 With 'Transformers' being one of the more popular products of my generation, it genuinely surprised me when the trailer for this came along. I had to stop to think about it, and I'm not sure we've ever been delivered an honest-to-God 'Transformers' origin story; at least not on the screen. The closest I can think of might be the '80s cartoon I (sort of) grew up with, and even that is about them coming to Earth. That means that this is, surprisingly, one of the most original ideas they've had for a 'Transformers' movie, and it's a freakin' origin story!
Even to a semi-fan like myself, this genuinely grasped my curiosity for the first time via trailer since... maybe the 2007 movie. Yes, I loved 'Bumblebee,' but I still initially rolled my eyes at the concept of yet another one. Anyway, this trailer delivered some smooth CG animation, somewhat reminiscent to shows like 'Beast Wars' in style, which caught my eye. Otherwise I got curious as to the origin story they had in mind with Optmus Prime and Megatron being young friends. Finally, the simple fact that we finally had a movie that took place completely on Cybertron! In an opening scene, a Cybertronian named Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) sneaks into an archival facility to watch a video on the origin of the "Primes"; the first of the Cybertronians created by Primus, who's essentially a God-like Transformer whose transformation is the planet Cybertron. This gives the audience some decent back-story about old Transformers lore which, as far as I know (an I really don't) has only been seen in comic books thus far. Pax is caught and runs away, only to bump into his friend, D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), who works with him, mining Energon, which could almost be seen as their food/fuel source. One day, Cybertron's leader, Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm) returns from a trip to the planet's surface (did I mention this takes place mostly underground?) who organizes a race called the IACON 5000 for celebration. Pax soon drags D into the race so they can prove that they're "more than meets the eye" to Sentinel, in hopes to get out of their mining gig. However, long story short, they end up demoted, where they meet B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) and stumble upon a distress signal coming from one of the aforementioned Primes, whom Pax convinces D and B to head to the surface to search for. Along their journey, they connect with a mining overseer named Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson), and together, all four end up discovering hidden truths behind Cybertron, their origin, their leader, and even their very existence. This eventually prompts Pax to want to fight with his people for justice, and to restore the good of the planet. But D feels far deeper betrayal, and is a little more interested in revenge on those he once trusted with his life. Eventually, these robots would become Optimus Prime (Pax) and Megatron (D), and this is the story of how they came to be. This is a 'Transformers' movie that gets a lot of credit from yours truly. I'm sure there will be some purist fans who will find an issue or two with the storytelling here. But as only a semi-fan, this was great for me. It gives a good amount of backstory, not just to Optimus and Megatron, but to Cybertron and the Transformers in general. It's well animated, the voice acting is surprisingly good, and includes more names like Steve Buscemi (Starscream) and Laurence Fishburne (Alpha Trion), and it's a good balance of emotion between a fair amount of comedy, action and drama - yes, drama. I'm not gonna say this was anything that truly blew me away, but I really did enjoy this for what it was. 'Transformers' is forever a franchise that I like just fine, but I don't, nor have I ever, truly loved it. Therefore, I can be a bit more loose on my criticisms with this, because hell, it's just a good story, and I'm not looking for "accuracy." I think this will end up being a mixed bag for the die-hard fans, but I really do feel like this was successful in roping in those of us who are a bit more uneducated on the material. Aside from that, as it is with many 'Transformers' movies, it's just plain fun! 4/5
0 Comments
 For as many times as I've mentioned not being that into 'Transformers' throughout my childhood, I must admit to a phase of time when I was very much into it. 'Transformers' never really hit me as something awesome until the 90s, when the new advent of fully CG-generated cartoons unleashed 'Beast Wars' (which I also remember being called 'Beasties' at some point or another). Looking back on it now, it's a bit of a mess when it comes to the old CG animation, but bear in mind that at the time, it looked pretty amazing, and was kind of a big deal.
