Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (4K SteelBook Review)

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the retconned reboot of this special effects-driven franchise that no one really asked for. The Maximals, robotic aliens who transform into the form of animals, make their appearance for the first time in this

Steven Caple Jr.-directed entry.

The human protagonists are shifted to the inner city in the 1990s where ex-military electronics expert Noah (Anthony Ramos), who tweaks cable boxes to pick up illegal cable to sell, is having a hard time finding work. He has to help out with his sickly younger brother (Dean Scott Vazquez) and help his single mom (Luna Lauren Velez). He agrees to take on a job from his friend to steal a high-end Porsche 911, which turns out to be an Autobot. Noah is soon caught in the middle of a war between the Autobots and a malevolent race of robotic aliens, Terrorcons, who are looking for the Unicron, a powerful world-killing key from the home of the Maximals who have also been hiding on Earth for centuries.

That is the crux of this very convoluted story that makes the original five Transformers films directed by Michael Bay seem like Shakespeare in comparison. The film is more about the visual and sound effects, which are good, but not impressive enough to carry the film, by today’s standards. We have seen all of this before and it is not something that will awe anymore. It suffers from overkill as well, with action sequences becoming too full of CGI, frantic movement, and quick cut edits to follow.

The Video

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was shot on the Arri Alexa Mini LF with Panavision Panaspeed, Primo 70, and VA lenses in ARRIRAW 4.5K. It uses a 4K digital intermediate and is mastered with Dolby Vision. The film is presented in a 2.40:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement on 4K disc.

There is not much to complain about with this as far as the encodement goes. It is clean and free from noise, the Dolby Vision gives a lot of specular highlight ‘pop’ and vibrant color to the visual effects, but there is just something about the production that keeps it from looking as three-dimensional and cinematic as it could. Perhaps the color grading and black levels keep it looking a little too glossy and flat.

The Audio

Unsurprisingly, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts gets a bombastic Dolby Atmos track with big, floor rattling low end, voice of God effects using the Atmos overhead channels and lots of movement of solid effects. The dialogue is clean but sometimes takes a backseat to the audio effects.

The Supplements

Paramount provides over an hour of new bons features that include numerous interviews, behind-the-scenes, and deleted and extended scenes. Plus, the discs are housed in a Steelbook case with gorgeous artwork, all on the case itself, no plastic slipcase with partial artwork on it for this.

• Movies Anywhere Digital Code
• Feature Film on Blu-ray
• Steelbook Packaging
• Human Affairs (1080p; 00:07:32)
• Life in the 90s (1080p; 00:06:14)
• Heroes (1080p; 00:10:12)
• Villains (1080p; 00:08:36)
• The Chase (1080p; 00:05:35)
• The Battle of Ellis Island (1080p; 00:07:07)
• Into the Jungle (1080p; 00:10:20)
• The Switchback Attack (1080p; 00:07:11)
• The Final Conflict (1080p; 00:10:46)
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p; 00:13:45):
  • The Transit Depot Alternate Opening – Deleted
  • This Can’t Be Real – Extended
  • Noah Comes Home – Extended/Deleted
  • The Maximal Crest – Extended
  • The Cave/Switchback – Alternate/Extended
  • Alternate Ending — Extended

The Final Assessment

There is nothing distinctive or compelling about this new entry in the Transformers franchise. It is a cookie cutter film that remixes the tropes from all the previous films but throws away much of the plot through-lines that came before it. As home theater fodder, it is good stuff for sure.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is out on 4K Ultra HD Combo SteelBook October 10, 2023, from Paramount Home Entertainment.

• Rating Certificate: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language)
• Studios & Distributors: Paramount Pictures | Skydance Media | New Republic Pictures | Di Bonaventura Pictures | Bay Films | Entertainment One | Allspark Pictures | Hasbro | Paramount Home Entertainment
• Director: Steven Caple Jr.
• Written By: Joby Harold | Darnell Metayer | Josh Peters
• Run Time: 127 Mins.
• Street Date: 10 October 2023
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• HDR10 Metadata:
  • MaxLL: 1359 nits
  • MaxFALL: 400 nits
• Primary Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible)
• Secondary Audio: English Audio Description | Spanish (Castilian) DD 5.1 | Spanish (Latino) DD 5.1 | French Dolby Atmos | French (Quebecois) DD 5.1
• Subtitles: English | English SDH | Danish | Spanish (Castilian) | Spanish (Latino) | French | French (Quebecois) | Dutch | Norwegian | Finnish | Swedish