Movie reviews: The Transformers (2007) – Part 55

Released on DVD as of Tuesday, October 16, 2007, Transformers: The Movie is a thrilling, albeit cliche, action movie starring Shia Lebouf, and Megan Fox. The movie also features Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and Peter Cullen returning to his role as the leader of the Autobots: Optimus Prime.

The original DVD release of this film leaves a bit to be desired, if you are a fan of extra features – the disc is startlingly bare in that regard. However, if you are like me and really could not care less about such accoutrements, this movie is well worth picking up. Fans of the original 1980’s cartoon will certainly not be disappointed.

In all honesty, the movie is a bit over the top, but that is the charm of it. After all, it’s based on a Saturday morning cartoon. This much is guaranteed: children of all ages love how the uber-realistic robots come across on screen. The special effects are simply amazing. The acting is quite good, as well. The biggest weakness of this CG extravaganza is that the dialogue comes across as being very kitschy at times – very cartoonish. Considering the origins of this film, though, such flaws can be overlooked.

Recommendation: Pick this movie up if you are a fan of the cartoon, have older children (there is some mild swearing), or if you love action flicks regardless of how corny the dialogue may or may not be at times. Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

 

New movies you really should see

Being a pre-teen to teen, all the way to flat out adulthood, I have practically waited a very long time to hear five simple words hit the big screen in “live action” and those words are “Autobots, transform and roll out!” Finally, it arrived! “The Transformers”, by far, has to be one of the best, if not the best movie I have ever seen. Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg did an excellent job of bringing a great toy and animation series to life for the summer. And it’s not all just about the great special effects, the action from start to finish, or the incredible story line of good versus evil. This film has a little something for everyone. It has comedy, action, heart, and soul. If you haven’t seen it yet….GO! Parents, kids, seniors, I guarantee you won’t be dissapointed. The critics always have their little clicks, you know, break it all down, technical this, impossible that, sometimes I think they have forgotten the real reason why we go to the movies in the first place….TO BE ENTERTAINED! This one delivers, on all fronts. To sum it up in just one word, for this summer, “The Transformers” in nothing but pure “FUN!”

 

More than meets the eye: Anticipating the release of the Transformers movie – Part 7

Having already seen the famous cartoon series and 1986 movie, there certainly are big shoes to fill. Transformers was ahead of its time as one of the most popular cartoons and action figure collections of the 1980s. The toys still are around on eBay, with a good amount of hunting. The movie is going to be a redone version of the events surrounding the transformers arrival on earth. You will see the classic members of the team like Optimus Prime and Megatron. What’s interesting is that the human character Spike, has been renamed Sam; which I feel is really, really lame. However, the trailer looked very promising. The special effects with the helicopter landing at the base and then transforming, nothing could beat that. Even better is the scene with the 2 humans standing in front of the autobots as they transform. Bottom line, fans everywhere are going to appreciate this movie for the things that its going to include and the special effects are unbelievable. I would highly recommend it!