If anyone is out and about for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving  and you are at at Kohls, make sure you stop by the toy section for $8.49 Transformes Deluxes, and 33% off all other Action Figures. To view the sales that Kohls is having here is a link .

http://www.blackfday.com/kohls-black-friday-2009/

They have taken the time to watch both versions simultaneously and have broken down all the differemces. Surpisingly, there are many, but most last just a few seconds at best, hence creating all the confusion.

Here is an excerpt of their analysis.

Contentwise, the IMAX version barely has more to offer than the theatrical release, even if to fans of glossy robot action every second might be held dear. The depiction of the respective action sequences in the bigger format, however, is the distinct advantage of this version, since a 16:9 TV is in those moments filled and shows more picture information compared to the other scenes in the 2,35:1 format, without annoying widescreen bars in the way or having to zoom in (which leads to a loss of picture information).
For fans of the flick its a definite must-buy.

The runtimes of the described scenes refer to the theatrical release. The other differences in runtimes result from rounding up/down single described scenes to comlete resp. half seconds and from shots containing a few frames more/less which aren’t included in this article for lack of relevance.

59:59
Decepticon Grindor landing is shown a little longer and he runs more toward the camera.
1.5 Sec.

1:00:25
Theatrical release
Sam tries to escape from the action and jumps through some minor explosions.
2 Sec.

1:00:31
After Optimus’ kick resp. throw, Starscream hits the forrest floor hard in slow-motion.
3 Sec.

1:00:41
Optimus gets already earlier heckled by the Decepticons and can at first barely fight off their multiple attacks.
12.5 Sec.

1:01:28
Optimus rams into Starscream and knocks him on the floor.
2.5 Sec.

1:01:50
You can see Optimus earlier during the long shot of Grindor, immediately after he ripped his face apart. Here, you can still see both halves of the face flying through the air.
1.5 Sec.

1:02:22
The (slow-motion) shot of the fallen Optimus with Sam in the foreground runs a little longer.
3 Sec.

1:52:40
A truck belonging to Devastator drives past the camera in close up.
3 Sec.

1:53:08
During Devastator’s transformation the advantages of the IMAX format become clear: Because of the different aspect ratio the action appears much more impressive
no time difference

1:56:44
The longshot of the attacking Devastator can be seen longer.
a few frames

1:57:19
The shot of the sucking Devastator also runs a little while longer.
a few frames

1:57:30
The same with the back shot of the giant fighting robot after the long pan.
a few frames

1:57:57
The red Twin is sucked into Devastator’s mouth for a longer time.
a few frames

1:58:44
The red Twin swings around Devestator a little longer.
a few frames

1:58:54
The Twins getting thrown to the floor is a few frames longer.
a few frames