I was actually pretty excited when the first trailer for this dropped, especially considering how open I was to new 'Transformers' ideas with Mr. Bay out of the picture. When 'Bumblebee' came along, it completely reignited my interest in the franchise for the fist time since watching trailers for the '07 movie. So, adding my favourite series of 'Transformers' to the mix just sweetened the deal. So with all this promise of another solid 'Transformers' movie, was I gonna get one? Or are we back to square one with this? I will say that with everything going on, it did make for a pretty good mishmash of 'Transformers' material for fans. The problem, however, may lie with the fact that there IS a lot to absorb here from different facets of 'Transformers'. From my perspective, this isn't quite as simple as 'Bumblebee,' but it does carry a lot more for actual fans of 'Transformers' in general. We get a bit of the G1 series, we get a bit of 'Beast Wars', we get a bit of the original animated movie, and I've gotta give the film credit. It brings it all together in a way that seems to make sense (at least to me). The film opens with Unicron (Colman Domingo) attacking the Maximal's home world, sending his heralds, Scourge (Peter Dinklage) and the Terrorcons; Battletrap (David Sobolov) and Nightbird (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) to obtain the "Transwarp Key", which can open portals through space and time. Maximal leader, Apelinq (David Sobolov again), stays behind to fight while he allows the other Maximals; Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman), Cheetor (Tongayi Chirisa), Rhinox (David Sobolov a third time) and Airazor (Michelle Yeoh) to escape, using the key, which brings them all to a past-era Earth, where they remain dormant. We then head to 1994, Brooklyn, where ex-military electronics expert, Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is desperate to support his family, which leads to a tip from his friend Reek (Tobe Nwigwe) about a Porche 911 he can steal and sell. This Porche, however, ends up being an Autobot named Mirage (Pete Davidson). Meanwhile, museum intern Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) studies a mysterious bird statue that has half of the Transwarp Key inside of it. The key sends an energy pulse that can only be seen by the bots, getting the attention of Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), who calls on all Autobots to meet up. Eventually, the Terrorcons catch on, and head to Earth to intercept the key for their master, Unicron. If Unicron gets it, it could mean the end of everything as we know it, so Optimus, along with the rest of the Autobots on Earth team up with the Maximals and the humans of Earth to stop it all from happening. So yes, in many ways, we're back to old formulas, but I will say this for the film; it's much smoother to watch than a typical Bay flick of this series. It more or less told old formulas and made them a bit better. They COULD have given the Maximals a bit more spotlight, though. I think if you're an all-around fan, it can be a really good time, but if you're not, it's a little above your typical 'Transformers' film, and it lacks the human element 'Bumblebee' had. I'll give them credit for a successful execution of everything they were going for, though, and making things a bit easier to watch as opposed to the all-over-the-place editing to some of Bay's material. Last but not least, I must give further credit for a pretty cool twist at the end that has the potential to lead to something pretty awesome! 3/5  Love them or hate them, the Michael Bay-directed 'Transformers' movies have left their mark on a variety of audience members up until this point. You've got the critical side of things, which I'm a part of, pointing out things like how they've all done the exact same, just thing in different ways. It's kind of like comparing how 'Avatar,' 'Fern Gully,' 'Pocahontas,' and 'Dances With Wolves' are all essentially the same story, but they're all executed differently. The difference here, making things a bit worse, is that this is a franchise.
The other side of me, however, still has that inner child going pretty strong, and I can view them all as guilty pleasures at this point. Through the right lens, these can be kinda fun. Again, for comparison, think of the 'Fast' franchise; corny, dumb, ridiculous, but a good time with a bag of popcorn. One of the bigger problems with the franchise has been that its been made mostly for a bunch of testosterone-filled teenage boys, and doesn't necessarily reach out to a mass audience. On top of that, it can all be boiled down to eye-candy (both of the explody and sexy variety) being the only thing that makes them any "good." This, I felt, was a film that did it right for everyone, and is still the best of the live-action 'Transformers' films. With that said, bear in mind that this property wasn't something I was insanely into back in the day; I just appreciated it, so when it came to these movies, I didn't pay much attention to what a lot of the fans said they "got wrong." I just had fun. But none of them had a whole lot of depth at all, and honestly, take a moment to think about how much you gave a damn about any of the lead human characters, in the long-run. Before we get into the human connection, however, the film starts on Cybertron, where the Autobots and Decepticons are at war, and I'd argue it's probably THE scene that fans have been wanting all these years. I may not know a whole lot about this stuff, but I mean, a Transformers fight on Cybertron? I'd imagine to me, that's kind of like saying "there's a scene where Batman kills the Joker!" - it's just an epic moment. Anyway, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) sends B-127 (Dylan O'Brien) to Earth - a hidden planet on which Optimus hopes to establish a new base of operations for the Autobots. In the struggle, B-127 gets his voice box ripped out, and goes into hiding from whatever Decepticons may be after him. Eventually, he meets and befriends a gear-head type named Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld). They