Product: The Transformers - The Movie (1986)
Rating: 3.0
Movie is 5 Stars, 20th Anniversary DVD is 3 Stars
It never seems to amaze me anymore with 2-disc "Special Editions". Not only is the release an insult to all of those fans who have already bought the regular DVD edition, but there really isn't anything "special" about it. All of the "special features" could have been included on the original release as all, but the 2007 Movie material, was available at that time as well. As we all know the movie, let me say that the remastering is what you are paying for and will be happy. The colors are corrected and the image is very sharp. Now what the marketing people would have you believe you are paying full DVD price for is as follows:Original theatrical trailer and TV spots--This is to be expected and the TV spots are very redundant (as they usually are)Cinex and credit tests--Perhaps one of the biggest wastes of time and effort for a dvd. If anyone understands what this is or why it was put on a dvd I would love to know. (All you see is the various intro credits and original test sheets--no animation or any real point. If you want to see "Leonard Nimoy" handwritten on a credit sheet, then see the name appear as it did in the credits, then this "special feature" is for you!Photo gallery--Designs of the various Transformers with information on them. Standard fair and not all that interesting, especially trying to squint and read the text next to the photos."Scramble City" episode with fan commentary--This could have been REAL good, I mean REAL good--WITHOUT the fan commentary. In fact, there is no audio from the episode. All you hear is the fan's talking somewhat intelligently about a Japan-only episode that was released before Transformers: The Movie was released in Japan. (Note: It was released in Japan in 1987, so this Japan episode bridges the gap between the 1st and 2nd season Transformers and the movie.) This episode gives you a glimpse of a lot of the Transformers that first appeared in the movie over here in the states. One scene shows Optimus and Ultra Magnus together--which over here in the states, didn't happen until Prime's death in the movie. Likewise, you will see some epic battles of the various "combiners"--the Constructicons, Stunticons, Combaticons, etc., and the first appearance of Metroplex--in the states, he didn't appear until after the movie. This would have been perfect had it contained the original sound effects and subtitles. As it stands, you here two fanboys talk during the whole episode.Remastering side-by-side comparison--Interesting, but it gets old after about a minute. It basically makes it appear that the remaster process was more of a "brightening" process than anything else--as the images appear more bright in the remastered version.Trailer: Transformers live action film--A teaser trailer that was in the theaters a while back. It briefly shows what appears to be a Decepticon towards the end, but apparently the CGI was not yet complete at the time this teaser came out--so it is more of a second glance and a shadow.Sneak peek: Transformers live action film--Literally, about one minute long. This has a quick "I always thought Transformers would make a great film" line from Spielberg, some non-CGI crash scenes (showing scenes of the actual actors reacting to non-existent effects). Nothing here to wet the appetite really.Next generation video game trailer--Not even a Transformers game!! Some generic new PS3 game!Featurette: "Death of Optimus Prime"--Features the original producers, a writer, and the woman who played Arcee talking about how surprised they were that Prime's death really mattered to people. My favorite part is when they said something to the effect of "We were just trying to kill off a toyline so we could start the next generation of toys." They also talk about the parents' complaints about Prime's death and how it affected their kids. Again, this would have been great had there been something that appeared to show that Prime's death was written as an important plot point rather than killing off an old toy line.Featurette: "Cast and Characters"--The same crew above talk about what it was like working with various actors--somewhat interesting.Featurette: "Transformers Q & A"--Probably the best "featurette" as there were some decent questions and answers--but still, you could tell they were trying to fill the 2nd DVD to justify the price.Promotional trailer with commentary--Worth one look. Beyond that, not much.Test, deleted/alternate footage with commentary--This is where one would think the meat of a "special edition" would be, but there is nothing that stands out. You see some alternate (read: unfinished scenes) with commentary over the scenes, so you really can't hear the scenes. Likewise, there is such a subtle addition or change from the original version that you can't tell really what has been deleted even with the commentator yapping away.Animated storyboards--Interesting again for one view. The "cut scene" was nothing spectacular.US and Japanese toy commercials--low quality vhs versions of the commercials. It was cool seeing the first few, but then it was redundant. Likewise, what was up with the blurred children's faces? Is it illegal to show kids from commercials that appeared in the '80's?"Scramble City" commercials--Pathetic!All in all, wait till this is a $9.99 DVD and buy it for the 1st disc that has the remastered version. The animated menus are nice, but there is very little substance here. It was a quick way to get $16-20 out of Transformers' fans again!