Movie Review: Transformers

In a sea of sequels Transformers (Dreamworks) has emerged as a summer movie worth it’s weight in special effects and excitement. Directed by Michael Bay (Bad Boys II, Pearl Harbor), the movie is a twist on the beloved 80’s cartoon that will make you feel like a kid again sitting in front of the television […]

In a sea of sequels Transformers (Dreamworks) has emerged as a summer

movie worth it’s weight in special effects and excitement. Directed by Michael

Bay (Bad Boys II, Pearl Harbor), the movie is a twist on the beloved 80’s

cartoon that will make you feel like a kid again sitting in front of the

television on a Saturday morning, and the excitement level is just as high.

The story line starts out with Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf), a teenager

in love with the cool girl who doesn’t notice him—despite the fact that they’ve

been in school together since the second grade. All he wants is to be noticed,

so he buys a car as a ploy to both gain some cool points and get the girl,

Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) to notice him. Yes the basic plot is overdone, but

once Sam buys the car (including a hilarious cameo from Bernie Mac as a

salesman) things really start to get interesting. Sam quickly goes from an

unassuming teenager trying to sell his grandfather’s keepsakes on Ebay to the

key holder to what the Autobots and Decepticons want. Underneath the premise of

the aliens’ fight for world domination, the story picks up speed and never slows

down. Unlike other movies bursting with special effects, Bay doesn’t

waste time getting right into it. Within the first 30 minutes there are cars and

planes transforming into creatures ready to do battle over good and evil. The

cartoon storyline fits snuggly in it’s new age shoes, Optimus Prime and his

Autobots, including Jazz and Ironhide, are still at war with Megatron’s

Decepticons (Starscream and the gang’s all here), and the poor humans are stuck

in the middle. Like all man versus machine movies the humans foolishly try to

take everyone out with guns that never seem to impair the robots stride.

The fight sequences pale in comparison to the scenes in which the cars

actually transform to do battle. Each time you see it, you can’t help but lose

yourself in the idea that maybe cars can talk and turn into creatures that stand

as high as buildings. Despite losing speed every once in a while, as the story

includes questions facing National Security or how the U.S. government is hiding

several findings from the American people, another battle ensues before you can

really give the concept deep thought. Transformers also stars

Anthony Anderson, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson, who all play equally

important roles in the movie’s success and comic relief. But the real stars of

the show, thankfully, are the Transformers themselves. Yes, the story will have

you questioning its validity, but it will hold you so deep in the action

sequences that it won’t matter. It’s still one hell of a ride.