transformers
Like I wouldn’t see it? C’mon. Let’s get on with it. This movie is ridiculous. It’s based on the cartoon about alien robots who visit us in an attempt to save their own planet. Half of them fight to protect the humans and the other half fight with no regard for them at all. They’re looking for the key to live on their planet that was sent here thousands of years ago. Then there’s the kid who’s linked to the key because one of his late relatives found it and has information about where it’s located hidden somewhere. Oh, and some hot chick placed as default love interest to said kid. I know, right? And that’s only the beginning.
The acting is fantastic. By that I mean exclusively in the case of Shia. His humor is spot on and he works well with the robots that were generated in post. The rest is sort of ish, at best. Megan Fox, not so much an actress, but fun to watch. Anthony Anderson isn’t my favorite, but he’s in this one in small doses, so it’s acceptable. The cast is sort of a who’s-who of “who’s that again?” Jon Voight and John Turturro stick out as veterans, but even they are B-list.
The story, if you factor in its appeal to child audiences, is decent. It’s a cartoon after all. It gets larger than life, but effectively brings enough elements in to portray it as a national emergency. There are a lot of things going on, but they work well together throughout. The love story, survival story, heroism story, battle story, and history all play off one another to a least keep it interesting. It’s a funny movie though, with a lot of visual humor and Sam has a lot of great lines. The humor helps drive the movie.
The directing is very Michael Bay. It makes sense, considering he directed it. Unwarranted slow-motion, explosions, and action. It doesn’t necessarily make sense, but he creates a good experience. None of his movies are really quality flicks, but he makes them fun to watch. Well, Bad boys and the rock are fun to watch at least. I’d add this one to the list, but with shoddy directing, a ridiculous story, and only one quality performance, it’s for just one reason.
That reason? Giant robots fighting it up all over the damn place. Unreal. The graphics are the main reason to watch it. The fight scenes are astounding. How often do you see a thirty-foot-tall robot on wheels burst through a ball of flames spewing from a bus he just split in half? Once. And that’s what I’m talking about. They’re not necessarily realistic, but they’re incredible. Their transformations are just damn fun to watch. The physical effects in order to give the robots a sense of environment are spot on.
Overall, I must concede that this is one is ridiculous. I did already mention that right? But it’s still better than you would think. It’s a good one to watch when you’re looking to tune out neuron activity. There’s not much to it, but what it does is done well. Fan of Shia? You’ll probably get into it. He fits the roll real well. Or how about a Charger transforming into a gigantic robot in the middle of a flying tackle? If you’re into that sort of thing you should peep it.
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