OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS take on their biggest challenge yet! When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction known as the MAXIMALS. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback) will do whatever it takes to help the TRANSFORMERS as they engage in the ultimate battle to save Earth.

For in-depth thoughts on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, please see my colleague Lane Mills’ review from its debut here.

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts offers a visually dynamic and stunning viewing experience, but it is difficult to assess how large of an upgrade it is since there is not an accompanying Blu-Ray. This transfer allows for an unbelievable amount of texture in nearly every scenario from the facets of the Autobots to the ‘90s production design. The special effects blend in well so that the world feels seamlessly realized. Skin tones appear natural with loads of crisp detail apparent on faces such as facial hair, perspiration, makeup, and more.

The Dolby Vision unleashes the full array of colors possible with a world of nuance and vibrancy. The variety of landscapes treats you to resplendent environments filled with vivid hues that pierce through the screen. There are so many elements of the foliage, production design, and costumes that really come alive in this manner. Highlights in the film are confidently defined with whites pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. The black levels are practically perfect in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. This 4K UHD presentation really shows its worth on all fronts including impressive showings in clarity and color. The Blu-Ray is probably great, but Paramount has brought their A-game with this 4K UHD release.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a barn-burner Dolby Atmos presentation that brings the strength and nuance you want from a modern blockbuster. This is a film that shows off in every scene when it comes to its sound design as the multitude of environments are filled with subtle sonic details that this disc executes perfectly. When the film serves up thrilling moments, this disc brings the action right into your living room with a depth and clarity of sound that will leave you grinning. There is a substantial amount of activity in the low-end which will keep you vibrating until the credits have finished rolling.

Dialogue comes through clearly even from the Transformers without getting drowned out by the music or any sound effects. As our characters journey from place to place, every minor shift is realized in the sound design. The various environmental sounds emanate from your side and rear speakers. Each sound is carefully placed with perfect spatial awareness including dynamite activity overhead which helps make the track seem more immersive. Paramount has delivered a track that is unlikely to be topped by many competitors this year, so those with a good surround sound setup should invite friends over and have fun.

Special Features

Human Affairs: A nearly eight-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss their love for the franchise, what they wanted to accomplish with this entry, the lessons learned from Bumblebee, the casting of the feature, the importance of the human characters to the story, and more.

Life In The 90s: A six-minute look at the impact of the ‘90s setting on the story in terms of music, clothing, cultural references, and more.

Heroes: A ten-minute featurette that explores the larger ideas behind the Autobots and the Maximals, their designs, the actors who bring them to life, how they fit into the story, and more.

Villains: A nearly nine-minute exploration of the adversaries in this picture in the form of the Terrorcons and Predacons, the “big bad” they hidden from the marketing materials, and more.

The Chase: A nearly six-minute breakdown of the epic car chase through New York, where the characters are along their journeys, and more.

The Battle of Ellis Island: Another exciting seven-minute dissection of a key action sequence at the museum, transforming a bank into their set, shooting the scene like a horror film, and much more.

Into The Jungle: A ten-minute look at the global nature of this franchise and how this film brought things to the exotic locations of Peru.

The Switchback Attack: A seven-minute featurette that takes a look at the grand action sequence in Peru both in the town square and into the mountains.

The Final Conflict: A final 11-minute look at the epic conclusion of the film that brings together all of the factions into one chaotic encounter.

Deleted and Extended Scenes: Seven scenes of unused material totaling nearly 14 minutes are provided here including some scenes with unfinished special effects. Most of these are simply extended, but there are a few deleted scenes including an alternate opening and ending. Worth checking out for fans!

Final Thoughts

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is not a perfect film, but it feels like another step on the right path after moving on from the Bayhem of the first five films. This entry feels like a healthy medium between the more intimate Bumblebee and the insanity of the Michael Bay entries. The story has its cheesy elements and dialogue, but you can tell that there has been actual care put into it making you invested in the characters both human and alien. A few stretches become a bit overly sluggish, but overall this one is a lot of fun with a great aesthetic and loveable characters that we would be glad to spend more time with. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 5-star A/V presentation and a welcome array of supplemental features. The future of this franchise is uncertain, but we would gladly take more entries if this creative direction continues. Recommended

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, and DVD on October 10, 2023. The film is currently available on Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.