Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review)

Oct 3, 2011
Ryan Young

The Blu-ray/DVD Combo Edition of "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon". - Packaging by Paramount Pictures

The third film of the robots-in-disguise franchise goes for broke on action, but this high-definition release is missing some key components to be a winner.

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon represents director Michael Bay, and star Shia LaBeouf’s final outing in the infamous robots-in-disguise feature film universe. Since the previous sequel, 2009’s Revenge Of The Fallen failed to live up to both participants and fans’ expectations, each returned for a third go-round to leave the franchise on a hopeful high-note. How did they up the ante? Dark Of The Moon was filmed with the same 3-D technology used for Avatar, and when it was released in the summer of 2010 theatrically, it paid off. The movie performed like gangbusters, and was the best 3-D experience since James Cameron’s fantasy epic that restarted the viewing gimmick (Cameron even personally guided Bay on the technology before filming).

With a script by Fallen's Ehren Kruger (now writing solo without Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman), Moon revolves around a 1960’s U.S. government cover-up during the lunar landing which uncovered a lost ship belonging to the Autobots known as ‘The Ark’. Housing a powerful weapon called the space bridge and an ancestor known as Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), the Autobots must prevent the Decepticons from acquiring it (if they do, it would bring additional forces to Earth and change the planet into the new Cybertron).

The Movie

Although I didn’t think Revenge Of The Fallen was as bad as most people made it out to be, it definitely was a disappointment compared to the first film of 2007; which nailed the appeal of the robot characters and brought out the best of Bay’s talents for filming fast action and explosions. Fallen had a juvenile wit, some borderline stereotypes, and a lackluster story that hindered it greatly. Dark Of The Moon tries to correct those mistakes and make itself a better Transformers movie. It succeeds, but not by much. The flaws inherent in the sequel still find ways to crack themselves into the third film, but at least Dark Of The Moon proves to be a little more fun.

Again, much of the human element is the film’s biggest weakness. Do we really care about LaBeouf’s Sam going on multiple job interviews? Is new girl Rosie Huntington Whitely’s purpose really that much different than Megan Fox’s other than eye candy (Fox was ceremoniously fired from the franchise after referring to Bay as a ‘Nazi’ director, a comment that did not please Executive Producer Steven Spielberg)? The answer is no. Who we care about are the bots, and they thankfully get a little more development spotlight this time around. Loyal fans however should prepare themselves to be a little miffed when some of them make decisions that are not true to their character.

But boy, if Bay was going out he definitely went out with a bang. Dark Of The Moon is almost relentless on action once it gets cooking and the final battle in the Chicago streets will leave you mesmerized from beginning to end. Along with Sentinel Prime (who is perfectly voiced by Nimoy), the addition of new villains Laserbeak and Shockwave is also a treat for fans.

The Blu-ray/DVD Combo

A Transformers Blu-ray has yet to let a consumer down, but Dark Of The Moon may be the exception. This is definitely not due to the technical presentation however. Both previous films contained outstanding high-definition video and audio clarity; with gorgeous visuals and monstrous effects on a sound system. Dark Of The Moon follows suit in that regard perfectly, making it a sure-fire demo along with its predecessors. However, this edition has pulled another move from Avatar’s playbook and finds its initial Blu-ray release without any supplemental material behind it.

Although this edition was released in a timely fashion on September 30th, 2011, word around the campfire is that Bay is prepping a Collector’s 3-D Edition down the road (which will have all the ‘making-of’ bells and whistles the next time around). This first release was put on the market to provide the film in its best 2-D digital form possible without any other data taking up space on the disc to bog down the viewing quality. As a fan I say: what the hell, man? So now us 2-D supporting Blu-ray fans aren’t good enough to get the extras that could have been placed on a second disc (instead of a standard DVD copy)?

In the past Bay and Paramount have been most generous to fans with past Transformers discs, but this is the first occasion where I can’t help but feel a little shafted by the powers that be. I can only hope that like Avatar’s 3-Disc Edition, the next Dark of The Moon release will be accessible for those of us that don’t own or can’t watch 3-D television for various reasons.

Final Thoughts

I did see Transformers: Dark Of The Moon in 3-D when it was released theatrically. It was generally fun, and one of the better 3-D films to grace screens since Avatar broke the mould. But for me the appeal of the gimmick ends there with the biggest screen possible. At home, it’s a different ballgame. The truth is that without the 3-D distraction Dark Of The Moon is a ride with noticeable clunks, but at least it gets you to a better result that falls somewhere between the previous two films on execution. The Blu-ray edition is fantastic on the technical scale, but flat otherwise.