also befriend her awkward neighbour, Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), who has a crush on Charlie, but thankfully, the love interest doesn't take the front seat here. They actually make the lost bond between Charlie and her deceased father vs her Mom easily moving on the biggest human element of the movie, thus giving us something to care about. In the meantime, Colonel Jack Burns (John Cena) takes an interest in B-127 after he quite literally crashes a training exercise upon landing on Earth. Burns sees him as a hostile immediately, and just needs to capture him, and/or put him down. He, and other soldiers of Sector 7, are visited by two Decepticons, Shatter (Angela Bassett) and Dropkick (Justin Theroux), who claim B-127 to be a wanted criminal on their home planet, and ask permission to use Earth's satellites to track him, complete with a nod to them blowing everyone's 80's minds with presenting them with the idea of the internet. This plays out as more of an 'E.T.' than the same old story of "Autobots must intercept Decepticons before they get hands on foreign power-MacGuffin." Perhaps that's still not entirely original, but it's a shift away from the usual, and a breath of fresh air. Thus far, this has been the only 'Transformers' flick that has gauged all of my emotions, and there's more to this than just a "popcorn movie." It also serves as a soft reboot to the franchise, and a prequel, so in many ways, this could be a good place for anyone new to start. Kudos to LAIKA animator, Travis Knight, for giving us something that's truly more than meets the eye! 4/5  When it came to this franchise and its theatrical releases, this was (and still is) the only one of them I've missed on the big screen, and this review is based on a first-time viewing of it, seven years after its initial release. So before I get into this particular review, I'm gonna do a bit of a recap on things, not so much as far as plot goes. Essentially, it's pretty much always Autobots (good) vs Decepticons (bad) with humans in the crossfire, and both sides are after something of immense power, and potential to build and/or destroy to some degree.
Up to this point, we've had four of them. The first, I enjoy as a sort of nostalgic trip to my childhood, and for the time, an incredible special effects masterpiece. The second and fourth were probably my least favourite, if only due to the human element bickering and whining way too much. The third - we'll call it a guilty pleasure. The fight between Optimus and Sentinel was pretty epic... even if the autobots were ridiculously late to the fight! Now, here we are at movie #5, and this could very well take the cake for being the worst of the bunch. It has been mentioned at this point in previous 'Transformers' reviews that it irks me how these movies rewrite history, and this must be the biggest culprit of such things. It all starts with the audience questioning if they're at the right film, as it involves Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table battling the Saxons. Merlin (Stanley Tucci) asks the Knights of Iacon; a group of knight-like Tansfomrers, and he's given a staff, which is also... I mean, do I even have to say it at this point? McGuffin, McGuffin, McGuffin! Merlin is made to hide the staff, for it will one day be needed again, and we can pretty much cut to the chase on how all that unfolds at this point. The human element brings back Cade (Mark Wahlberg), who helps refugee Transformers, who have been deemed enemies of Earth because they level entire cities in every movie. Lennox (Josh Duhamel) is also back as the "good cop" working for the TRF (Transformers Reaction Force), and we even get a little Seymour Simmons (John Turturro). Now that the fans are satisfied, lets get to the new cast. First up, a rebellious young lady named Izabella (Isabela Merced) who's also a friend to the Autobots. Next, an accomplished scholar and obvious love-interest for Cade, Vivian Wembly (Laura Haddock). But by far the best character in the movie, and the only reason I got any real entertainment out of it is Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins). He's spent his life dedicated to research on the Order of the Witwiccans; a secret society who has worked with Tranformers throughout history, and this is also where I get, as I've said, "irked." BUT Anothony Hopkins is hilarious in this. He's just having so much fun the whole time. As for our robots in disguise, Optimus (Peter Cullen) has headed back to Cybertron to face his "creator", stemming from the previous film, and comes across a strange Cybertronian being named Quintessa (Gemma Chan) who alters his conscience into Nemesis Prime, who becomes a sort of ultimate weapon. Decepticons try to open a gateway to let something terrible through, Autobots are generally hiding on Earth, and remember Galvatron from the previous film? They just threw him away, and brought Megatron (Frank Welker) back instead. So, I really must apologize if this review has been a bit of a mess, but to be honest, so is the film. If it wasn't for Anthony Hopkins treating his role like a ride at a carnival, I wouldn't see much entertainment in this at all - especially with such a busy, busy looking climax and ending. They've played with the lore a bit too much at this point, as well, and this movie is so damn busy and convoluted with everything going on (at least to me), it feels like we might need a bit of a breather... thankfully, that's precisely what the next film (and my personal fave of the bunch) provides. 1/5  Up to this point, I think it's safe to say that I have mixed emotions on the live-action 'Transformers' franchise. The positives include them being dumb fun action entertainment, and if one is able to suspend disbelief, and remind oneself that they're not here for Oscar bait, they're passable. The negatives mostly come from critics who are looking for some kind of realism in a pure fantasy, and personally, I find a lot of the human dialogue can get irksome, and it can get confusing seeing silver metal fight silver metal constantly.
