The Transformers: The Movie - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Transformers: The Movie



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
The “Transformers” franchise is something that is almost as epic and long lasting as “Star Trek” has been. Originally a kids cartoon back in the early 80s it morphed into the movie we have here before us, as well as splitting off into a myriad of different cartoon series (which are actually surprisingly good), and then the live action messes from Michael Bay (which actually has garnered more money than some third world countries have available to them). Fans of the original series have LONG awaited a U.S. release of the seminal film and most have had to make do with the old DVD (that was decidedly subpar) or import the Australian or U.K. Blu-ray (which left a little to be desired in terms of quality). Now Shout Factory has been able to get the rights to the film as well as access to a brand new 4K master which breathes new life into the aging animated film.

2005. Yes, that’s right, 2005. Back in 1986 2005 seemed like such a jump into the future, but it makes for a chuckle worthy experience similar to how people view Back to the Future 2 and its predictions of humanity’s future. Well, In this little alternate tale humanity and the autobots are living side by side. The autobots have formed a city called autobot city while the war on Cybertron is continuing on. Megatron (Jose Santa Cruz) has taken over the planet and shoved Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and the rest of the native autobots off onto the surrounding moons. In an effort to regain control of their home world, Megatron finally kills his arch nemesis Optimus only to suffer near mortal wounds himself.

While the autobots reassemble and lick their wounds, Megatron is taken in by a giant world crushing transformer who calls itself Unicron (Orson Welles) and is given a new form. Galvatron (voiced by Leonard Nimoy). It seems that Unicron has had his eye on the autobots for a while and wants the matrix of power that Optimus transferred over to Ultra Magnus (Robert Stack) destroyed, and he will do anything to make that happen. Now the remaining autobots have to survive the assault of Galvatron and his decepticon forces long enough to regain their strength and strike back. Aided by the human Daniel Witwicky (David Mendenhall) and the young autobot Hot Rod (Judd Nelson) they may just have a chance, even if that chance is razor thin.

The Transformers: The Movie was unique for a kid’s movie back in the 80s. Back then the animated series followed the age old policy of never letting a major character die. This was the very first time in Transformers history that a main character died, and a BIG one at that. To those of you who grew up in the 21st century this may seem a little old hat, but back in the 1980s, us children were gasping in shock and horror that they would kill off the most beloved character in the series. It was so “adult” to my 11 year old brain at the time. Looking back it seems a lot more fitting considering they had thought the show would end with the movie, but no one could predict what a cultural icon the series and spinoffs would become.

The movie has a few flaws, despite my rose colored glasses of 80s awesomeness. The first act is much like the TV series, and brings in the cybertron wars to a close, but the second act is where things get a little bizarre. Instead of focusing on Ultra Magnus after he is transferred the Matrix of Power, the film really aims in on young Danny and Hot Rod in their effort to escape the devastation that is Galvatron. The Junk Planet is one thing that I personally feel to this day should have been left out, even with the whacky craziness that is Eric Idle from “Monty Python” it just feels awkward and fillerish. Unicron (voiced by Orson Welles) is the saving grace of the film, adding in a ton of new powers for the autobots to fight against and creating a terrifying villain that did way more than just fuel a war between the autobots and decepticons.





Rated PG by the MPAA, Parental Guidance suggested




4K Video: Video:

One thing I must point out off the bat that MAY be a point of contention for some people. For some reason Shout Factory decided to only put the 2160p Dolby Vision 4K variant in the 1.85:1 theatrical presentation, vs. the 1.33:1 version (however, the Blu-ray sports the 1.33:1 version which is a fantastic looking image as well). It’s not a massive deal in some ways, but as a purist who would have loved to have seen both variants get the 4K UHD upgrade it’s something that is mildly irritating.

That out of the way, the new 4K image is stunning. I’m usually a bit leery of older animated films getting the 4K treatment as results have been varied over the years, but this is a nice one for sure. A vast majority of the increase comes from the new Dolby Vision color grading, as it really brings out the brightly saturated colors even more. They’re rich, deep, and the primary colors that just dominate the animation style are gorgeous to behold. Check out the scene where Optimus prime enters into Autobot city. The reds, the greens, the oranges, and yellows. They all just pop with clarity and sharpness. Contrast levels and black levels are dramatically improved compared to the Blu-ray and even some of the sharpness levels appear to be cleaner. It’s not massive in regards to clarity, but you can see the animation lines a little bit better as well. As I said, the Dolby Vision makes all the difference in the world here, and turned a good looking Blu-ray into a fantastic looking 4K UHD






Audio:

Housed on the disc are two differing DTS-HD MA lossless tracks, which are the identical tracks that the 2016 remastered Blu-ray shared as well. The first is the 2.0 track (which is the theatrical one), and a mixed together 5.1 track as well. Each one of the tracks have their pros and cons, with my personal taste leaning towards the theatrical 2.0 mix for purist reasons. The 5.1 track does a good job at upmxing the audio, but there is limited surround support, leaving much of the heavy lifting to the front three speakers anyways. The one limitation that is a bit frustrating is how thin the original mix is, with a fairly narrow dynamic range. The audio is busy and hectic as all get out with explosions and an 80s rock score (that really makes the movie almost an 80s music video at times), but the LFE is fairly anemic and laid back. It’s nothing against Shout’s encode, but rather how the video has always been, dating back to the original DVD version.





Extras:

• Audio Commentary
• 'Til All Are One: Retrospective Documentary
• NEW! 2016 Stan Bush Acoustic Performance
• The Death of Optimus Prime
• Transformers Q & A
• NEW! Feature-Length Storyboards
• NEW! Deleted Scenes
• Original Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• NEW! Brand-New Cover Art Gallery by Matt Ferguson

Final Score: ​

I can't believe it's been 5 years since Shout Factory released the Blu-ray edition of this film. I was ecstatic back then to get it in HD, and even more ecstatic to get it in 4K UHD (although slightly trepidatious considering that some older animamted titles don't see MUCH upgrade to UHD). While I have to objectively look back at the film as an adult and say that it was not a shining masterpiece (let’s face it, Hasbro created the series AND the movies to sell toys. A feat which they accomplished with much aplomb), it still is a classic for a reason. The movie has never looked better, and it’s with sad joy that I look back at my childhood and remember that Leonard Nimoy is no longer with us and that Michael Bay is left with the reigns for our “Transformers” future. The extras included on this release are fantastic, and well worth digging into if you’re a fan of the movie. The only complaint that may irk some fans is the decision to ONLY make the 1.85:1 theatrical edition into 2160p with Dolby Vision, the 1.33:1 variant is left on the remastered Blu-ray included in the pack. Not a massive thing, but enough that purists and hyper collectors may end up being mildly frustrated by. Highly Recommended still.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Orson Welles, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack
Directed by: Nelson Shin
Written by: Ron Friedman
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC / 1.33:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles
Studio: Shout! Factory
Rated: PG
Runtime: 85 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 3rd, 2021

Recommendation: Great Buy

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I grew up watching the Transformers cartoons so it is more nostalgia for me.

 

[Grayson Dere]

This film alone forged my childhood. Thanks for the review Michael! : D