Those of you who walk into a live action
Transformers movie directed by Michael Bay (
Armageddon,
Bad Boys II), and are disappointed by the lack of substance, deserve to be disappointed. The movie sets out and achieves a very simple goal of being big, dumb, summer fun. The main problem I have is that the movie seems to emphasize the big and the dumb a bit too much, and not enough on the fun. There is enjoyment to be had, but it's almost suffocated by a nearly two and a half hour running time, human-related subplots we could care little about, and Bay's trademark overkill directing style. The movie looks like it cost a fortune to make, and maybe if we could comprehend what we were looking at during the far-too chaotic and messy action sequences, we'd be able to enjoy it even more.
A cheesily melodramatic narration sets up the background story for those of you who didn't get caught up on the initial Transformers toy craze in the mid 80s. On the distant planet of Cybertron, giant robots have been battling for control of a mystical cube that is said to hold great power. The evil Decepticons, led by the treacherous Megatron (voice by Hugo Weaving) want to use the cube's power to rule the planet in a reign of terror. The peaceful Autobots under the command of the wise Optimus Prime (voice by Peter Cullen) are trying to maintain balance on their planet, and stop the Decepticons from throwing their world into chaos. Somehow, the cube has found its way to Earth, and now so have the Transformers themselves. It's said that the secret that will lead the way to the cube's location is hidden within a pair of glasses that is currently in possession of nerdy 16-year-old Earth teen Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). The glasses once belonged to Sam's ancestor - an explorer who supposedly stumbled upon a great secret years ago while scouring the arctic. Sam now finds himself targeted by both the Autobots and the Decepticons as they battle one another for the cube that can hold the fate of Earth itself.
As someone who literally grew up on the
Transformers, and still holds fond memories of going to see the original 1986 animated movie, I would have been happy if Bay and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (
Mission: Impossible III) had just stopped there. After all, giant robot action is what we're here for. But, the movie just has to stuff itself silly with more human-related filler plot than the movie could possibly need. Okay, I can understand the subplot concerning Sam having a crush at a popular and pretty girl at school (Megan Fox), that's expected. But most of the other subplots featured really are just distracting. There's an army of US soldiers trapped in the Middle East that are never developed to any satisfying degree. There are a lot of government officials who stand around in a room with hundreds of computer and TV monitors, and stare at the screens with growing concerns as grainy footage of giant robot attacks start pouring in. There's a wacky comic relief computer hacker who gets dragged into the whole mess. There's a top secret "Area 51"-like government agency that's trying to keep the whole thing quiet. There's Sam's goofy parents...Do all of these people really need to be diverting our attention away from the giant robots that are invading our planet? The almost insane number of characters who pop in and out of this movie distract more than move the story along. The fact that a good portion of the middle part of the film is devoted almost solely to them is even more baffling.
When the movie finally does give us what we want, and devotes its time to the Transformers themselves, things pick up. The moment we lay our eyes upon them, they're an impressive sight indeed. The CG used to create the robots themselves is truly top of the line, and mixes in well with the human actors almost seamlessly. There are plenty of little references and in-jokes for fans to pick up on, which obviously means that the filmmakers at least cared. Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, is voiced by the original actor from the 80s cartoon series. I was pleased to discover that his line delivery in this film is not far removed from the over the top ham-fisted dialogue I used to enjoy when I was 8-years-old. And although the designs for the Transformers differs greatly from the original, it grew on me. They look more alien and strange, but no less impressive. There are some liberties the film takes that some fans will likely take issue with. One of the Autobots, Bumblebee, does not turn into the same kind of car he did in the cartoon and comics, nor does he talk, opting instead to communicate through songs and sound bytes on his car stereo. The script at least gives a reason for him not to talk until the film's final moments, so I can forgive this. The movie is wise enough to play up to the fans, while at the same time, not alienating any newcomers who may be in the audience. When all is said and done, the writers at least succeeded at keeping the overall spirit of the characters alive.
