Transformers is based off an 80's cartoon and toy line, which if you were alive in that era, or even the early 90's, you had to be purposefully avoiding the TF's to have not heard of them. The cartoon was corny, but it was a lot of fun, and Optimus Prime I always thought was a good role model for kids (or me). The series went dormant for awhile, tried to resurface in the late 90's/early 00's, but went back under the radar in the mainstream. However, Transformers, like just about everything else in this world, always maintained a cult following, a huge cult following. I was never as hardcore about Transformers, well, not nearly as much as I was the Ninja Turtles. Never the less, I was still pretty jacked up when I heard they were making a live action movie.
Then I heard the news. "Transformers to be directed by.........Michael Bay". Then I quoted Stan's Dad from South Park. "Oh...my...GAAD!
Now I'm not as much of a Bay hater as many others. I loved The Rock, Bad Boys I, and even Armageddon (yes I liked Armageddon, back off!). However, Bay is also responsible for what could quite possibly be the biggest movie f-up of all time. That of course being Pearl Harbor. Ah....Pearl Harbor. So Michael Bay as the Director lowered my expectations a little bit. With the exception of the action sequences, which Bay, love em or hate em, is the master of.
As Transformers got closer to release I couldn't help but get excited as the trailers started to roll out, and all the advance reviews were calling it "awesome", "balls to the wall", and "more badass than the Golden Girls". My expectations naturally rose, maybe a little to high.
What I have been telling everyone about Transformers is this. It's not so much a movie, as it is an experience. If you are going to see a film based solely on its film aspects (the acting, plot, things that makes sense) then stay away. If you are going to see robots destroy cities, each other and your face, then grab that bag-o-popcorn and munch away, because that is what you get. Only not that much of it. That fact is my sole complaint.
Bay can't direct people, and he also isn't funny (which there are many examples of in TF). These are things that I'm used to, and expect when I see his movies. I can look past the plot holes and the bad character development, because that's not what I'm there to see. That's why Transformers should have been a home-run for Bay. All he needed to do was focus on the Transformers themselves, their story (which is simple), throw in a little bit of Shia Labeof, a lot of slow-mo Megan Fox, Autobots vs. Decepticons, rinse, wash and repeat. What happened instead (which I hate to say this), was too much focus on the human characters and their terrible stories. Transformers isn't Shakespeare, and no one wants it to be, but jeez, put a little effort into it. With the exception of Shia and Megan Fox, every other human story could have been completely ignored, instead replaced with more development of the Transformers themselves. Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons was in the movie for about 20 minutes. That's 20 minutes of a 2 hour and 20 minute movie. Ridiculous! He's the main bad guy and he gets 20 mintues of screen time.
Now I know it sounds like I hated this movie, but that's not the case. Like I said, it's also an experience. Despite all of it's other downfalls, Transformers has without a doubt the best special effects ever done on film. When you see the first transformation you will feel like a kid again, and you will feel that way every time it happens. The fight scenes are huge in scale, albeit short in length, but earn every penny of your movie ticket. The way the Transformers seamlessly transform back and forth during a fight is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I still recommend seeing this movie on the big screen. When a Transformer, Shia Labeof, and Megan Fox aren't on screen you will roll your eyes quite a bit, but when the fight scenes begin it's easy to forget about all of the stupid crap you had to sit through to get there and enjoy the ride. Just remember going in, this isn't Shakespeare.
7/10
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