Dark of the Moon OFFICIAL Dark of the Moon REVIEW THREAD

[Marvin]

Im starting to see some critics say that the films good but not as good like Transformers 1. That film got a 57% on RT and most were just impressed by the visuals. So wtf, all of a sudden critics really like Transformers 1 and think its an overall good movie? Guess when time goes by people start changing their opinions. Most critics bashed Transformers 1 in some way or another.

It's actually really interesting,where critics found TF1 a completely useless bore there are now critics that are calling it full of awe,discovery and wonder...TF2 reviews were filled with new found praise for TF1, I just figured TF3 reviews would be filled with criticisms for TF2.

And I've never once read any good about megan fox till some of these new reviews. It doesn't really matter though, most people are giving it a pass, 50%, which means a higher fresh score at the end of the day.

I just don't understand the point of the embargo when it's clear this will be getting better reviews than both the last installment and GreenLantern. Another dopey movie by paramount if you ask me.

Finally Drew's Review.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/review-transformers-dark-of-the-moon-wraps-up-with-the-best-of-the-franchise

 

[Marvin]

Skimming through the few (negative) reviews on IMDB and I found another harsh one.

Lot of action and drama, but no heart without Megan Fox, 27 June 2011
2/10
Author: nicolas-174 from United States

I do not like to write reviews usually because my English is average, but this time I had to step up.

I have enjoyed the 2 first opus, for different reasons. The 1st one was a bit like a Disney/teen movie, funny and the story between Megan Fox and Shia LaBouf was cute, my kids loved it. In the second opus, it was more about pure action, like the 2nd Alien, robot fighting without any plot whatsoever but what do you expect from Mr.Bay apart from blowing out things, I liked it because I am a fan of CGI and Sci-Fi movies...

However, I always found that Megan Fox was here to compensate the excessive number of robots and metal, cars and trucks in the movie. Her character could have been more deep and I was expecting that M.Bay would give her a chance one day, instead of using her like a nice poster picture in a trucker's bedroom. But when I heard that Megan Fox will not be in the movie I was a little worried that without her, the action and plots become a bit too heartless and mechanical. My worried were confirmed when seeing this movie in pre-screening.

The first thing that really made me spend a bad time in the theater is that each time I saw Rosie Huntington-Whiteley I was thinking "she does not match". It is like having Lara Croft instead of Ripley in Aliens. Then, the chemistry between the 2 main character was not working at all.

Through the whole movie I could not connect with the characters. Too much boom, bang swing, splash and no connection: I started watching my watch... There is a point where CGI and technical skills, kills the movie if there is nothing else. I got enough action in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, so I was not so impressed by the new actions scenes, specially the one in the Chicago's streets. They were more realistic like Battle Los Angeles for example, but since Godzilla, blowing cities is nothing new... The movie is more 'mature' but the acting was still really bad.

It seems that M.Bay decided to follow the Batman, or Star Wars series where the 3rd opus is more dramatic and dark than the other ones which can be a good thing to get an Oscar.

But to get back to my point, robots even with a soul cannot replace the cute face of Megan Fox. Even if she was the worse actress (or she had the worse script and dialogs, we will never know), she was bringing some human beauty and feelings to the opposite mechanical actors, giving Shia a real goal to save his lovely lady: this was connecting me with the characters. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is doing what she can, but I am not a fan of silicone Hollywood bimbos, I do not live in Beverly Hill or in L.A and her fake lips, bad acting gave me a total turn off.

M.Bay is very arrogant to think he can hire anyone, or that he can replace all humans feelings with Robots. Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon is like a good and expensive meal where the Cook forgot the salt. This movie series lost its heart. I am very upset about that, I am sure I am not the only one. Let see if this will be reflected in the box office?

That second last paragraph seems brimming with irony if you ask me. I have a new found appreciation for professional critics.

