Transformers: The Last Knight Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Lynn Barker on Sep 26, 2017

Rating:

Kidzworld checks out the new HD Blu-ray release of Transformers: The Last Knight. Does it look and sound amazing? Are the extras fun? Read our review!

By: Lynn Barker

Transformers: The Last Knight brings back Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) from the last film. Autobots are now forgotten and forbidden. Yeager is now a wanted man hiding in his junkyard with the few Autobots not destroyed by a government hit squad. Will he and his buddy Bumblebee be able to lead the charge when the entire dead planet of Cybertron is about to collide with Earth and will Optimus Prime return to help or hinder humankind?

Optimus Prime and BumblebeeCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Way Back When

Back in the Middle Ages, King Arthur leads his knights into a battle they will surely lose. Arthur asks magician Merlin to conjure up some help. Merlin’s power actually comes from a long-ago crashed spaceship harboring a Cybertronian Transformer Knight. The Knight also gives Merlin the aid of Transformer Dragonstorm who wins the day for Arthur and his knights.

Bumblebee fights off a SentinelCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Street Kids, Yeager and Bumblebee

It’s current day and Optimus Prime has left earth to find his maker but Transformers keep coming to Earth. Why? The Transformers Reaction Force destroys all Transformers good or bad. In an area of war-torn Chicago, a group of kids stumble upon a crashed alien ship with a Transformer Knight inside. A TRF walker finds them but 14-year-old Izabella (Isabela Moner) and her robot pals Sqweeks and Canopy try to help the kids escape but Canopy is shot down. Cade Yeager and Bumblebee swoop in and rescue the kids. The dying Knight gives Cade an ancient metal talisman.

Izabella and the street kids run from the TRFCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

The Planet Cybertron Approaches

The Transformers' now dead home world, Cybertron, has been approaching Earth. Optimus Prime crash-lands on the planet and confronts his creator, a powerful sorceress named Quintessa who mesmerizes Prime to destroy Earth. Familiar face Lennox (Josh Duhamel), a former N.E.S.T. soldier member now reporting to the TRF, has learned about an ancient alien technology buried on Earth that can destroy Cybertron but not without the magic staff of Merlin. To find it the TRF makes a reluctant deal with Megatron and his fave Decepticons. Yeager has a talisman that could lead to the staff. Find him!

Lennox is working with the Transformers Reaction ForceCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

U.K. Complications and Junkyard War

Yeager hides out in his junkyard, which serves as a sanctuary for many of the surviving Autobots. “Izzy” has followed him back wanting stay and fight. When Megatron and his pals arrive, most of the Decepticons are killed but Yeager is basically kidnapped by a robot butler named Cogman and, meanwhile, in the U.K., Oxford professor Viviane (Laura Haddock) is grabbed by Autobot Hot Rod. All are brought to the estate of Sir Edmund Burton (Sir Anthony Hopkins), the last living member of the Witwiccan Order, sworn to protect the history of Transformers on Earth.

Mark Wahlberg in the middle of the actionCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Cogman, sent to bring Yeager to the U.K.

Quest for Merlin’s Staff

To stop an ancient Cybertronic machine from being activated on Earth, Viviane, the last descendant of Merlin, must find his staff. She is the only one who can bring it to life. Yeager was given the talisman and has been chosen as the Last Knight to protect the planet. Viviane’s late dad, an Arthurian scholar and secret Witwiccan should have known where the staff is hidden. She and Yeager delve through his library looking for info. Will the good guys find the staff and destroy Cybertron before it wrecks Earth?

Viviane and Yeager try to save EarthCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Special Extra Features

Merging Mythologies might help you better understand the movie’s overly-complicated plot. We are told how the film ties in with the Arthurian legend and also WW II. We learn about creating the ancient Transformers and props, sets, casting etc. are discussed.
In Climbing the Ranks we concentrate on the various military characters in the film, how they fit into the story and the actors talk about their training for action scenes and working with real Navy SEALS on location.
The Royal Treatment: Transformers in the UK examines the key scenes shot in England. We see the locations and learn some of the difficulties of filming where they are actual, easily breakable antiques! Whoops.

Michael Bay directs Isabela Moner as IzabellaCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Motors and Magic concentrates on the car/truck/transformed versions of some of the major characters like Prime, Hot Rod, Bumblebee etc. Cool for Transformer fans especially.
Alien Landscape: Cybertron is again something that might help you understand what the heck is going on the in movie. Quintessa and the Transformers’ homeworld are examined.
One More Giant Effin' Movie is a quick look at Director Michael Bay’s intense set.

Yeager defends Izabella and the street kidsCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Wrapping Up

This Blu-ray/DVD/Digital set looks really amazing.. very crisp and sound is pretty awesome. Extras are entertaining and informative but, as we said when the film was in theaters, you’ve got to be a big fan of these films because they keep getting more and more illogical and story heavy. This one throws in everything AND the kitchen sink. However, there is cool Transformer battle action galore and we get to know a bit more about some key Autobots. Mark Wahlberg is well-cast and contrasts well with Sir Anthony Hopkins and classy Laura Haddock.

Sir Anthony Hopkins with Hot RodCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

“The Last Knight” is overwritten, confusing and more fodder for the toy makers and hey, if you just wanna watch Transformers kicking each other’s (and human) butt on your home screen, you will want to add and gift this crisp, great-looking set. We go three stars.