83% of the ILM render farm capacity.

• Running the Guantlet-Post Production and Release SD (16:34) the exhaustive documentary comes to a close that has color timing and sound design in the eleventh hour before the premiere and then shows the stars on the red carpets all around the world.

A Day with Bay: Tokyo SD (13:28) is a day in the life of Bay while on the foreign press tour as they premiered the film in Japan. He even takes a dig at McG and Terminator 4 in the press junket.

25 years of Transformers SD (10:49) is not as long as one would hope but Aaron Archer of Hasbro is interviewed to talk about updating the classic characters to the film, giving Bay and design crew access to the entire catalogue as well as creating new characters.

NEST: Transformer Data-Hub allows viewers to look at all of the conceptual artwork for Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jetfire, Skidz, Mudflap, Megatron, Starscream, Ravage, Soundwave and Devastator.

Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto SD (23:35) is a series of pre-vis animations that were used as the starting blocks for many of the action sequences in the film. Bay also gives an introduction (0:27) to the special.

There are three Extended/Alternative Scenes SD (6:15) that show Sam and Alice at the dorms, The Witwickys in Paris, and Leo refusing to go to Egypt.

Using the box and a web cam, you can activate a 3D holographic experience where ou can piece together the Matrix of Leadership to bring back Optimus Prime back to life. You’ll be allowed to repair his armer and calibrate his weapons.

There’s the theatrical trailer (2:38) and a music video of Linkin Park’s song “New Divide” SD (4:43) that closes out the second disc of extras.

Blu-Ray Exclusives
Sadly I am unable to review the blu-ray exclusives but can announce that they include The ALLSPARK Experiment, an interactive feature to allow viewers to customize their own robots and apply the Allspark to it and get a glimpse at a rogue robot. One combination will unlock an exclusive interview with Michael Bay and his plans for the next Transformers movie. The NEST Data-Hub on the blu-ray incorporates 3D spin galleries of each robot and a timeline for each character charting its origin, back story and design. Giant Effing Movie is a very personal look in the making of the movie, and the Matrix of Marketing includes posters and television spots along with the trailers.

Overall Shock Value: B-
There’s no denying what a mess the film is, but even marginal fans will be impressed by the technical treatment and treasure chest full of extras on the second disc. If it were me, I would make the jump up in blu-ray knowing what reference material potential this film has in a home theater. It looks absolutely stunning and sounds incredible in high definition but for the sake of this DVD review, it’s pretty darn good too. Despite any disparaging things I may have to say about the film, it has its fan base and much more devoted apologists. I can bring myself to fully endorse the film itself but the action, the effects, and the transformers themselves have all been improved from the first film, but like the first, the human story just doesn’t hold me in. Why we are still seeing anything with Sam’s parents is beyond me but Bay seems vigilant in ramming these and characters like the Autobot Twins down our throats to the point where they can almost turn viewers off. If you’re able to overlook all of that, there is a big spectacle under all of that wreckage and the folks at Industrial Light and Magic are the real stars of this franchise once again. The audio and video treatment, along with the extras save this DVD/Blu-Ray release big time from a lower score and is a great value on DVD, but given how the prequel thrived in high definition, the blu-ray is even better.

Year: 1985
Rated: G
Running Time: approx. 11 hours
SRP: $24.99
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: September 15, 2009

Feature: A-

If you never bothered your mind or eyes with the two Michael Bay Transformers films, then your are still pure of what the real Transformers once was, an epic chess match between two rival groups of robots set perfectly on the canvas of animation cels. The Shout! Factory is celebrating 25 years of the Transformers by releasing the DVDs in two ways. You can either plunk down the lettuce for the Matrix of Leadership box set that has a ton of extra Transformers memorabilia or you can get it el cheapo way by getting the individual season sets.

