Transformers: Age of Extinction - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Transformers: Age of Extinction (#4)

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
As with Warner Brothers and the Harry Potter films, Paramount has decided to go back and give us all 4 of the original Transformers movies on 4K, to match The Last Knight that recently came out. I’m never one to complain about 4K UHD content, so I was happy to request these and luckily all 4 are here and available for review in the next week.

I still remember getting out the theater after watching Michael Bay’s first foray into the Transformers universe... and loving every minute of it. I saw it at least 3 times theatrically, and I owned the HD-DVD, the Blu-ray, and even the Blu-ray box set. When “Return of the Fallen” came along, I was brokenhearted by what I saw on screen. The third installment, “Dark of the Moon,” fared better than “Return of the Fallen”, but still not a stellar entry into the franchise. With the Sam and Mikaela storyline concluded and the assurances that we’d be seeing a darker plot centered on new humans, I was hopeful for the results. Michael Bay is a unique director and I love a lot of his work, but he hasn’t had the best track record when working with “Transformers” sequels so far. I think his ego got the best of him, especially with his statement to the press basically saying, “Who cares about people complaining; they’re all gonna see it anyways!" When it’s a passion project, or something he cares about, Michael Bay can really shine; “Pain & Gain” was phenomenal, and stuff like “The Rock," “The Island,” etc. are all great popcorn fun with some heart and soul. Other times, he goes off into the ludicrous, where the spectacle is the focus instead of any substance whatsoever. With all that said, and with me having seen it twice, I have to say that story wise and enjoyment wise, it’s easily the worst of the series, but the spectacle is on a whole nother level.

After the catastrophic events of Dark of the Moon, Sector 7 is gone; the government has become paranoid, and Autobots as well as Decepticons are being hunted by Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), a black ops agent, with the help of a mysterious transformer code named Lockdown. Optimus Prime is missing, and the Autobot forces are dwindling fast. This all changes when a struggling (but brilliant) inventor by the name of Cade Yeager (Marky Mark) finds an old Mac Truck, which he takes home to his farm to scavenge for parts. Digging into the scrap heap, Cade discovers that he’s actually in possession of Optimus himself, injured and in a sort of Transformer coma from lack of power. Cade is a struggling single father with a rebellious teenage daughter, Tessa (Nicole Peltz), and just a touch of overprotectiveness. With Optimus, he thinks he’s got his meal ticket, but when his partner (played by T.J. Miller) betrays him for a reward, Attinger and his crew come in to capture Optimus and kill anyone who’s seen their faces. Saved by Prime, Cade, Tessa and her secret boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) have to try and stay alive so that Optimus can stop whatever Attinger is planning and the Yeager’s can have their life back.

This is all simple, cut 'n dry on paper, but when the Autobots discover just what Attinger is doing with their fallen comrades, and WHO he’s working with, things change in a hurry. With the help of Cade, Prime and his crew must take down the newly created HUMAN MADE transformer, Galvatron, and send Lockdown back to where he came from.

Age of Extinction is the epitome of empty calories in film making, as the whole thing is just hollow and leaves you with a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. The movie lasts about 16 hours or so and by the time the 3rd act starts (believe me there’s actually FOUR acts), you’re exhausted just watching the action, beaten and tired. Michael Bay has always been a bit light on characters, but here it’s taken to an extreme as we are introduced to characters that actually make you beg for Shia and Megan Fox once more. It you were annoyed by Sam Witwhicky in “Dark of the Moon,” you’re going to be on the floor crying as Marky Mark (who I usually really like) is turned into an over-protective father with strong hints of misogyny and an all-around abrasive personality. Then we’ve got his daughter, Tessa, who makes even Rosie in #3 look like an acting genius, and is pretty much only on screen to scream and have the camera pan up and down her tight fitting shorts. Shane, her boyfriend, isn’t any better, as he’s a know-it-all jerk who you almost wish Marky Mark would punch straight in the face. The jokes are in poor taste and by the end of the film, you just really wish the Decipticons WOULD have nuked the world. The saving grace, human wise, is that Stanley Tucci and Kelsey Grammer are top notch actors and a treat to watch in any situation. It’s kind of sad though, as Stanley and Kelsey wander through the script aimlessly, trying the best they possibly can to salvage what they’re given, but even with their entertaining performances you can’t polish up a junker too much.