'Age of Extinction' is yet another mixed bag of good and bad, and probably closer to bad, simply due to, again, the human element. However, this time, Shia LaBeouf isn't a part of things, and a new cast of main characters takes over, five years after the events of 'Dark of the Moon'. We're never actually told whatever happens to Sam or anyone else, though, and we're asked to simply move on. That said, however, the cast here is actually pretty solid... except of course for our lead heroes, and even that is mostly due to terrible dialogue. This one asks us to accept that an alien race known as The Creators wiped out the dinosaurs with this film's MacGuffin item (because we always need one), the "seeds," which spread an alloy eventually dubbed "Transformium." I can still let this slide a bit, but it does make me roll my eyes at what hey want us to accept. Anyway, a geologist named Darcy Tirrel (Sophia Myles) excavates this material in present day, using it to create Transformer drones for K.S.I. (Kinetic Solutions Incorporated) Industries. In these past five years, the general public has forced the Autobots into hiding, as they have become public enemies due to the destruction in the aftermath of the Battle of Chicago in the previous film. While the people believe they have been given sanctuary somewhere, a rogue CIA division called Cemetery Wind, led by Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), is actually hunting them down, considering them a true danger to our planet. They are aided by a Cybertronian assassin named Lockdown (Mark Ryan), who basically suggests that killing Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) would be like cutting the head off the snake. Optimus has since been in a bit of a sleep-mode by the looks of it, over these five years, and is discovered by Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg); a struggling inventor who hopes to peacefully be able to use Transformers tech for his inventions. This is also where the god-awful dialogue comes into play, as he plays overprotective father to his 17-year-old daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz Beckham), who's dating a professional driver, Shane Dyson (Jack Reynor), and between the three of them, they are constantly bickering about whatever is best for Tessa. It's just about as annoying as Megan Fox chasing "love" in 'Revenge of the Fallen'. Anyway, eventually Optimus comes to life, indebted to Cade for bringing him back to life and not being one of the shitty humans. But thanks to Cade's business partner, Lucas (T.J. Miller) and his dumb ass, the family soon finds themselves on the run, protecting Optimus Prime while he protects them, not only against Lockdown, but a villain that got pushed to the side here so much it's painful - Galvatron (Frank Welker); A.K.A. the most badass Decepticon there ever was. He's made here by the humans, too; a team led by true neutral Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci), who may be the most interesting human character throughout the film. Eventually this all leads to the standard 'Transformers' movie in which the Autobots attempt to prevent the Decepticons from getting their hands on the film's MacGuffin while humans are caught in the crossfire. The Dinobots are here, as advertised, but only briefly, and not much happens with them. They were only meant to put butts in seats. If only the dialogue wasn't so bad, this could have been at least as fun, albeit nonsensical, as 'Dark of the Moon'. Effect-wise and action-wise, it does a great job. It even makes the Transformers clearer, and more recognizable (namely the Autobots), but in the end, there's way too much going on here, and Galvatron NEEDS his own damn movie - he is NOT a throwaway character! 2/5  Back when this was released, I think I was somewhat blinded by its criticisms, and largely went along with tearing it apart on how "bad" it was. But after this re-watch, I have concluded a couple of things having to do with how my taste has shaped itself over the years. For starters, I'm gonna come right out and say that to some degree, this is still bad, and there's still a few things that bug me about it. But if you wanna throw your brain away for a couple of hours and watch some robots beating the crap out of other robots... there's quite a lot of it!