Season Two, Volume One collects the first 28 episodes of the follow up season. Everyone should be familiar with Optimus Prime and the Autobots doing battle with Megatron and the Decepticons. Good vs. Evil, More than Meets the Eye, Robots in Disguise and yadda-yadda you get it. Why I love this series so much and especially why I like this season even better than the first is how much has been built up and how the next wave of characters/toys were prominently featured in this season. No one here is saying they didn’t get enough of Soundwave, Hound, Bumblebee, and Starscream. But in this season the Dinobots, the Constructicons, Insecticons, all had recurring roles in this season. Autobots like Perceptor, Blaster, Cosmos, Beachcomber, Grapple, Hoist, Red Alert, Skids, Smokescreen, Warpath, and Powerglide weren’t just introduced, they had feature roles. Decepticons like the Triple Changer Astrotrain and Blitzwing, Dirge, Ramjet, Thrust were more regular than the first wave of Decepticon jets. And need we be reminded of Omega Surpeme?

One of the biggest knocks I hear about the Transformers is how simplistic the stories were and for some reason that gave the filmmakers who made the live action film a free pass to have absolutely no story. There was quite a bit of complexity in the Decepticon plans and made for some memorable episodes even upon revisiting them for this review. Some of my favorite episodes include “Autobot Spike,” which was a modern retelling of Frankenstein, Dinobot Island where a Jurassic Park-like island is found and exploited for fossil fuels. “The Insecticon Syndrome” and “Quest for Survival” which shows the mistrust between the Decepticons and the Insecticons. The two part “Megatron’s Master Plan” had an elaborate scam that framed the Autobots who are then exiled. The “Master Builders” show the Contructicons preying on the weak mind of Hoist and Grapple to help build a solar energy tower. There were stories down in Atlantis, on another planet, and in another time. And one of the crazier two parters had the Dinobots going to Cybertron to retrieve Cybertoronium for the Autobots and Decepticons who are on the fritz. Instead Grimlock and the Dinobots ditch them all because he’s through taking orders.

A handful of these episodes had more meat on the bone than either film ever did. They just did, and there’s no sugar coating it. There was less emphasis on Spike and his romance with the Autobots. This was all about good vs. evil and both of them against those in between. Characters played each other, Decepticons were deceived by their own, Autobots had to acclimate the suddenly new robots that appeared out of nowhere like Blaster and his loud racket. The same went for the other side. But you understood that it was a way to get more out of your new action figure you just bought. Today there remains a story that was thought out, and the animation–despite its glitches–was rich. This is the golden age of the Transformers and the reason why people ever paid attention to it. Make sure future generations get to see it by passing this box set down and stories of computer love to your future generations of bot lovers.

Episode Listing
Disc 1
Autobot Spike
The Immobilizer
Dinobot Island, Part 1
Dinobot Islant Part 2
Traitor
Enter the Nightbird
Changing Gears

Disc 2 ?
A Prime Problem
Atlantis, Arise!
Attack of the Autobots
Microbots
The Master Builders
The Insecticon Builders
Day of the Machines

Disc 3
Megatron’s Master Plan, Part 1
Megatron’s Master Plan, Part 2
Auto Beserk
City of Steel
Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1
Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
Blaster Blues

Disc 4
A Decepticon Raider in King
Arthur’s Court
The God Gambit
The Core
Make Tracks
The Autobot Run
The Golden Lagoon
Quest for Survival

Audio/Video: B/B
These are standard DVD presented in full frame 4:3 aspect ratio. Audio is 2.0 stereo.

Extras: D-
Nothing to speak of here because there are no extras. It’s not a big deal, I’m sure that keeps the price low but for those looking for something more won’t be satisfied by that. Being a 25th Anniversary, one would expect something added to these discs, but I know that they try to put all of the extra stuff for the extreme fans who buy the super Matrix of Leadership box set which contains all of the G1 episodes in one cool collective box set. There is a nicely designed episode guide booklet that’s included so there’s almost nothing as far as extras are concerned.