Uh oh, guys. Look what’s being released on October 20!
As much as I ragged on the theatrical release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I’m actually kind of excited to see it on DVD. I think there’s a better chance of me kind of understanding the action on a smaller screen. At least, that was my experience with the original Transformers. I hated it in the theater, but it’s fun to watch at home. I just skip chapters to the scenes with all the robots. Takes about 15 minutes.
Here’s a list of all the bonus features available on the two-disc special edition, plus features exclusive to the Blu-ray edition:
Disc 1:
- Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Disc 2:
- The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen—This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew:
- Seeds of Vengeance – Development and Design—After the overwhelming success of 2007’s Transformers how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?
- Domestic Destruction – Production: United States—Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
- Joint Operations – Production: Military—No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast.
- Wonders of the World – Production: Middle East—You can’t really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor.
- Start Making Sense – Editing—In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.
- Under the Gun – Visual Effects—Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM’s total render farm capacity.
- Running the Gauntlet – Post-Production and Release—Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timin and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.
- A Day with Bay: Tokyo—An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.
- 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS—Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro’s most successful and popular franchises.
- NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.
- Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto—A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film’s most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.
- Extended Scenes
- Music Video: Linkin Park’s “New Divide”
BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE:
- The ALLSPARK Experiment—Viewers get their chance to unleash the power of the recently recovered ALLSPARK shard on Earth vehicles. Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Then apply the ALLSPARK to this creation and watch what happens. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise.
- NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot’s confidential file including:
- Innovative 3D spin galleries of each robot
- A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films
- Giant Effing Movie—A very personal look at the making of the movie.
- The Matrix of Marketing—An archive of the film’s promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.
Despite my problems with the movie, I’m looking forward to the Blu-ray release. No matter what your opinion might be about the story, characterization or editing – the technical aspect of this film was a Herculian effort and I’m very interested in learning more about the behind-the-scenes details.
So mark your calendars for October 20!