This film wraps up the Transformers' time with Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), so I'll try to bring things together enough to make any sort of sense. But it all starts with an escape ship from the Transformers' home planet of Cybertron called "The Ark," carrying more MacGuffins that could help end the Cybertronic war, one way or another. First there was the "Cube" (or AllSpark), then there was the "Matrix of Leadership," and now we're dealing with "Pillars," which have the ability to teleport matter between two points via wormhole, creating what is referred to here as a "Space Bridge." Said pillars are located on our moon, in the crashed Ark, along with Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nemoy), the former leader of the Autobots. Through a battle with a Decepticon named Shockwave (Frank Welker), Optimus (Peter Cullen) learns of the Ark, and travels to the Moon with a select crew to check it out, only to find his old leader in a sort of comatose state. Optimus takes Sentinel back to Earth, and resurrects him using the Matrix of Leadership. A solid move, considering Decepticons, led by Megatron (Hugo Weaving) and his right hand, Starscream (Charlie Adler) are becoming quite the nuisance on Earth lately, murdering any humans who may know about the Ark. As far as Sam goes, he's living his new life with his new girlfriend, Carly Spencer (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), because Megan Fox had her reasons not to return to the franchise. Unfortunately, he's made to live a more humble life, looking for a regular job, as he's not allowed to work with the Autobots anymore because... I can't remember if that's explained, but I guess for his safety? Either way, we all know he'll end up working with them in the end, anyway, otherwise we don't have much of a movie. I have failed terribly at mentioning this character in the past two reviews, but as Sam and Carly predictably end up helping out the Autobots, they also enlist the help of enemy-turned-friend, Seymour Simmons (John Turturro), who's a pretty damn fun character throughout these movies, ultimately going from a cocky agent-type to a conspiracy theorist who is generally right about everything. Of course, we also get help from our favourite soldiers who aren't Transformers; Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Epps (Tyrese Gibson). As vague as all of that seems, that really is about all there is to this (or almost any) of these movies. Two sides of the same coin; good vs evil seek out MacGuffin to either protect Earth/save their home planet OR just straight up take everything over. The rest of it is pretty much just heavy action sequences, special effects, and a whole lot of impossible, throw-your-brain-out concepts. But if you're willing to just be mindless about something, I think this chapter can actually be kinda fun... even if LaBeouf seemingly screams most of his dialogue. While one can certainly make this a fun experience, complete with a badass final fight between Optimus and Sentinel, it's still far from perfect. Sentinel rips a famous Spock line from 'Wrath of Kahn,' just because the voice was Leonard Nemoy. There's also the typical toppling of an entire city without any repercussions just because it looks cool, and even then, it's hard to tell who's who. In the end, I can say I had a better time with it than I remember, and I'd put it above the previous film just for dumb fun entertainment. But I think I would classify this as something of a guilty pleasure at this point. Bad, just not terrible. 2/5  Back when this was initially released, I think it's safe to say that I still had my blinders on. The whole concept was just a couple of years old, and I was still very much admiring the visuals attached to this, not really paying attention to its many flaws. The last time I saw this was in 2009, and some friends might remember how well I reviewed it, as Take 5's very first review. (on the site that lasted from '09-'12). I dunno that I'd say I've gone completely 180 on the positives, but I can also admit that this isn't nearly as decent as I remember it.