It might not have been so bad if the Transformers had taken more center stage, but besides Lockdown, Bumblebee, Galvatron and Optimus, the rest of the robots are generic and fairly interchangeable. In a series that is ABOUT talking robots, they spend so much time on the humans, they don't put enough effort into their robotic counterparts, effectively neutering them and having them sit in the back seat of their own movie. I really did like the bitter Optimus Prime, jaded after years of being hunted down and shot by the very people he tried to protect, but it just wasn't impactful when the rest of the time is Michael Bay frantically hitting the plunger on his fireworks detonator in an effort to ignore anything story line wise in the in 24 hour run time. Still, Optimus is the ultimate awesome hero with a Sword of Reckoning +2, and the inclusion of Galvatron pretty much clinches the fact that this is supposed to be the start of a new trilogy, with him coming in as the major villain later on.

Now on the other hand, Michael Bay is one the most gifted spectacle directors I have ever seen. He has an innate ability to create something of epic proportions with tons of Baysplosions and all sorts of fantastic imagery and get them all to blend together seamlessly. Transformers was great with the action and the Return of the Fallen was no slouch either, but with each sequel he’s gotten better and better to the point where it’s awe inspiring in “Age of Extinction”. The camera shots are a little more steady and less up close this time around and you can actually SEE a lot of the battle better. Not to mention the robot combat is off the charts and will leave your jaw firmly resting on the floor. The Autobots no longer flail around like in the past, and the seamlessness in which they move is incredible. Bumblebee and Lockdown basically go all Ninja on us with some of the most fantastic robot fisticuff scenes I have ever seen. The Baysplosions are bigger and better than ever with what seems like an entire country’s worth of explosives go off in the 3 day runtime of the movie. I can’t really agree with the story, or even the enjoyment factor of the film very much, but this was the first movie in 2014 to make over a billion dollars and it has its fans for sure. As such, the spectacle that “Transformers” fans have become used to has been amped up even more and is sumptuous on screen.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and brief innuendo




Video:

Age of Extinction was a 5 star Blu-ray all the way, as most Michael Bay films are, and it was a tall order to think that the 4K UHD was look as good. Using a mixture of digital and 35mm, it was given a 2K master (with elements of the IMAX cameras in 4K) and then sampled to Blu-ray, and now 4K UHD. I can confirm that the IMAX full screen portions are NOT included in this release, but the film is given a straight across 2.40:1 aspect ratio across the board. A decision that leaves me scratching my head as I would have ASSUMED that it was baked into the master, but I guess not. However, the film looks STUNNING in 4K UHD nonetheless, as the use of HDR and Dolby Vision are WELL worth the price of admission. The sparkling colors of the autobots and decepticons battling it out literally jump off the screen at you, and the individual textures and lines on their metal frames show up impeccably well. Comparing against the other 3 films, I have to say Age of Extinction looks the best out of the bunch (and rightfully so considering it was only made a couple of years ago), but only by the smallest of amounts, as all 4 looking stunning in 4K UHD. Blacks are sickeninly deep, and the resolution allows for better fine details on close ups and the big city backdrops. I don’t always have high expectations with 4K UHD catalog titles, but with this along with the Harry Potter 1-4 remasters, I have to give a standing round of ovation to the powers that be for some great looking films.