 

[xwolverine2]

i guess the general consensus is michael bay (despite his promises) did not learn any lessons from the first two... however his technical filmmaking has improved significantly.
Ive read no reviews saying the camera-work is too shakey or the editing too garbled this time..

this is both fantastic and sad tho.. this sounds like an amazing movie experience but not something id turn to ever again

i think the only reason critics are praising TF1 is because TF2 was just so damn awful...i mean looking back somehow the horridness of TF2 actually makes TF1 better lol

 

[Marvin]

i guess the general consensus is michael bay (despite his promises) did not learn any lessons from the first two... however his technical filmmaking has improved significantly.
Ive read no reviews saying the camera-work is too shakey or the editing too garbled this time..

this is both fantastic and sad tho.. this sounds like an amazing movie experience but not something id turn to ever again

i think the only reason critics are praising TF1 is because TF2 was just so damn awful...i mean looking back somehow the horridness of TF2 actually makes TF1 better lol

Actually it seems like their saying that TF3 isn't the wildly successful "abomination" that TF2 was.

And that perhaps TF3 is very enjoyable, yet almost all conditions in making it remain the same except for one...
A good writer that isn't on strike, but that would be too obvious.

 

[The Lizard]

IGN review. 3.5/5

http://movies.ign.com/articles/117/1178885p1.html

I have to say that I'm a bit suspicious when I see critics emphasizing the "need" to see this movie in 3D. After the disappointment of TF2, I swore that nothing short of Grimlock and the Dinobots could get me to see TF3 in the theater. 3D, is of course the hook to get people to reconsider waiting until the video release to see this movie (plus an extra $3-$5 tacked onto each ticket).
So the 3D carrot is being dangled in my face to make me forget TF2. Will I fall for it? Waiting for more reviews to see.

 

[Marvin]

one of the more concise reviews

The Sun UK Review
The first movie was great but the sequel, with it’s ridiculous robot heaven, was not. A disappointing sequel? No surprise there. What was surprising was both star Shia LeBeouf and director Michael Bay admitting afterwards that they “dropped the ball” and promising to make amends with part 3. Well time heals all wounds - and two years on they’ve seriously made amends.

This is epic in every sense of the word. The scale, the action even the humor have been raised to a level that surpasses not just the sequel but the first film too, without doubt they saved the best till last.

An opening battle on the robots home planet of Cybertron shows off the most impressive 3D since Avatar - this was actually filmed in 3D, not another rip-off conversion - and brings back happy memories of Star Wars as a spaceship darts down tunnels of what is basically the Death Star.

Soon we’re back in the present day where Sam (LeBeouf - on funny form) is shacked up with new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley). It’s the stunning Victoria’s Secret model who replaces Megan Fox as the love interest after the star was famously fired for comparing Michael Bay to Hitler. Fox’s old character is referenced just once when a robot announces, “She was mean. I didn’t like her”.

If you like your action BIG, then this is the must see movie of the summer. While part 2 got caught up in mystical nonsense, here the plot is simple, Autobots vs. Decepticons for control of earth. With that in mind, Michael Bay returns to his favorite stomping ground of the freeway chase - and outdoes both his own Bad Boys 2 and The Island - before settling into the hour-long action-apocalypse of a climax.

As the robots - including a giant metal robo-snake that crushes skyscrapers- lay waste to Chicago, the film comes good on it’s promise of a human body count. Entire crowds of people are vaporized -War of the Worlds style - by killer flying machines, it’s basically what the last two Terminator movies should have been. Also adding to the darker tone is the fact that now the Transformers themselves ‘bleed’ when injured, shooting out a red liquid (Engine oil? Brake Fluid?). There’s no disguising it: this is spectacular.

looking forward to the cybertron and highway scenes described.

 

[Crockett]

"She was mean. I didn't like her."

So far, most of the reviews mentioned that the 3D is good so I'm curious to to see in 3D myself, maybe for my second viewing.

 

[Marvin]

Sitting at 80% on RT at the moment.
4 fresh 1 rotten.

it would have had to get 5/5 fresh to get anything over 80, what an interesting system.
I predict 65-75.

I just hope critic don't soil their name by giving the one "good" installment the worst score of the bunch, that wouldn't look good for anyone. Even though the mirror already gave it the same score as the second. This has been the year critics have "fought back" so who knows.