Two years after the events of the first film, the Autobots have formed a bond with the humans, forming "NEST" (the Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty), meant to work together to search and destroy and Decepticons that may still be hiding in plain sight. For this team-up, we see the return of Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Chief Master Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson), who both played a major human role in the previous film as well as the into of the two biggest throw-away-bots in the franchise, Skids (Tom Kenny) and Mudflap (Reno Wilson) as well as a cast of new Autobots. Out of sight, the Decepticon Soundwave (Frank Welker) hacks a military satellite, locating the last known shard of the AllSpark (or "The Cube"). More Decepticons locate it in a military facility on Earth, steal it with no problem, and use it to resurrect Megatron (Hugo Weaving), who returns home to his master, The Fallen (Tony Todd); a great and powerful Decepticon with a backstory that connects to human history in Egypt, and who can only be destroyed by a Prime. With Optimus being the only Prime left, The Fallen sends Megatron and Starscream ( Charlie Adler) to kill him, but to bring Sam (Shia LaBeouf) in alive. While the need to destroy Optimus is clear enough, Sam is wanted after he finds a separate shard in the pocket of his old clothes he wore in battle. Said shard gives him a bit of a zap, and before he knows it, Sam goes a bit haywire, seeing and drawing all sorts of Cybertronian symbols. With luck, this could lead the Decepticons to another source of Energon, which, in the animated movie is essentially fuel, and in these live-action movies, is mostly represented by the AllSpark. It can all be boiled down to the life force for the Transformers. So for the second time around, it's essentially about the Decepticons wanting to get their hands on something that will allow them to gain power, and the Autobots have to intercept them, not only to save themselves, but to save humankind from possible extinction. This time around (and sorry if this actually counts as a spoiler for some, still) Optimus is taken out of the battle, however, and I have to somewhat credit it for being one of the darker storylines, and adding a little bit of hopelessness to things, reflecting the Transformers' "darkest hour", as mentioned in the animated film. While I may make it sound all well and good, however, this is certainly not without its flaws. The Twins are kinda the elephant in the room when it comes to this chapter, as they're just a couple of jive-talking robots who never existed before this movie, and let's just say it did not go over well with a particular group of people. But beyond that, the human element here just plain sucks. Mikaela (Megan Fox) is now Sam's girlfriend, and spends the entire movie complaining about how Sam won't tell her he loves her. It's literally all she does, it's annoying, and made even worse now, knowing she never comes back. I also hate that they actually try covering up the actions of the Transformers around the world, when that seems like it would be absolutely impossible to do after levelling... how many cities in two years? Bumblebee even takes a back seat to the Twins here, which is just a dumb move, considering the only reason for the Twins is failed comedy relief. So while a lot of the visuals are cool, for the most part, that's all there really is to this movie, and it lacks the heart of the first one. And buckle up, because it doesn't get much better from here! 2/5  Let's face it, this particular series of live-action adaptations doesn't exactly go over well with the critics, and a gigantic chunk of the fan base hasn't entirely been impressed with the way things have gone. Spoiler alert for further reviews, but I'm not really an exception to all of this, but I will tend to be more forgiving. In the long run, I was never really a heavy-duty 'Transformers' guy, growing up, so one can count me as an outsider of sorts, a.k.a. the audience these movies are trying to appeal to as well as the old-school fans.
The difference between me and a total outsider, however, is that I do still have fond memories of bits and pieces of the animated series, and the toys were kinda awesome (we had a few). There was enough there that when the trailer for this movie came out, I was pretty excited about it - especially when it showed you Optimus Prime transforming for the first time, and in 2007, those visuals weren't exactly as basic as they are nowadays. All in all, things seemed pretty damn promising. As the film opens, we get Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) narrating, giving a brief background to what we're about to see. On planet Cybertron, a war between the Autobots, led by Optimus, and the Decepticons, led by Megatron (Hugo Weaving) breaks out over the AllSpark; the source for all Cybertronian life. The AllSpark ends up on Earth, and to make an over-complicated story short, so eventually do the Decepticons and Autobots, both in search of the now hidden cube. The human side of things involves Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), who pretty much holds the key to finding the AllSpark without knowing it. This ultimately hooks him up with Bumblebee, who ends up being his "first car," which Sam uses primarily to impress a classmate named Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox). Soon enough, the pair find themselves in the middle of the Cybertronic war, on the side of the Autobots, who wish to rebuild their home world. If the Decepticons get their hands on it, it's a little more about power and ruling the universe. This is a "prime" example of a movie that I will probably always have a soft spot for. One must understand that back in 2007, these kinds of visuals were pretty damn amazing to see. It could be compared to something like '300', in which slow motion was utilized to make things look awesome, and now it's just what Zack Snyder is known for. Nowadays, the animation on the Transformers is fairly standard and somewhat lackluster, but back then, it was all pretty mind-blowing stuff, and I remember watching this with my friends quite fondly. Over the years, sequel after sequel has been made, and all but one of them has been something of a dud in one way or another; either barely passable, or just kinda bad. Nowadays, I may not quite see this film as the mind-blowingly amazing film it was when it came out, but I can watch it the same way I can watch something like 'Independence Day'. It's certainly flawed in many places, just as most critics will tell you, but it was a super fun popcorn flick to see on the big screen, regardless of details. I have no qualms about saying this is something that's still a lot of fun, and nostalgic now in more ways than one. I think it's also important to remember that one must throw one's mind out the window for 'Transformers' in order to have a good time. That said, I would still say that this is one of the only "good, good" ones of the series, if only because it kicked things off, and it was something new. But remember, that's only the opinion of a semi-outsider to the whole franchise. Personally, this first chapter still works for me, and it's still a fun ride after so many years. 4/5  When it comes to the cartoons of the 80s, where basically every animated TV show was invented to sell a bunch of toys (and it worked!), the same era has become a real home base for nostalgia. The fun thing to do now is go back and watch some of these classics we remember so fondly from our childhoods. But while some of them might end up in the guilty pleasure pile for being recognizably bad, some actually hold up surprisingly well. 'Transformers: The Movie' is something I would argue is part of the latter group.
