Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 69

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure

Director: Michael Bay

Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson

Running time: 144 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Distributors: Paramount, Dreamworks

Earth’s fate hangs in the balance as two robotic races that can transform into various vehicles duke it out. A high school student named Sam Witwicki holds the key that can save the planet. The secret is a mysterious cube called the Allspark which can turn mechanical objects into living creatures. “Transformers” is a movie that fans of the eighties cartoon series, teen girls in love with Shia LaBeouf, science fiction fans and adventure fans will love. This combination “Independence Day”, “Small Soldiers”, and “Holes” works well, despite the long running time.

LaBeouf still makes me think of his annoying character in “Even Stevens”, but after his performances in “Disturbia” and this movie, I have to admit that he is a good actor. Megan Fox, the mean girl in “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen”, plays a beautiful alpha female. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are good as tough Air Force special ops commandos. And the great Jon Voight plays the common-sense Secretary of Defense.

Director Michael Bay definitely knows how to put on a show. He has shown this time and again in movies like “Pearl Harbor” and “Armaggedan”, and in this movie which he co-produced with Steven Spielberg. Here he has gathered an army of visual effects experts to bring the Transformers to life. Bay combines a decent story with the effects to smoothly move the plot along. Kudos go to the editing team for what had to be a challenging job. Best of all, Bay and his cast and crew make “Transformers” fun. The film could have been shorter but what the heck?

In sum, “Transformers” is a very entertaining science fiction adventure that is fun. Highly recommended!

 

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 79

For the record, i think it’s only fair to say that i was a big fan of the Original transformers TV show when i was a child and as an adult, I still find the show that piece of childhood goodness that I’ve never been able to shed regardless of the crap the adult world has polluted me with.. (well, that among other things..).

Bearing this in mind, let me say with a honest heart, that i really enjoyed the movie. The action scenes were very well done. Very frantic. Just what i would imagine it would be if , in the event, 400-foot-tall robotic aliens were to land on earth. i had my doubts that Michael Bay would be able to pull it off but after seeing it on the big screen, my fears were gladly averted.

the acting wasn’t stellar but in this type of flick, you need just enough to hold the void in between the action. Shia LaBeouf played his part good enough to move things along and Megan Fox was great to watch but not so much for her acting.Jon Voight was questionable in his role as Secretary of Defense while John Turturro played a funny short role.

I do have to say this: Peter Cullen as the voice for Optimus Prime was a great bonus for all those throwback watchers. The special effects were outstanding and are definitely raising the bar for future movies on the block.

i would recommend this movie to all old school watchers of the original show as well as summer action flick junkies. Transformers will definitely transform you thoughts on summer movies..

 

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 38

The Transformers was, far and away, the best movie of 2007. In fact, The Transformers may very well be the best science fiction movie in the last decade. What is it that made Transformers so great? Simply put, it had the three elements that a science fiction movie needs to have in order to be great: high-quality special effects, a great script and amazing acting. Add to all of this the nostalgia factor, and you will wind up with a runaway blockbuster that is guaranteed to entertain for years to come.

Let’s take a look, first and foremost, at the special effects in The Transformers. The CGI in The Transformers is entirely believable. When you watch this movie, you don’t think you’re looking at an animated picture of a car that changes into a robot; you think you’re looking at the real thing. Take, for example, the scene where the Autobots are sneaking around out in the yard. You really believe that there is a three-story tall robot peeking into a window, and you really believe that the people inside aren’t going to notice him because he is being so stealthy. THAT is quality CGI at its best.

In terms of the script, The Transformers couldn’t have been any better. From the beginning, you actually care about the characters. You sympathize with them, and you want them to succeed. The plot holes in The Transformers are so small as to be insignificant. The action steadily builds until the end, when you’ve got a full-on, nonstop, in-your-face Autobot vs. Decepticon donnybrook.

Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox shine as protagonists. Fox manages to be sexy yet tasteful, and keeps the guys’ interest piqued through the film. The presence of veteran actors Jon Voight as Defense Secretary John Keller and John Turturro as Agent Simmons is a bonus to The Transformers, albeit an unnecessary one; LaBeouf and Fox (along with the voices of Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving as Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively) carry this film along.

Topping things off are all of the references to the old Transformers cartoons. When LaBeouf says, “more than meets the eye,” the theater burst into cheers.

The Transformers earns 11 1/2 stars out of 10.

 

Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 33

The robots we grew up to know and love have finally hit the silver screen, with the possibility of spawning a sequel already. They’ve have come back to make our 2.5 hours of watching well worth the money.

As a director, Michael Bay is best known for action movies. We know he handles car chasing scenes better than anyone in the business right now, so it fits perfectly in this movie. He brings the fast-paced, non-stop action to us at 100 MPH, and never letting up once. Like he said, “I wanted it to be f-ing loud.” Believe me, Mike, it was loud. He can very well add this somewhere to his “Best Works” list, if not at the top.

Shia had to get away from Disney at some point. He plays our humorous, horny teenage protagonist: Sam. Full of spunk and energy, the guy always has something to say, regardless if it’s to his crush, the robots, or his oddball parents. Let’s not forget the fate of the world is in his hands, which is somewhat clich, but it worked nicely during the plot’s progression. And, in the end, he got the girl. We all knew he would. That’s his prize for saving the world. Needless to say, I’m sure we hope to see him in a possible sequel. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Let’s not forget some other cast members, like Jon Voight, Tyrese Gibson, Anthony Anderson, and the others. They each played their roles nicely. And Anthony, of course, sticked to being the funny man. Jon shined with his role as Secretary of Defense Keller by barking out orders, planning out the defenses, and even aiding in the butt-kicking Frenzy long-awaited throught the film. Tyrese always fits the macho types of characters, and that’s all there is to say about it.

If the Decepticons get the AllSpark, mankind is screwed. Okay, that’s cool, but did this plot sit too well with viewers? Surprisingly, yes. For me, it was rather mediocre. “Find {this}, or the world is doomed!” sort of plots are overused in movies, video games, and even books. Of course, like every title, this movie twisted it up a bit. It didn’t completely throw me off, though. All other elements included in the movie fit into the plot fine, nearly overshadowing its presence.

Autobots vs. Decepticons. This is the main reason Transformers exists today. People want to see the robots duke it out, regardless of the cause or place. We see Autobots being led by the legendary Optimus Prime, who’s voiced by the prized Peter Cullen, an original voice from the first movie, and Decepticons led by Megatron, voiced by Hugo Weaving, or who we know better as Agent Smith in “The Matrix” trilogy. The humans are barricaded in the middle of it all, suffering throughout the movie’s entirety. The battles between the ‘bots are extraordinary and memorable, but we do lose a good guy or two. Nobody cares about the bad guys, though.

Mix everything in with a top-notch special effects team, and the ‘bots actually look as if they’re transforming! Heck, nothing was off by even a pixel. Let’s give a pat on the back to these guys, as I’m sure they worked hard to make it all look as realistic as possible for the rest of us.

Fans of the series will love it, and newcomers will be amazed. Michael Bay didn’t ruin the series one bit, as many fans had said he’d do, but brought us a new look at the “new generation”. This is just the beginning of it, too.