Transformers (www.the-usher.com)

"My name is Optimus Prime..."

When US bases in the Middle East are attacked by an unknown technological force and the computer infrastructure of the World's defence systems is compromised, the Governments of the world is desperate to discover what is going on. For Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) the most important thing in his life was getting his new car and when his dad agrees to pay half, he buys a 1977 Camaro but when he sees the car leave his driveway in the middle of the night, he follows it and watches it transform into a giant robot. As more transforming robots appearing around the world, it becomes clear that some are here to destroy but some are here to protect the human race and Sam is about to meet the Autobots and their leader, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen).

If you are a science fiction fan and you could wish to see anything on the sliver screen it would be giant robots fighting and for those fans their dream is about to come true.

Back in 1984, the Transformers arrived and the world of toys, comic books and cartoons were changed forever. Cars, aeroplanes, trucks, tape players and guns that transformed into robots caught the imaginations of children around the world. The tales of the Autobots and the Decepticons who travel to Earth to continue their battle for energon cubes, the energy source that both the good and evil transformers coveted, captivated them and would do forever more. Through Beast, Armadas, Energon and Cyberton Wars, the Autobots and the Decepticons have battled it out for over two decades and now that war is heading to the silver screen.

Director Michael Bay has joined forces with producer Steven Spielberg to bring the Autobots and the Decepticons to the big screen and now is the right time to do it. Visual effects technology has now got to a stage that you will believe that a car, truck, helicopter or plane can transform into a huge robot and it can look real. While slightly redesigned from the original cartoon and comic book versions of the classic characters, Michael Bay and his creative team bring favourites Bumblebee, Jazz, Ratchett, Ironhide, Starscream, Megatron and Optimus Prime to life and it is the next step forward in computer generated visual effects. Just like the T-Rex did in 'Jurassic Park', the Autobots and the Decepticons push CGI characters to the next level and will be the standard for many years to come.

As with all Michael Bay movies, the action sequences are jaw droppingly amazing. From the first battle with the US Army, Blackout and Scorponok to Optimus Prime and Bonecrusher battling it out on the freeway and the astounding final confrontation, each sequence surpasses the last, getting better and better and more and more exciting. Transformer fans will be in heaven throughout as their favourite characters and a few new ones tear up places around the world.

Of course there is a human story to this conflict and this is where the movie falls down a little. The story itself revolves around finding the Allspark, an infinite source of power with the ability to transform any machine into either a Decepticon or Autobot, depending on who welds it but it is the humans that are dragged into the conflict that the script tries to flesh out. Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky has a confusing family connection to the first transformer to come to Earth and for some reason the secret to his location is fused into his grandfather's glasses. This of course drags him into the conflict when the Decepticons try to find him and the Autobots have to protect him. The main reason that this story element works is because of the performance of Shia LaBeouf, who is a true rising star in Hollywood. He is extremely talented with a screen personality that you cannot help but connect with because he is the everyman, similar to the kind of appeal that Tom Hanks has. Of course he has a love interest in the form of the stunningly beautiful Megan Fox. There is also a platoon of soldiers, lead by Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson who are brought back to the US by Defence Secretary John Keller, played by Jon Voight, because they witnessed the Scorponok attack. A secret, unaccountable government agency headed by the always brilliant and extremely funny John Turturro is also involved but all of these plotlines just seem like filler to get us to the next big Transformer fight.

With absolutely unbelievable visual effects and action sequences that will amaze you, 'Transformers' is fantastic piece of entertainment. While fans may be disappointed in the lack of screen time for the Decepticons and human story that is the true thing that is in disguise, the sight of Optimus Prime, who is voiced by Peter Cullen from the original cartoon, will make that jump with joy. This film is definitely more than meets the eye.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES (Single disc version)

Commentary with director Michael Bay
The man at the helm of one of the biggest movies of 2007 gives a fun and informative commentary tracks for 'Transformers'. The action director recounts on how he became involved in the production of the movie after a phone call from Steven Spielberg and why he said yes to the project after visiting Transformer school at Hasbro's headquarters. He talks extensively about the development and preproduction of the film, the cooperation he gained with the US military and casting the main roles of the film. Bay also talks about the redesign of the characters and the importance of keeping true to the essence of the original comic/anime designs and keeping faith with the fans. This is a good commentary from a director who is clearly very passionate about his movies and the subject matter he is bringing to the sliver screen.

OVERALL

Single disc versions of DVDs are made for those film fans that just want to watch the movie and don't really care about how it was made. With only a good commentary from director Michael Bay included in this version, 'Transformers' fans should really invest in the 2 disc special edition or the HD-DVD version of the film to get the best out of the extras experience.

DVD

Transformers: The Movie

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2007