For the most part,
Transformers is competently made. It's only when the action heats up that things become too chaotic for their own good. When the Autobots and the Decepticons finally have their grand battle during the final half hour, I geared myself up for what I was sure to be one of the best action sequences of the summer. I think it would have been, had director Michael Bay been kind enough to stop moving the camera around long enough for me to see it. The entire last part of the film literally looks like a mess of images of people, flying scrap metal, bullets, and explosions. It doesn't help matters that aside from a few stand outs, most of the Transformers fighting look eerily similar to one another. It's hard to tell who is beating up on who, and who is doing what. At the end of the battle, we learn that a casualty has been suffered, and I honestly didn't know it had happened until I thought back on everything that had come before it, and remembered one of the images from the scrambled mess that represented the film's climax. It looks like the entire last part cost an astronomical sum, but Michael Bay's trademark rapid editing and cutting really does a disservice to the special effects artists at Industrial Light and Magic, who brought the robots to life. The climax also lets a perfectly good idea go to waste and largely go unexplored. At one point, the evil Megatron fires a special ray that turns all machines nearby into living deadly robotics. We see an ordinary car, soda machine, and even a video game system come to life, and start attacking people. Just imagine the possibilities that could be done with such an idea. Unfortunately, shortly after we see these things come to life, they are completely forgotten about. And once the battle itself is over, the movie moves to a hasty conclusion in less than three minutes that seems like a mere afterthought.
You really have to hand it to the human actors, though. Even though they're usually more a distraction than an asset, they still give it their all. Shia LaBeouf continues to show his rising star quality that started with
Disturbia, and I'm sure it will continue to grow. The three films he's been in so far this year at least prove that he's willing to tackle a large variety of projects. As his love interest, Megan Fox is attractive and looks the part, but never gets to create much of a character. The deepest the movie ever gets with her is that she has a juvenile felony record, which really serves little to the plot itself, other than to create some friction in the relationship for about two seconds, and explain why she is able to hotwire a car later on. Of the remaining cast, only veteran character actor John Turturro stands out as the head Agent of the top secret Government organization that's trying to keep the robot invasion under wraps. The rest of the cast is either used for comic relief (comics Anthony Anderson and Bernie Mac as a goofy hacker and used car salesman respectively) or act as cliched government officials (Jon Voight as the Secretary of Defense looks stoic, yet somewhat bored).
Transformers is nowhere near the disaster it could have easily been, and is more enjoyable than the
Ninja Turtle revival film that came out earlier this year. It still feels like it's less than it should have been. This is a movie that should deliver thrilling stunts and battles, but spends way too much time on filler material. And when we finally get it, it's far too chaotic to be enjoyable. Those looking for big, dumb, loud entertainment are certain to walk out satisfied for the most part. I guess I had even grander hopes. The roster of robots is also disappointingly small, but I guess introducing new characters is what sequels are for. As long as you walk in with the right expectations, you won't be in over your head.
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Those of you who walk into a live action Transformers movie directed by Michael Bay (Armageddon, Bad Boys II), and are disappointed by the lack of substance, deserve to be disappointed. The movie sets out and achieves a very simple goal of being big, dumb, summer fun. The main problem I have is that the movie seems to emphasize the big and the dumb a bit too much, and not enough on the fun. There is enjoyment to be had, but it's almost suffocated by a nearly two and a half hour running time, human-related subplots we could care little about, and Bay's trademark overkill directing style. The movie looks like it cost a fortune to make, and maybe if we could comprehend what we were looking at during the far-too chaotic and messy action sequences, we'd be able to enjoy it even more.
A cheesily melodramatic narration sets up the background story for those of you who didn't get caught up on the initial Transformers toy craze in the mid 80s. On the distant planet of Cybertron, giant robots have been battling for control of a mystical cube that is said to hold great power. The evil Decepticons, led by the treacherous Megatron (voice by Hugo Weaving) want to use the cube's power to rule the planet in a reign of terror. The peaceful Autobots under the command of the wise Optimus Prime (voice by Peter Cullen) are trying to maintain balance on their planet, and stop the Decepticons from throwing their world into chaos. Somehow, the cube has found its way to Earth, and now so have the Transformers themselves. It's said that the secret that will lead the way to the cube's location is hidden within a pair of glasses that is currently in possession of nerdy 16-year-old Earth teen Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). The glasses once belonged to Sam's ancestor - an explorer who supposedly stumbled upon a great secret years ago while scouring the arctic. Sam now finds himself targeted by both the Autobots and the Decepticons as they battle one another for the cube that can hold the fate of Earth itself.
