Uneven in terms of style, pacing, and tone, Transformers is an attempt to resurrect a classic ‘80s franchise in over-budgeted "Hollywood summer movie" style. Without an attachment to the Transformers themselves, the film is a mess of convoluted, hard-to-follow action and countless unnecessary characters that get in the way of keeping the pace.

To see more than a basic synopsis, read the SD DVD review which contains the full movie critique.

While the SD DVD was reference quality for the format, it’s not hard to see why the HD format can make a difference. Detail is phenomenal, unmatched by almost any live action disc you pop into your player. The over saturated colors are perfect without bleeding or creating compression problems. The added resolution makes it easy to pick out details on the special effects and gain a better appreciation for the time spent crafting them.

Light grain is evident throughout, yet it feels proper when dealing with harsher, more dramatic story elements. Sparks, explosions, and smoke are replicated flawlessly. It may not have the added sheen of a pure CG-animated film such as Happy Feet, but it’s hard to match this disc for live action.

While it lacks an uncompressed track, this Dolby Digital Plus effort is a noticeable improvement when directly compared to the standard edition. Separation of the rear speakers is incredible. The opening fight in the military base is a demo-worthy sequence for any audiophile. Bass is constantly evident, from the footsteps of the giant robots to the explosions they cause.

Paramount is touting the interactive online features of this disc, and to say these are a massive disappointment would be an understatement. Only two are currently available for download direct to the internal memory of your player. One would think everything would be ready to go on the day of release.

What is ready for viewing is a wasteful “Sector 7 Security Video.” After waiting for a rather long download to complete, you’re treated to a tiny multi-screen video of an unidentified Transformer changing in a parking garage. It’s less than 10 seconds.

The next option plays the movie bordered by a garish, overly large information screen that obscures the movie. GPS information at the top of the screen lets you know where the scene is taking place, on the left is information pertaining to the Transformer(s) currently on screen, while the bottom triples in size to provide relevant trivia. This is a nice idea that collapses in execution.