Transformers: Age of Extinction Blu-ray Review

From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg comes the best 'Transformers' ever! With humanity facing extinction from a terrifying new threat, it's up to Optimus Prime and the Autobots to save the world. But now that our government has turned against them, they'll need a new team of allies, including inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) and the fearsome Dinobots!

Courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment

The Bottom Line

Love him or hate him, Michael Bay films are always over-the-top, loud, full of eye-popping colors and fight scenes - and the fourth installment in the Transformers' franchise is no exception. Just five years after the Autobots and Decepticons made Chicago into their personal battlefield (in 2011's Dark of the Moon), these robots that are "more than meets the eye" are busting out their best fighting moves again, this time alongside Dinobots! For an action fan, it doesn't get much better than this, and Box Office audiences agreed, the film raked in a stunning $1 billion worldwide. It can be hard for sequels to live up to the excitement of the first film, but Transformers: Age of Extinction adds just enough story and new material to keep it interesting, and the blu-ray goes the extra mile with tons of bonus material.

Courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment

The Transformers: Age of Extinction four-disc Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and three-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack feature more than three hours of extras. From selecting fierce new cars and designing new Transformers characters to constructing elaborately detailed sets, this comprehensive footage takes viewers inside the fun, hard work and excitement of making a global blockbuster film. The bonus materials are all basically in high definition, with "The Angry Birds TRANSFORMERS: Origin Story" being one of our favorites. This Blu-ray also pushes the envelope when it comes to home sound technology, so if you feel like helicopters and drones are actually flying overhead, that's the reason! All in all, we're more than just a little impressed that they've managed to keep the fourth movie in the franchise as exciting and cutting edge as the first.

A huge Dinobot in actionCourtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment

Blu-ray Special Features:

• Bay On Action—In-depth interview with Michael Bay about his vision and approach to the film’s mind-blowing action sequences.
• Evolution Within Extinction:
  • Generation 2—A look at where the fourth film picks up as we meet new faces—both man and machine—and a Transformers world after the Battle of Chicago.
  • Drive Like Hell—Two entirely re-envisioned models of OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE appear in the film, along with an intimidating new nemesis, LOCKDOWN, as a Lamborghini Aventador plus other incredibly cool cars including a sophisticated Bugatti Veyron and a sleek Pagani Huayra. Check them out and see how actor Jack Reynor learned how to drive his Sonic rally car for the intense chase sequences.
  • Small Town, Big Movie— When Transformers rolls into some small Texas towns, the normally quiet and picturesque countryside is suddenly alight with explosive action. Explore the different locations with members of the show's art department and hear from robotics students whose designs appear as part of Cade’s lab.
  • Shadow Protocol Activated— Follow the production to Detroit with unprecedented access to GM's Lansing plant and Milford Proving Grounds test track; watch an impressive indoor car chase created in an auto parts factory; return to Chicago where location managers discovered a historical movie theater that served as the backdrop for Cade’s fateful first encounter with OPTIMUS PRIME; and finally travel to Washington state and the unlikely site of a never-used nuclear power plant.
  • The Last Stand—A vacant lot in downtown Detroit is turned into a square block of Hong Kong.  Watch as it literally takes shape from the ground up—then marvel as the crew blows it up piece by piece.
  • The People’s Republic— China plays an extremely prominent role in the film both on-screen and behind-the-scenes; in fact, four Chinese actors were chosen from thousands of applicants on a reality TV show to appear in the movie.  In addition, the production traveled to Hong Kong, the beautiful valley of Wulong Karst National Park in Chongqing and the Great Wall in Beijing to capture breathtaking footage.
  • Rise of the DINOBOTS—Several new TRANSFORMERS characters make their live-action debut in this film.  Get a brief history of the new recruits and then go inside Industrial Light & Magic to see how they were designed and conceptualized for the film.
  • The Finishing Touch— Watch Michael Bay work like you’ve never seen him before.  The director connects virtually with his Santa Monica headquarters, visits the editing bay and then checks in on the visual effects house in San Francisco—all from the comfort of his Miami home office.  Also, get an in-depth look at the music contributions of Imagine Dragons as they collaborate with the film's composer Steve Jablonsky. Finally, get exclusive red carpet access to the film's world premiere in Hong Kong.
• Just Another Giant Effin’ Movie—Discover the fun, frenetic and amazing way a movie like Transformers: Age of Extinction gets made.
• A Spark of Design— Enjoy an exclusive look inside Hasbro's creation of TRANSFORMERS: Age of Extinction Stomp and Chomp Grimlock action figure from concept and development to sculpting and painting, and then ultimately to the assembly line.
• T.J. Miller: Farm Hippie — Actor/comedian T.J. Miller never imagined he’d be part of a massively successful franchise like Transformers so he sets off to personally thank the people who made it possible. Come along as he visits Bay Films, gets some pointers from Kelsey Grammer, and even stops by
  Mark Wahlberg’s house in this funny piece.
• KRE-O TRANSFORMERS: Take Us Through the Movies! – OPTIMUS PRIME will bring you up to speed on all of the TRANSFORMERS movies one by one in this hilarious, animated short where the TRANSFORMERS KREON figures act out the movies while building and rebuilding each scene…brick by brick.  
• The Angry Birds TRANSFORMERS: Origin Story - Bonus content tells the origin story of how the EggSpark has landed on Piggy Island causing the eggs on the island to turn into evil Egg-bots, wreaking havoc across the whole island. The EggSpark has also caused the Birds and Pigs to turn into Autobots and Deceptihogs, who must team up in order to stop the Egg-bots before it's too late!
• Trailers

Transformers: Age of Extinction Blu-ray Rating:

Transformers: Age of Extinction Blu-rayCourtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment

Transformers: Age of Extinction is now available on Blu-ray + DVD!