As Transformers begins, Optimus Prime tells us that he and all of his il have a giant cube to thank for giving them life in the first place. However, some used this power for evil and now the cube's escaped them they want to track it down and get it back. Where's it headed? Earth. The US army base in Qatar comes across a particular USA 4500X aircraft which was shot down three months earlier, so it's impossible to be in use now. What's not impossible is that it's actually a big-ass Transformer, blasting everything in its wake and leaving hardly anyone alive, but those who do remain breathing include Captain William Lennox (Josh Duhamel), USAF Tech Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson) and ACWO Jorge "Fig" Figueroa (Amaury Nolasco). Before long, a similar attack takes place on Air Force One, in a scene which features a rather amusing Johnny Five-type figure. Naturally, a cute blonde Aussie analyst working for the government has an idea of what's causing the problem, but as soon as her reasoning is declared far-fetched by Secretary of Defence John Keller (Jon Voight), you know it'll only be a matter of time before she's proved right. Meanwhile, in suburbia, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) has bought an absolute rustbucket of a second-hand car and is trying to get into the pants of his classmate who's never noticed him before, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), and what better way to do this than with a car that's clearly got something not quite right about it, most notably a horn with a Transformer symbol on. It couldn't be... could it?

His great-great grandfather was a 19th Century explorer who managed to discover some sort of alien language, along with a particularly major discovery, while going round the Arctic circle, and one way or another this brings the Transformers right to the door of nerdy Sam. Optimus Prime leads the good Transformers, from the planet Cybertron, and they're looking for the All Spark, and must find it before Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, does. A deadly war destroyed their own planet, so their way has carried on to our world. There's a way to stop it happening and save mankind, and that's what you'll find out in this movie. Let the explosions commence... It gets a bit too ridiculous at times as the robots exhibit human traits like they're in a Scooby Doo cartoon, and despite all the CGI, it can get a little overbearing on occasion, especially when Optimus tells us that humans are a violent species but they're young and will learn, and that he has seen goodness in them, etc... oh, pass the sick bag. And it's weird that if we see robots having a fight close to innocent humans, they'll get right up close but *just* miss them, whereas if a car narrowly avoids crashing into Megatron, he'll pick it up and throw it away without a second thought. And running at nearly 2½hours, it could've done with around 40 minutes cutting out of it, as it so drags in the middle. What's wrong with just making films last no longer than two hours? They don't need to be any longer, generally, but so many are pushing that mark with nothing to prove that worth.

Presented in the original 2.35:1 anamorphic theatrical ratio, the plus side is that if you did like this film then you'll be well served by the transfer which is sharply detailed and colourful throughout, with zero problems. For the record, I'm watching on a Panasonic 37" Plasma screen via a Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray player. Audio-wise, the sound is in Dolby Digital 5.1 HD - explosions, gunfire, more explosions and sometimes there's a bit of dialogue. It's faultless. A complete demo disc. There are two discs in this package, with most of the extras being on the second disc - and all of those being in HD. The extras on disc 1 include a feature-length director's commentary, a Transformers HUD - which is basically lots of extra info about the film displayed while you're watching it; and "Web Enabled Features" which, although my Xbox 360 is connected to the internet this disc didn't want to know. Perhaps as it's a US disc it couldn't access it, or maybe it's because it's not in a dedicated HD-DVD player with it's individual settings, I don't know. The user guide that comes with the package tells you that you can download features like "Transformers Intelligence Mode", including dynamic robot facts, health status and a GPS locator, all displayed while you watch the film. And as you get to the end of the film you can then see a trailer for Iron Man, a teaser for this film and one extra marked Rise of the Autobots, which is just more clips of the film stuck together, but mainly the CGI-based ones. Probably better to just watch the latter of the three rather than the film. The disc 2 extras are split into three sections, two of which come from the subtitle, and the third from a line spoken by Optimus Prime during the film and also one of their iconic lines. Also, all the featurettes are in Our World The Story Sparks (8:37): This first piece looks at how Transformers began with the toys and cartoon series in the '80s, and then moving onto turning it into a film, including on-set in-progress footage. Chat includes many talking heads including Executive Producer Steven Spielberg and director Michael Bay, as well as actors Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox. Human Allies (13:13): More on-set footage mixed with the usual talking heads, plus Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Tuturro and various other crew members, plus Megan Fox's audition. I Fight Giant Robots (14:02): A similar featurette, but relating to all the soldier action in the movie, either in the desert or back on home turf. Battleground (13:37): Location spotting for where to put all the robots. Their War Rising of the Robots (13:42): This seems pretty similar to "The Story Sparks" in terms of how Transformers came about, and tying it in to this movie. Autobots Roll Out (20:01): How the robots were turned into vehicles, and which ones they chose. Decepticons Strike (14:34): More of the same, but for the bad guys. Inside the Allspark (16:59): This featurette mainly concentrates on the CGI. Transformers Tech Inspector: An interactive feature where you can take Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Megatron, Blackout and Starscream and look at them up close in their robot form. More Than Meets The Eye From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack (8:56): A great scene with a particular foe and a featurette that does exactly what it says on the tin. Concepts (2:12): Concept artwork, and plenty of it. Trailers (0:22): A teaser trailer - which we've already had on disc 1 - and two theatrical trailers, oddly numbered No.2 and 4. Where are the others? It's not like they're short on space. The menu mixes clips from the film with the theme. There are subtitles in four languages and 23 chapters, which isn't much for a film lasting almost two-and-a-half hours.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2010.