As someone who literally grew up on the Transformers, and still holds fond memories of going to see the original 1986 animated movie, I would have been happy if Bay and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Mission: Impossible III) had just stopped there. After all, giant robot action is what we're here for. But, the movie just has to stuff itself silly with more human-related filler plot than the movie could possibly need. Okay, I can understand the subplot concerning Sam having a crush at a popular and pretty girl at school (Megan Fox), that's expected. But most of the other subplots featured really are just distracting. There's an army of US soldiers trapped in the Middle East that are never developed to any satisfying degree. There are a lot of government officials who stand around in a room with hundreds of computer and TV monitors, and stare at the screens with growing concerns as grainy footage of giant robot attacks start pouring in. There's a wacky comic relief computer hacker who gets dragged into the whole mess. There's a top secret "Area 51"-like government agency that's trying to keep the whole thing quiet. There's Sam's goofy parents...Do all of these people really need to be diverting our attention away from the giant robots that are invading our planet? The almost insane number of characters who pop in and out of this movie distract more than move the story along. The fact that a good portion of the middle part of the film is devoted almost solely to them is even more baffling.
When the movie finally does give us what we want, and devotes its time to the Transformers themselves, things pick up. The moment we lay our eyes upon them, they're an impressive sight indeed. The CG used to create the robots themselves is truly top of the line, and mixes in well with the human actors almost seamlessly. There are plenty of little references and in-jokes for fans to pick up on, which obviously means that the filmmakers at least cared. Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, is voiced by the original actor from the 80s cartoon series. I was pleased to discover that his line delivery in this film is not far removed from the over the top ham-fisted dialogue I used to enjoy when I was 8-years-old. And although the designs for the Transformers differs greatly from the original, it grew on me. They look more alien and strange, but no less impressive. There are some liberties the film takes that some fans will likely take issue with. One of the Autobots, Bumblebee, does not turn into the same kind of car he did in the cartoon and comics, nor does he talk, opting instead to communicate through songs and sound bytes on his car stereo. The script at least gives a reason for him not to talk until the film's final moments, so I can forgive this. The movie is wise enough to play up to the fans, while at the same time, not alienating any newcomers who may be in the audience. When all is said and done, the writers at least succeeded at keeping the overall spirit of the characters alive.
For the most part, Transformers is competently made. It's only when the action heats up that things become too chaotic for their own good. When the Autobots and the Decepticons finally have their grand battle during the final half hour, I geared myself up for what I was sure to be one of the best action sequences of the summer. I think it would have been, had director Michael Bay been kind enough to stop moving the camera around long enough for me to see it. The entire last part of the film literally looks like a mess of images of people, flying scrap metal, bullets, and explosions. It doesn't help matters that aside from a few stand outs, most of the Transformers fighting look eerily similar to one another. It's hard to tell who is beating up on who, and who is doing what. At the end of the battle, we learn that a casualty has been suffered, and I honestly didn't know it had happened until I thought back on everything that had come before it, and remembered one of the images from the scrambled mess that represented the film's climax. It looks like the entire last part cost an astronomical sum, but Michael Bay's trademark rapid editing and cutting really does a disservice to the special effects artists at Industrial Light and Magic, who brought the robots to life. The climax also lets a perfectly good idea go to waste and largely go unexplored. At one point, the evil Megatron fires a special ray that turns all machines nearby into living deadly robotics. We see an ordinary car, soda machine, and even a video game system come to life, and start attacking people. Just imagine the possibilities that could be done with such an idea. Unfortunately, shortly after we see these things come to life, they are completely forgotten about. And once the battle itself is over, the movie moves to a hasty conclusion in less than three minutes that seems like a mere afterthought.
You really have to hand it to the human actors, though. Even though they're usually more a distraction than an asset, they still give it their all. Shia LaBeouf continues to show his rising star quality that started with Disturbia, and I'm sure it will continue to grow. The three films he's been in so far this year at least prove that he's willing to tackle a large variety of projects. As his love interest, Megan Fox is attractive and looks the part, but never gets to create much of a character. The deepest the movie ever gets with her is that she has a juvenile felony record, which really serves little to the plot itself, other than to create some friction in the relationship for about two seconds, and explain why she is able to hotwire a car later on. Of the remaining cast, only veteran character actor John Turturro stands out as the head Agent of the top secret Government organization that's trying to keep the robot invasion under wraps. The rest of the cast is either used for comic relief (comics Anthony Anderson and Bernie Mac as a goofy hacker and used car salesman respectively) or act as cliched government officials (Jon Voight as the Secretary of Defense looks stoic, yet somewhat bored).
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