 

[kickass]

The embargo is lifted today, yes?
This should get interesting.

 

[Marvin]

The embargo is lifted today, yes?
This should get interesting.

*Optimus closes face guard

 

[Greenknight1138]

The 5.5 rating as the average rating does scare me a bit. That's the average score Cars 2 had before it went rotten. If it does go rotten, it better be for a good reason.



P.S. I think it's really annoying that some of the reviews are saying how incredible the first one was when it got mixed to negative reviews. It's like reviewing a second Green Lantern and start saying how incredible the first one was.

 

[Kryptonian Warrior]

I have to say that I'm a bit suspicious when I see critics emphasizing the "need" to see this movie in 3D. After the disappointment of TF2, I swore that nothing short of Grimlock and the Dinobots could get me to see TF3 in the theater. 3D, is of course the hook to get people to reconsider waiting until the video release to see this movie (plus an extra $3-$5 tacked onto each ticket).
So the 3D carrot is being dangled in my face to make me forget TF2. Will I fall for it? Waiting for more reviews to see.

Why wouldn't you go see the movie the way it is intended to be seen? It was shot using 3D cameras. It may not have been shot using an IMAX camera, but the resolution is going to be so out of this world, that you really should see it with an IMAX projector. I understand that not all places have an IMAX, but just about every town/city has a Digital theater capable of 3D. That being said, if 3D gives you headaches or whatever, then I understand going to see it in 2D. If it doesn't bother you, quit being cheap and shell out the money! t:

 

[kickass]

It's still too early to tell.

 

[kickass]

AICN review.

"Third time’s the charm they say – and when it comes to TRANSFORMERS movies, the saying is right."

Spoilers though.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50176

 

[Marvin]

TF sits at 64%
looks like it's heading for rotten.

even though the current count is 3 bad reviews.

 

[Marvin]

Something is frozen in space. Villains on earth prepare busily for its return. Subtitles inform us of the locations of various shady doings. Meanwhile, our hero spends time in bed with his shapely lady-friend, unaware that dark forces are rising. We're all set for a self-aware adventure with action, laughs a-plenty and a likeable cast of larger than life bad guys, good guys and babes.

Regrettably, that was the beginning of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, a movie whose action sequences contain roughly 50 times more sense of jeopardy than anything in Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, which is a very long mess that's embarrassingly devoid of gut level thrills.

Catherine Bray
Film4

 

[jacobed]

So many of these reviews are like contradicting each other. It seems like if you're a fan of the movies or action in general you'll enjoy it but if you're more of a story person than don't even bother.

 

[kickass]

Why do people hate this series so much? I think people need to RELAX.

 

[def28]

Comparing the flick to Austin Powers 2? Wtf is wrong with people. Im sticking with Drews review. Its gonna get some Bay hate for sure. Alot of these critics have been prepared to hate this film since it was green lit.

 

[Marvin]

Why do people hate this series so much? I think people need to RELAX.

Comparing the flick to Austin Powers 2? Wtf is wrong with people. Im sticking with Drews review. Its gonna get some Bay hate for sure. Alot of these critics have been prepared to hate this film since it was green lit.

just a theory
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/06/21/do-critics-pick-out-movies-to-bash/

The audience speaks with it's pockets imo.
If any of these TF movies got Green Lantern type reviews(and they have), I'm sure they would still generate record numbers. Bay/Berg are going something right.

 

[jacobed]

I really liked Drew's review. Just got my tickets for Imax 3D I'm believably jacked for it.

 

[Golgo-13]

Can't wait to see this Friday. I've been avoiding these boards like the plague.....mostly everything should be a surprise to me.

 

[kickass]

Can't wait to see this Friday. I've been avoiding these boards like the plague.....mostly everything should be a surprise to me.

Wow, good for you! It's always better that way

I got my 3D tickets for tomorrow at 9pm. I'm so pumped!

 

[Benstamania]

This is the first movie in 3D that I actually want to see in 3D...

 

[kickass]

Ugh. So I guess tomorrow we'll get all the reviews then. I want them now.