Film Review: TRANSFORMERS (2007)

2009-06-25 16:36:46

"Transformers" Movie Review. 7.5/10.
By Todd Murphy. ALL ABOUT MOVIES.NET.
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight

BOTTOM LINE: Probably the most fun, entertaining "dumb" film you will see. Let's see if the sequel turns out just as well this weekend.

THE GOOD: I hate to say it, but I think I've just watched a Michael Bay film that I've enjoyed. What makes this film work so well is the sheer fun on offer, combined with some truly jaw-dropping visuals and special effects. The robots feel very real and when they clash, it's heavy, fun stuff. The action scenes are quite exciting and strangely for Michael Bay, it doesn't get all lost in 1-second cuts and shots that can't stand still (not that that doesn't occur at times). It a boy's movie so will obviously work for the male audience. It's a big toy commercial that plays to a lot of male interests: toys, cars and there's the requisite babe in Megan Fox to keep your attention. The door is left open for an inevitable sequel. I have no real knowledge of the original Transformers from the 80's other than knowing the phenomenon existed so I can't speak to how faithful the film and the characters are to the original but it hardly seems to matter. The sequences all work extremely well and the robots actually have some character.

THE BAD: As with all Michael Bay films, there's an over-emphasis on quick cutting and a camera that doesn't ever seem to stop. It's not anywhere near as bad as his other films (notably the atrocious "Armageddon") but it can still be annoying. There's also not much of a story; it all hangs around a plot point (the search for the 'All Spark') which serves as an excuse to have endless scenes of the robots battling each other. The humans in the story are all but redundant - none of the characters are particularly outstanding but then it's a film about big robots beating the crap out of each other! It's also corny at times, with a scene for example at Sam's parents house dragging on way too long, and although it's funny in parts, it's also cringeworthy. And I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't seen the credits, Hugo Weaving provided the voice of Megatron, the lead bad robot. It was so completely disguised that it could've been any one.

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Todd Murphy is a film analyst and staff writer/reviewer for the film and DVD review web site, ALL ABOUT MOVIES.NET.