Transformers: Dark of the Moon

In director Michael Bay's latest installment of his popular sci-fi franchise, based on the mega-selling toy action figures, an event from the past erupts into present day, threatening to ignite a war so big that the Transformers will not be able to save humanity. The freedom-loving Autobots and the evil Decepticons—rival extraterrestrial talking robots from the planet Cybertron—become involved in the dangerous 1969 space race between the U.S. and Russia because of a crashed spacecraft hidden on the moon that may contain a secret weapon. Flash forward to 2011, where job-hunting college grad Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) comes to the aid of his giant robotic friends in a conflict that revolves around something brought back to Earth by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (who appears as himself). Along the way, Sam struggles with jealousy issues involving his dazed and confused girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley). Determined to out-mug the cold, metallic antagonists are John Malkovich as Sam's boss, Ken Jeong as a coworker, Patrick Dempsey as Carly's former boyfriend, John Turturro as an FBI agent, and Frances McDormand as a government official—plus Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson as expert warriors. The primary shock-and-awe sensory spectacle is set in Chicago, where buildings crumble and streets buckle as the landmark cityscape is decimated during the final hour—a deafeningly noisy wave of destruction that eventually grows rather tedious and exhausting. A strong optional purchase. (S. Granger)[Blu-ray Review—Jan. 31, 2012—Paramount, 154 min., PG-13, $54.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 2011's Transformers: Dark of the Moon sports an excellent transfer and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 sound. Featuring both 3D and standard Blu-ray versions of the film, extras include an “Above and Beyond: Exploring” behind-the-scenes documentary (111 min.), “Deconstructing Chicago: Multi-Angle Sequences” with commentary by director Michael Bay (39 min.), an “Uncharted Territory: NASA's Future Then and Now” featurette (27 min.), production segments on “The Sound” (9 min.) and “3D: A Transforming Digital Art” with Bay and filmmaker James Cameron (3 min.), a segment from the film's Moscow world premiere (3 min.), a “Birdmen” segment on the stunt skydivers (3 min.), a “Cody's iPad” fan featurette (2 min.), “The Art of Cybertron” art gallery, a marketing gallery with posters and trailers, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a good choice for completists and budding 3D collections; others can stick with the earlier DVD and Blu-ray releases.]