Transformers Limited Edition Steelbooks 6-movie Collection (UHD) Review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: May 30, 2023
Rating: PG-13
Film:  See Below

Plot
The TRANSFORMERS 6-Movie SteelBook Collection includes TRANSFORMERS, TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT and BUMBLEBEE all in eye-popping 4K Ultra HD.  Each film is presented in a separate SteelBook with the feature on 4K Ultra HD Disc plus a Blu-ray Disc™ with legacy bonus content.  All six SteelBooks are housed in a striking magnetic slipcase that also includes a collectible decal and access to Digital copies of each film.

My Thoughts
I wouldn’t call these films high-brow entertainment, but they are a box office success having earned over $4.8 billion at the box office. I find the stories to be very formulaic in nature and most of the films have wooden dialog, intense action, and above-average special effects. Here are my ratings for each film:

Transformer                                          3.5/5
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen     3/5
Transformers: Dark of the Moon             3/5
Transformers: Age of Extinction             2/5
Transformers: The Last Knight                1/5
Bumblebee                                                4/5

Of all the films, I actually like Bumblebee the most because it actually has a compelling story to go along with the visuals. The film was written by Christina Hodson (Unforgettable) and directed by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) which put Michael Bay in the producer’s chair—where he should stay! They do a fabulous job of actually telling a story that you care about, crafting characters that have likable characteristics and chemistry, and better yet, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox are nowhere to be seen.

Paramount is releasing this set to coincide with the latest movie hitting theaters on June 9, 2023, titled Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

The A/V quality of the films are all quite good and in some cases, reference quality. If you’re a fan of LFE, these films provide it and have multiple demo scenes to showoff how deep your subwoofers can go.

Average A/V Scores
Video 9/10 (AVC)
Audio 9/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

TRANSFORMERS
Disc 1 - 4K Ultra HD
·        Feature Film
·        Commentary by director Michael Bay
Disc 2 – Blu-ray

• Our World
• Their War
• More Than Meets The Eye

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
Disc 1 - 4K Ultra HD

• Feature Film
• Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman

Disc 2 – Blu-ray

• The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen
• A Day with Bay: Tokyo
• 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS
• NEST: TRANSFORMER Data Hub
• Deconstructing Visual Bayhem
• Deleted/Alternate Scenes
• The AllSpark Experiment
• Giant Effing Movie
• Linkin Park – New Divide
• The Matrix of Marketing

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
Disc 1 - 4K Ultra HD

• Feature Film

Disc 2 – Blu-ray

• Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon
• Uncharted Territory: NASA’s Future Then and Now
• Deconstructing Chicago: Multi-Angle Sequences
• The Art of Cybertron
• The Dark of the Moon Archive
• The Matrix of Marketing

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
Disc 1 - 4K Ultra HD

• Feature Film

Disc 2 – Blu-ray

• 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
• Trailers

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
Disc 1 - 4K Ultra HD

• Feature Film

Disc 2 – Blu-ray

• Merging Mythologies
• Climbing the Ranks
• The Royal Treatment: TRANSFORMERS in the UK
• Motors and Magic
• Alien Landscape: Cybertron
• One More Giant Effin’ Movie

BUMBLEBEE
Disc 1 - 4K Ultra HD

• Feature Film

Disc 2 – Blu-ray

• Feature Film
• Sector 7 Archive
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Outtakes
• Bee Vision: The TRANSFORMERS Robots of Cybertron
• Bringing BUMBLEBEE to the Big Screen

Conclusion
Fans of the franchise probably already own the discs on 4K and the only reason to upgrade is for the Steelbook packaging, which I have to admit, look pretty damn good. As a collector, I’ll keep this displayed but outside of Bumblebee and the occasional demo, I’m not sure how often these will actually be played, but at least they look great sitting on a shelf.     


Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Kaleidescape Strato + Server
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
SVS SB3000
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[bmoney]

It’s funny. I enjoy all of them. And they are demo worthy. But I rarely ever think. Ooh let me watch one of the transformers lol

[AVSCraig]

It’s funny. I enjoy all of them. And they are demo worthy. But I rarely ever think. Ooh let me watch one of the transformers lol

Never seen even one of these movies. 

[Paul Heroy]

I had never seen any but then watched Bumblebee based on reviews saying essentially, "finally a Transformers movie with a story, character and heart". It was worth the watch. 

[David Vaughn]

Never seen even one of these movies.

You aren't missing much other than some great demo moments. If you were to pick on to watch, make it Bumblebee. 

[AVSCraig]

You aren't missing much other than some great demo moments. If you were to pick on to watch, make it Bumblebee.

I almost bought that one, but I have so many demo worthy movies now that I love. 

[bmoney]

The first one has merit. But after that ugh. Bumblebee was def solid