Now don't get me wrong, this movie is loaded with cheesy, laughable moments. A good load of the dialogue, and some visuals just plain don't look as good nowadays, so they provide a fun, accidental giggle. But then there are things like the trash planet robots, lead by Wreck-Gar (Eric Idle) who dance to Weird Al's "Dare to be Stupid". It's sincerely one of the funniest and most random things one can pull from an 80s animated feature. But the way the war between the Autobots and Decepticons is portrayed is pretty much one, long 80s hair metal music video, full of incredible voice acting, and plenty of surprises for the fans! The year is 2005 (bearing in mind this was released in '86), and the Autobots' home planet, Cybertron has been taken by the evil Decepticons. The Autobots, now operating from Cybertron's moons, need more Energon (essentially Transformers fuel), so Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) sends a shuttle to Autobot City, which has been established on Earth for supplies. However, the Decepticons learn of this plan, head down to intercept the shuttle, and an all-out battle takes place when the Decepticons are spotted by Hot Rod (Judd Nelson) and Daniel Witwicky (David Mendenhall), and Hot Rod attacks. This is where Optimus comes in with reinforcements, and has his final showdown with Megatron (Frank Welker), ultimately resulting in Optimus passing the "Matrix of Leadership" to his companion, Ultra Magnus (Robert Stack), and Megatron being turned into Galvatron (Leonard Nimoy) by Unicron (Orson Welles); a massive Transformer who can eat planets, and wishes for the destruction of the Autobots as well as the Matrix, which has the power to potentially destroy him. That's pretty much the gist of the plot, but if you're confused, to simplify things, it's an all-out, balls-to-the-wall war movie; just one side vs the other. I only actually saw this movie for the first time about a decade ago (if not more), and I have to admit there is something I love about it. I think it's just that it's about as hardcore 80s as we could possibly get with an animated movie meant for kids. It pushes the envelope a bit with some swearing, action and even some very memorable death sequences. The soundtrack is that of a bunch of 80s rarities, and Lion's version of the 'Transformers' theme is just plain badass. On top of everything, it really is one gigantic (and successful) toy commercial - but it does deliver exactly what we want to see from the 'Transformers'. Personally speaking, I wasn't so heavy into 'Transformers' growing up, so this movie and the series in general kinda went over my head at the time. But looking at it now, its simplicity is what makes it stand above anything that Michael Bay or anyone else has cranked out with live-action. It's no real wonder to me why so many fans of the animated material from their childhoods didn't like the live action movies. What we have here is basic; robot wars, so when the human element enters into it, it may seem better on paper for a general audience, but the fans know what they want. I would not put this movie at the top of any of my lists of quality movies, but it is a hell of a lot of fun to look back on a product of the late 80s that just screams the decade. I also have tremendous respect for this movie in a weird way, as it managed to make itself the pinnacle (at least seemingly) of 'Transformers' stories for the fan base. I may be a bit more of an outsider, but it's plain to see why (despite some minor defences I'll put up for them) fans of the franchise aren't huge fans of the live action titles. Make no mistake though. At the end of the day, I do still see this as the definitive 'Transformers' movie! 4/5 |
Transformers
All
|
RSS Feed