Transformers Review

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"Transformers" reviews

Movie

Transformers

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-07-24 23:22:37

Rating

2.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

When Transformers is going strong early on, it's the grandest—in every sense of the word—entertainment in years. But during the second half it either burns out or burns us out, an amnesia only Michael Bay can induce.

Story

Remember when you were younger and you would hold one Transformer action figure in each hand, maybe have Optimus Prime square off against the sinister Megatron? Well, each of them could now hold your entire body with the curl of their mechanical pinkies—that's the scale on which Michael Bay operates in every movie, not just Transformers. Our first glimpse of the 'bots comes in the deserts of Qatar, where a shape-shifting helicopter makes quick work of defenseless U.S. soldiers. But what they're really after is a keepsake held by an unsuspecting teenager, Sam (Shia LaBeouf), who is actually trying to unload the item on eBay. Sam, however, soon finds out that this family heirloom is the key to Earth's survival—and that his seemingly beat-up jalopy of a car is Bumblebee, a member of the well-intentioned Autobot Transformers. Bumblebee repeatedly saves his life and that of his high school crush (Megan Fox) before the evil Decepticons descend upon our planet to take matters into their own "hands." But they'll have to contend with the likes of all Autobots to win the war—as well as some pissed-off humanoids, like the Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) and a couple of soldiers (Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson).

Acting

In Transformers, there seems to be a hierarchy of strength of performance—by order of age, starting with the youngest. In such an uber-CGI extravaganza, one might expect the older actors to have a better handle on the blue screen-as-a-costar dynamic, but that's not the case. Take Shia LaBeouf, hottest 'it' boy since the last one. The fact that his 'it' predecessor is already forgotten doesn't bode well for Shia; then again, that person didn't have Indiana Jones IV lined up. Despite being the youngest, LaBeouf has as much experience as anyone not named Jon Voight, and it shows. He blows away every other actor, and when he's not merely coexisting with Optimus Prime and co., he steals their thunder, too. LaBeouf's comedic timing is so astounding and infectious that even his eager-to-hate generation of viewers will cheer instead of jeer, but it's his overall energy that gets us in the mood before the Transformers make their proper entrance. Megan Fox will also get people in the mood, for slightly different reasons. Most male viewers will have to mop up their drool after watching the Angelina Jolie wannabe in action—if not for her looks then for her mechanical proficiency—but her and LaBeouf's elders are, well, outdated. Duhamel, there for sex appeal to the chaperone set, is just so damn lucky he doesn't look like Paul Giamatti, but he and a seldom-seen Tyrese aren't as off-key as John Turturro (as a government agent) and Voight. Voight's age, to put it bluntly, prevents him from keeping up with the action and its breakneck pace. Luckily, no actor has a long take without Transformers intervening.

Direction

Call Michael Bay Grandmaster Cinema—cinema's master of grand. To him, quality in film is apparently measured by size and decibels, and it has always been the reason for his movies' death (and, to his credit, financial successes). At least Transformers' demise takes a while to surface. Bay, the director responsible for making anyone born circa 2001 think that Pearl Harbor is a theme park, fancies his special effects more integral than the actors or story. But Transformers has a first half that is among the most entertaining in years, thanks to its balance of all three of those elements. The story—a near masterpiece in kitsch screenwriting from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman—is for a while cohesive and so genuinely funny that it's sustenance for the audience whenever Transformers aren't present. And Bay shows the 30-foot-tall robots sparingly at first, great foreplay for an unforgettable scene involving their official chase-sequence intro. The Transformers are groundbreaking, not only in the literal sense but insofar as a new special-effects bar has been set, with a mix of live action and CGI. The movie is clicking on all cylinders at this point. But somewhere along the way, albeit subtly, the story ceases that coherence—or rather, ceases altogether, as the Bay of old takes over and cuts loose. It's as if his disease was in remission for much of the movie and then he had an action relapse. The overlong ending features, nay, is his trademark special-effects orgy, and Transformers flying through buildings and ripping apart a city is suddenly uninteresting. What was once exciting and controlled is now mundane, as Pearl Harbor has come to the metropolis—with robots.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 1/2 stars.

Movie

Transformers

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-07-26 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

Massive explosions, slow-mo and very little discernible plot - that's right folks, it's a new movie from director Michael Bay. But the good news is that he's thrown a whole bunch of giant alien robots into the mix and made the film he was probably born to make. For those who don't know about "Transformers" the premise is simple; they are two warring factions (the Autobots are the goodies, the Decepticons the baddies) of a technological race who can 'transform' into machines in order blend into their surroundings. Well poor Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) gets caught up in the middle of things when he gets a new car only to see it change into a twenty foot robot before his eyes. You see Sam's ancestor stumbled upon something many years before and it could turn the war in one direction or another and now both sides want it.

It is vital that anyone going to see "Transformers" remembers one thing - this is not high art. But what it is is a thoroughly enjoyable, leave-your-brain-at-the-door, popcorn blockbuster that ticks all the right boxes. Things blow up, people run around firing guns and massive metal monsters go toe-to-toe while a deafening sound mix threatens to make your ears bleed; what better way is there to spend a Saturday night?

LeBeouf is good in the (human) lead while Megan Fox smoulders beside him as his love interest. The rest of the cast are pretty indistinct although John Turturro is badly miscast as a bumbling spook but what people really want to see at the Transformers themselves and yes, they do look remarkably good. Credit too to Bay for bringing back Peter Cullen, who voiced Optimus Prime in the cartoon series, for the live action version.

In short "Transformers" won't change your life, but it will give you a damn fun couple of hours in the cinema.

Movie

Transformers

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-07-13 19:34:04

Provider

Review

Forget about broomsticks or web-slingers because this summer is all about Transformers. Michael Bay finally brings the iconic '80s toy brand to the big screen and boy are they noisy when they come to life.

Anyone familiar with the cartoon series will already know that on the planet of Cybertron, a war has been raging between the Autobots (good guys) and the Decepticons (baddies). They've been fighting for control of the Allspark, a magical cube that grants unlimited power to whoever possesses it. Years ago the Autobots managed to smuggle it onto the seemingly secure planet called Earth. But the Decepticons have finally twigged and begin their search by attacking US military bases. The boy who may hold the key to the Allsparks' whereabouts is student Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), who has just bought his first car, an old banger that turns out to be Autobot Bumblebee. The Autobots must keep Sam alive until they can find the Allspark before the Decepticons get their dirty fingers on it.

It might be long and littered with more clichés than a Big Brother contestant's CV, but Transformers is a breathtaking attack on the senses, and a blockbuster in the truest sense of the word. While the effects - bravely mostly shot in broad glaring daylight - will knock you for six, it's actually the amusing script that really deserves applause. Shia LaBeouf shows why he's such hot property in Hollywood at the moment, commanding what must've been a mostly blue-screen with real charm. The tongue-in-cheek comedy element (Transformers tracking down the Allspark on eBay for example) is brilliant.

It is, though, a little uneven. Sure it starts life with a sinister edge, in a similar vein to Spielberg's Close Encounters, but by the end Bay is battering your eardrums and giving audiences cataracts with a spectacular robotic beat-'em-up.

To paraphrase the old toy advert, Transformers is much more than meets the eye.