By John Corrado

Please note that this is a review of the 4K Ultra HD release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my original review right here.

Following its run in theatres over the summer, Paramount is releasing Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on physical media today, including 4K Ultra HD.

Like Bumblebee, the film serves as a prequel to the five Michael Bay films. Set in 1994, the story follows humans Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback) in New York who team up with the Autobots and Maximals to defeat the Terrorcons in a battle for the Transwarp Key, which opens portals between worlds.

As I wrote in my review, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts feels streamlined from the other films, with director Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) stripping away a lot of the “Bayhem” to offer a more straight-forward action adventure movie.

The film still has the cheesy dialogue and convoluted mythology that these movies are known for, but at just over two hours it doesn’t really overstay its welcome in the same way. Watching the film again, I do think it’s more enjoyable in the more human-focused first half, before it becomes the usual massive CGI battle. But it’s one of the more easily watchable films in the franchise, and the 4K disc offers the sharpest viewing experience at home. There is a lot of digital information on display, especially during the visual effects-heavy action sequences, and the 2160p resolution allows us to take it all in.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):

The package boasts over an hour of bonus material on the disc, and we get a variety of featurettes on different aspects of the film. A code for a digital copy is also included in the package, which ships with a slipcover.

• Human Affairs (7 minutes, 32 seconds): The producers talk scaling up the action from Bumblebee, while still finding a balance between spectacle and heart.

• Life in the 90s (6 minutes, 14 seconds): Caple Jr. talks about drawing from his own childhood in the 1990s and recreating the look of the decade, from the pre-9/11 New York skyline, to the old school hip-hop soundtrack, set dressing, and vintage costumes.

• Heroes (10 minutes, 12 seconds): A look at the different robot hero characters, and bringing the robot-animal hybrid Maximals to the screen in live action.

• Villains (8 minutes, 36 seconds): A look at the different robot villain characters in the film.

• The Chase (5 minutes, 35 seconds): A deeper dive into the New York chase scene, including filming part of it in Montreal and part of it on the actual Williamsburg Bridge.

• The Battle of Ellis Island (7 minutes, 7 seconds): A deeper dive into filming the museum battle in various locations, including around Montreal.

• Into the Jungle (10 minutes, 20 seconds): A look at shooting in the jungles of Peru for the film’s second half, with this being the first big movie to film there.

• The Switchback Attack (7 minutes, 11 seconds): A look at filming a car chase on curvy mountain roads in Peru.

• The Final Conflict (10 minutes, 46 seconds): A look at what went into filming the final battle, including the traditional practises that need to be followed to shoot in Machu Pichu.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (Play All – 13 minutes, 45 seconds)

• The Transit Depot Alternate Opening – Deleted (3 minutes, 48 seconds)

• This Can’t Be Real – Extended (1 minute, 6 seconds)

• Noah Comes Home – Extended/Deleted (1 minute, 30 seconds)

• The Maximal Crest – Extended (35 seconds)

• The Cave/Switchback – Alternate/Extended (4 minutes, 12 seconds)

• Are You Ready? – Deleted (1 minute, 34 seconds)

• Alternate Ending – Deleted (50 seconds)

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a Paramount Home Entertainment release. It’s 127 minutes and rated PG.

Street Date: October 10th, 2023