Transformers review
To be 100% honest about this film, I'll first get out of the way my major skepticism as to whether this film would be good. I'll freely admit that I still don't like the designs or the Allspark. But my mom knows I'm a huge Transformers fan and gave me the gentle push to go see this movie. And frankly...I'm very glad I got dragged by both ankles to go see this movie. I've noticed a lot of critics are giving this film low scores based on the lack of familiarity, but if there's one thing I want to impress upon other people it's this- don't let the appearances be your determining factor as to whether you get enjoyment from this movie. By the time Peter Cullen starts getting some good dialogue to work with he could be pink with flower patterns and I'd have the feeling you wouldn't care much about it.
Now where do I start on this behemoth...? The film starts off with the Allspark being introduced just before the title sequence, giving Cullen a good opportunity to narrate its plot purpose (and if there's a good idea to be had, starting the film with Prime's voice is one of them). This film also proves to have a great sense of pace- while the Qatar attack by Blackout is awesome, it's just the mint on top of your visual dessert. While the human focus irks me a bit, I also liked the fact that this film doesn't portray the army as just one giant "bad guy" filled with people who deserve what's coming to them. There's good characters who just want to go about their lives and the secret ops men in the shadows mixed into the film to give two sides to the same coin. I've heard complaints about the editing on this film as well as being abrupt and shoddy...now, come on. I consider myself as intellectual as anyone else, but you have to be really snooty to say that films like SM3 or POTC3 did it better. It's the usual Bay movie, but it's also the most cohesive.
The focus on Sam was well worth it in my estimation. Shia LaBeouf is easily the best actor in the film, combining the comedic qualities of a boy with raging hormones that we can identify with and a streak of gumption that allows him to rise to the occasion. The film's introduction of Megatron and Sam's eBay account is a bit weak, but the latter comes up at the most hilarious times to give the audience a good laugh. As anyone could guess, Bumblebee is also introduced with his own brand of comedy in the film, a success at capturing the Herbie feel without making feel too campy or overused. This whole beginning feels like one big melting pot with these two in particular. The Batman-esque sequence with Bumblebee is balanced out with the hilarity of what Sam expects to be his final moments, and the same formula could be said of many parts in this film. While Megan Fox's Mikaela seems a bit thin in the material department her addition to the love aspect is also one to be praised. Unlike the other romance plots this summer, she makes the female focus feel relatable rather than irritating...and, truth be told, we can all tell why Sam gets tongue-tied around her.
The introduction of Frenzy is also one where I was glad to be wrong. They played up the comedy just a tad over my preference, but he plays the part of the conniving little Trojan horse that Rumble did in the animation and offers an offbeat look at the marauding Decepticons to give them a more multi-faceted approach. It balances out well with Barricade, who (while certainly the ferocious warrior we expect him to be) has his own unintended hilarity. It was a bit disappointing to see that Bumblebee takes him out in such a vague fashion, but Bay doesn't disappoint with the action in this film- by the time you're done, you'll feel less like it was a disappointment and more like it was a teaser for what's to come. I wasn't really feeling the notion that the Cybertronians could just up and transform into anything that took their fancy like how Frenzy did, yet it's hard to call it a complaint when a memorable moment like Bumblebee's conversion into a new-age Camaro is attached to it. The Autobots in particular were excellently realized on the big screen- their arrival is given a genuinely beautiful score and their introductions are very solid (with the awesomeness Prime brings to the screen even with those pseudo-lips and Ratchet's side comment). This movie does a great job of mixing in the epic nature of the series with the changes of the modern age. It also doesn't feel like Bay's forcing in the emotional moments- Prime doesn't lose his noble qualities and Bumblebee's Sector 7 subplot gels with later events.
As someone who wishes he were on the East Coast, it brought a touch of irony to see the Hoover Dam become such a focal point to the plot. That aside, Prime's speech about humanity and the sacrifices it takes to keep them from eradication made me feel like I was watching the series all over again. You want classic Prime? You get Optimus at his best. That's a good tradeoff if I ever heard of one. Here's one thing that really puzzled me, though- if mass conversion was considered silly, why's the Allspark given a pass? Anyways, the Sector 7 segment worked very well. The transformation of technology wasn't too out there, and I'm glad Bumblebee wasn't portrayed less as a faithful servant to Sam and more as his counterpart after all the torture he had to endure. I should also make mention that the movie's changes to the Decepticons is not nearly as horrendous as I once thought. Starscream sounds like Starscream, and both Megatron and himself are treated with care towards their respective rivalry. Weaving's performance is about as good as it gets once our silver menace opens his optics. Hats off to you if you so much as care by the film's end as to how their visuals panned out. My sole complaint is that the banter didn't get extended, but as a fan it's cool enough to see those two carrying on their eternal feud.
The last portion of the film is when things get kicked up a notch so far it breaks the barometer. While Bonecrusher felt a bit throwaway, the action feels well-paced and exactly what I expected from Bay...heck, I'll go as far as to say he exceeded expectations. You have to be pretty flaccid to say that the fights don't border between "orgasmic" and "awesome." The Decepticons rallying together is an awesome moment, and Frenzy's death is also worth a chuckle without the sequence feeling like he's the side order to the main menu. In fact, all of the deaths feel systematic without the bitter aftertaste of incompletion. While it does become clashing scrap metal in some portions, I dare any fellow fan to tell me with a straight face that it wasn't awesome to see Megs and Prime going at it with their lines giving a tip of the hat to the 80's film. Best part of the movie, though? Starscream taking on the F-22 Raptors made the movie for me. All of that "more than meets the eye" could have been left at the wayside if only because this one sequence shows how seamlessly integrated into the real world a Transformer can be. The ending isn't what I call memorable, but that Prime was willing to die for the cause shows that this isn't the usual Bay film where the last few minutes means that the plot gets thrown by the trash. And how can you say no to Optimus giving his final speech to an instrumental version of What I've Done?
All in all, I can compact my whole family's sentiment towards this movie in one phrase- bring on the sequel. The final scene with Starscream only compounds that feeling. Bay proved to me through this film that one man really can be redeemed for his past fumbles in the span of 2 hours. If I had to offer some constructive criticism? Three things. The first is that the lubrication jokes felt like the humor was going to far. The latter two deal with Jazz. While I feel that the ethnicity of Jazz was kept in his tone, they took the dialogue to the point where it edged into the "token black guy" stereotype for me. The second is that his death and Prime's reaction felt rather weak. If I was friends with a guy for ages I would probably be more choked up seeing him divided by the waist than Prime was. That said, I hope the sequel rumors prove true in regards to him.
My final grade is an all-around A/ 90%. This film has its flaws, but what film doesn't? My suggestion- don't drink too much soda at the screening so you can sit through the whole film. And for those of you who still think this may not be up your alley if you're a fan? You're hearing right from the mouth of a former "Negatron" that this movie's flaws are miniscule in the face of the overall experience. I haven't had this much fun at the movies in some time, and Bay's Transformers made my summer get a jolt of excitement from head to toe.
-The Chibi Kiriyama
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