Audio:

Holy aggressive action track, Batman! Transformers: Age of Extinction on Blu-ray carried the distinction of being the first Dolby Atmos fitted release and it was nothing to sneeze at for sure. This track is the same Atmos track that the Blu-ray enjoyed (Paramount was always progressive in having their Blu-rays carry Atmos before most other studios), and Age of Extinction is not only a viciously aggressive track, but one that thrives on subtlety and little nuances in the film (I know, the term “subtle” and Transformers don’t seem like they would go together), such as the transformation sequences where you can hear individual metal pieces sliding over one another, or the little sounds the Transformium makes as it travels through the air. Dialogue is spot on perfect and it’s balanced with an ENORMOUS dynamic range that will cause the viewer to jump in their seats more than once. I was incredibly impressed with the immersion level of the track, as my surrounds were in constant use as the film panned from one side of the room to another, going so far as to shift vocals to whichever portion of the room the character was at with stunning result. Now don’t get too excited, I haven’t forgotten about the LFE, in fact it’s the 800 lb gorilla in the room, crushing, stomping and going King Kong on us with waves of LFE that ranged from high to EXTREMELY low and powerful. Michael Bay loves his incredible bass tracks and this one is no different, as it will leave your subs crying for mercy. It’s also good to know that I couldn’t detect ANY 30 hz filter as there are a few scenes that rival the low end of the famed “flip” sequence in the first movie. 5 stars all the way.





Extras:

• Bay on Action
• Evolution within Extinction The Making of TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
• Just Another Giant Effin' Movie
• A Spark of Design
• T.J. Miller: Farm Hippie

Final Score: ​

I have to give this film a 2.5 rating just for the fact that there’s no one defining number that I can give it. If I had my choice, I'd rate the story pure 1/5 star trash; however, Michael Bay doesn’t’ just rely on the script, and he gives us a full flying 5 star spectacle that will awe and amaze us home theater nuts. As a result, I have to give it an average of the two. It’s not a smart movie, and it’s main humans are about as likeable and relatable as an bear who’s had her cubs taken away, but the movie is one nonstop explosion that should satiate fans of the last two entries into the franchise. The 4K UHD release is STUNNING on 4K UHD video wise, and the audio and extras are direct ports of the already incredible Blu-ray release, so I have no qualms about recommending it as an upgrade for those of you who already have the film on Blu-ray.





Technical Specifications:

Starring:Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer
Directed by: Michael Bay
Written by: Ehren Kruger
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DD 5.1, English DD 2.0, French, Spanish, Portuguese DD 5.1
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 166 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 5th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Incredible Eye Candy for a watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I only watch it for the special effects. Nothing more, nothing less. lol.

 

[Michael Scott]

I think that's a safe bet for most people in regards to the later Transformers films. I have to say the first movie is STILL a fun guilty pleasure for me.

 

[tripplej]

I have to revisit the first one.. They all mesh together now in my memory.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Wait. One. Second.

Does this mean Dark of the Moon is getting Atmos????

 

[Michael Scott]

Wait. One. Second.

Does this mean Dark of the Moon is getting Atmos????

all three of the original films that didn't have Atmos have them now

 

[Todd Anderson]

WOW.

Mike... if you wouldn't mind doing a little comparison between the original release and the Atmos release (for the city destruction scene near the end).... I'm all eyes (and ears)!

 

[Michael Scott]

I'll see what I can do... I'll be watching the rest this week,

 

[Todd Anderson]

 

[Michael Scott]

from just skimming it, there's a little more LFE, but the biggest enhancement is the use of the overheads and surrounds. directionality shifts and the overheads give it a more encompassing feel. I'll go more in depth when I sit and critically listen to the disc

 

[Todd Anderson]

I wonder how it compares to just processing the original 7.1 mix through an AVR's upmixer?

I actually wonder if the studios actually go back and re-mix for Atmos, or if they just let a studio object oriented processor (similar to Dolby or DTS) up mix to Atmos.

 

[Michael Scott]

from what I've heard from inside sources, it depends on the title and the studio. However, most are re-mixed from the original elements as digital source material is much easier to work with than older tracks that were stored differently