Transformers 4K Blu-ray delivers truly amazing video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
For centuries, two races of robotic aliensthe Autobots and the Decepticonshave waged a war, with the fate of the universe at stake. When the battle comes to Earth, all that stands between the evil Decepticons and ultimate power is a clue held by young Sam Witwicky. An average teenager, Sam is consumed with everyday worries about school, friends, cars and girls. Unaware that he alone is mankinds last chance for survival, Sam and his friend Mikaela find themselves in a tug of war between the Autobots and Decepticons. With the world hanging in the balance, Sam comes to realize the true meaning behind the Witwicky family motto"No sacrifice, no victory!"
For more about Transformers 4K and the Transformers 4K Blu-ray release, see Transformers 4K Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on December 10, 2017 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.5 out of 5.
Paramount has released Michael Bay's 2007 film 'Transformers' to the UHD format with new 2160p/HDR/Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos
audio. The film generally shines, visually and sonically, on the format. No new supplements are included, but this three-disc set carries over all the
extras from the previously issued BD release.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date. Also note that this UHD contains Dolby
Vision. We are not currently equipped to review Dolby Vision but are researching equipment options and will be upgrading soon.
Transformers' upscaled-to-4K 2160p UHD presentation is a good one, thoroughly enjoyable and capable of delivering enough visual
intensity and added stability to please. The image is impressively filmic, maintaining an even, complimentary grain structure throughout. Textural
abundance is commonplace, considering both practical and digital elements. Transformers are amazingly complex, and even as the movie is over a
decade old now, the visuals remain amongst the best the industry has seen so far. Paramount's UHD brings out every digital robot nuance with striking
complexity, capturing every minute detail within the mass of the larger metallic construct with a precision even the stellar 1080p Blu-ray could not
achieve. Likewise, there's a marked uptick in clarity and textural intricacy on real, tangible objects too. Obvious things like sweaty and grimy faces
appear significantly more complex here, with perspiration, pores, and general skin textures showing shape, depth, and tangible, lifelike detail with
ease.
One of the
most visually arresting scenes comes when Sam's father takes him to buy his first car. The UHD's ability to reveal all of the wear on the paint, the
textures of the old sports car's interior, and perhaps most impressively the accumulated dust and grime on the old yellow Beetle parked next to it
makes it a breathtaking, reference worthy UHD moment. Still, there are a handful of shots throughout the movie that lack the same level of absolute
sharpness, leaving some surfaces a tad murky and pasty. That said, overall image sharpness and broad, full-screen and even distant clarity are
enhanced over
the Blu-ray throughout, and more often than not the image's textural brilliance shines through.
The HDR-enhanced colors reveal a positive, often striking boost in pop, saturation, and nuanced accuracy over the Blu-ray. There are plenty of
examples, particularly Bumblebee yellow and Prime red and blue, but even natural greens, odds and ends around various home and school locations,
general urban grays, military uniforms, and even black cars and helicopters and guns find added depth. The movie isn't quite as inherently,
relentlessly, and overbearingly hot as the typical Michael Bay picture, but there's still that unmistakable Bay-signature warm push to much of the film.
Black levels,
particularly dark nighttime skies, are generally very strong, though there's an occasional lack of total depth. Flesh tones appear balanced and pleasing,
never reaching that more typically Bay level of "cooked." The image appears free of any print wear or major artifacts, though a few edge halos are
briefly visible, largely straight lines against a few high contrast backgrounds. For an upscaled image of a movie that's this reliant on large-scale digital
effects, the results are quite impressive.
Transformers features a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and it makes for as much a revelation as the 2160p/HDR picture. Even as the previous
5.1 track was killer for its time, the improvements -- not necessarily in raw clarity but certainly in spatial awareness and increased total stage
saturation -- make this a quality step forward in the sound department. Overhead channels engage regularly, not always with discrete, distinct sound
elements but certainly in support, adding a critical layer for action movement and stage immersion into any given scene, action notably but also in
terms of shaping music and environments with additional detail and envelopment along a new axis. The track is always on top of its game, engaging
with striking precision for everything from gentle ambience to rip-roaring action. During the movie's most chaotic scenes, of which there are many,
there's no shortage of zipping, zooming, and precisely layered and positioned gunfire, explosions, flying debris, transforming and maneuvering
machines, and the like. This is literal "in the middle of it all" kind of audio, the sort that challenges listeners not to duck or even look around as the
sound races around the listening area. The sense of length, depth, and height is fantastic and nearly unparalleled, limited by nothing, really, within the
listening area. Bass is certainly not shy, either. That classic Transformers electronic low end sound is in full power here, and more traditional
oomph from explosions and large machine footfalls don't disappoint, either. Dialogue is of course perfectly precise, the final piece in one of the most
intense and exhilarating Atmos listens yet.
Transformers contains no supplements on the UHD beyond the ported-over Michael Bay commentary track. Everything else can be found on
the two Blu-ray Discs included in this set. For full supplemental reviews, please click here. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase.
Transformers remains the best of the franchise. It's easy to see how Michael Bay would get carried away with the nonsense humor and bloat
in later movies, because it's here too, but story, action, and the real sense of awe remains. It's a shame the other films couldn't be this coherent and
enjoyable; the luster faded fast on this franchise, but this first film is still a blast. Paramount's UHD is fantastic, too, featuring excellent picture and a
bonkers Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included, but it does carry over everything from the previous Blu-ray release. Highly
recommended.
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