Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Michael Bay's third installment of "Transformers" is worth every penny, even if all you want to do is show off your surround and high-definition setup, especially due to its astounding 7.1-channel Dolby TrueHD audio and relentless action scenes. To the story in a minute, but first, the sound is a big deal because few big pictures as of the end of 2011 are filmed in 7.1. The difference between 7.1 and the 5.1 that your ears are used to is mind blowing, assuming you have a 7.1 system. It fills all the corners of your listening space freakishly well, putting even the subtlest sounds in the corners of the room, behind the couch, under the couch. The movie gives you crystal clear stereo transitions and sounds that seem to snake around you, moving from one speaker to the next. Sounds are where they should be, and they can surprise you. Simply put, this is one of the richest sound experiences you can get in a movie, even without 7.1 I'd wager.Now, that story I promised. If you think "Dark of the Moon" is a rehashing of the same old stuff, you're not completely wrong. But the elements that made the first two movies work were pretty good. The Decepticons are back again with a plot to take over the world, and it's up to Sam and the Autobots to shut them down. Rounded characters and glimpses into the "Transformers" universe keep things interesting. Shia LaBeouf and the actors who portray his parents gel as well as ever, with Sam the ever-geeky comic with heart. And the guys won't be able to take their eyes off his girlfriend. Nearly every character has a motive and compels the story forward, and once it gets going, the action seems to never end. Bay takes us to the brink of Earth's destruction like never before. Perhaps there are only so many ways a robot can spin, dodge and attack another robot, but it never stops being fun to watch, especially with Bay's cinematic standards, with visuals so sharp and contrasty they almost hurt your eyes and animations that are still dumbfounding. You'll want to watch it again.In perspective, if this had been the first "Transformers," it would have been even more mind blowing. But if you can't walk away somehow enriched from some of the best visuals and audio on the planet, a compelling and fast-moving -- if not a bit complicated -- story, some of the most intense action ever, and the biggest-hearted robots in the universe, maybe movies aren't for you.

I pre-ordered the movie before it came out for $25 originally with the shipping option that it would get to me on the day of its release date(Sep. 30). The movie went down in price so I got $5 bucks back and I also got the movie delivered personally to me by an agent on the day before it was released (Sep. 29th) so BIG points for that. The disc case comes in a nice looking shielded cover and the product itself includes a Blu-Ray copy, DVD version and a code for a digital version copy which you can get on the website somehow which I haven't tried yet. The movie is beautiful Hi-Def which you would expect from any Blu-Ray movie, which is a real treat in this one when the sparks start flying(and there are many sparks).The Movie itself should be viewed only as a blockbuster summer flick for entertainment purposes only. If you havent watched this movie yet and are expecting it to be good then you will be utterly dissapointed. This movie has terrible story(tho not as bad as the second one), mediocre acting and the dialogue/humor sometimes is a little awkward and embarrassing(like almost any Michael Bay film these days). The action is great and intense just dont expect good deaths for the bad guys given almost all of them have a very stupid/pathetic death scene given to them regardless of how badass they are in the movie. Megatron, despite how badass he's supposed to be, is punked and pushed around the entire film and not given a proper death. Basically the movie feels a little rushed towards the end and the ending doesnt really feel like an ending more like they just wanted to finish the damm thing already.Oh and for the idiot people complaining this movie isnt the extended edition and rating it down because of it, learn to read. This is the version that was in theaters not a special edition but I will have to agree with the people complaining about the lack of extras in this disc. There are NONE, which is stupid but then again I got this product for the movie itself not to see how they made the damm thing so I got what I expected. They are going to release an extended version of this movie later on this year (around November/December) as well as the 3D version of the movie, which is NOT included in this version so if you want to watch the movie in 3D then you better off waiting for the later version instead.

Great product!