So I am a big Transformers fan and going into this film I had mixed feelings about how this movie was going to turn ot because I knew who was still in the director's chair. That being said I went in with my brain off and ready to enjoy some transformers action. So did it deliver? Well I will try to be as unbiased as I can and there WILL be spoilers.
PLOT
The plot was linear and easier to follow. That being said it is still a Transformers film so there is some clutter. I think the better script has a lot to do with Orci and Kutzman (the dynamic duo of mediocrity) leaving the francise. This new writer had a lot of clever ways to rehash some cliche ideas. Sadly I think this was overshadowed by the action and explosions. It was like having a solid final draft and only showing bits and pieces because they think the people won't care over the action. I think because the script was actaully competent this round I was able to notice that and it is like an insult to my intelligence (not that the last three weren't). That being said, if I were the writer I'd want a raise for being shafted.
CHARACTERS
The main human cast consisted of Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is your average head in the stars inventor with a love for Americana and is also one of the saving graces of the human cast of the film. His daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz) is probably one of the weakest links as the daughter because her pointless and small arc involved a lot of whining and was like a glorified lesson of 'listen to your father' I can't complain about her role because it could have been Megan Fox again. Her Boyfriend Shane Dyson (Jack Reynor) really had no purpose in the movie except to drive well. MArk Walberg took hold of the hero role so he was left with whatever was left, which was not much. His role could have been cut and it would not have hurt the film at all.
The antagonist of the film is Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) and he is really intimidating as a villain. He was one of those sting puller type villains to get what he wants and finally answers the questions of where human stand in this robot war. He uses the scientist Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) to make human made transformers with the element 'transformium'; which is a rediculous name. His arc was actually quite interesting because you see an inventor overcome his egotism and the technology that controlled him.
The autobots in this film consisted of Hound, Crosshairs, Drift, Bumblebee and of course Optimus Prime. Prime has gotten a lot of criticism for this movie because he is cold, bitter, lost his way and homicidal? Yeah I agree it was off for is caracter but given the circumstance of his friends being hunted, murdered and used for science I would be angry too. Cade is the one who brings him back to his affections for humans and in order to protect him he kills another human in the process. Many were unhappy about this but at least he addressed he would be making the decisions he did before hand how mad can we be? At least it was not random and arguably justifiable.
Bumblebee was a joy as always and he was very funny to watch as he tried to prove himself as a capabale autobot regardless of his youth. That particularly reminded me of the G1 show. Crosshairs was probably the less memorable but my favorite because he was rude but effective and the first autobot paratroper I have seen in the movies. Hound was probably the favorite of the movie because he was a big and funny weapons master like ironhide with more gruff and less grit. Drift was the Leonardo of the team and he was very cool and headstrong. He was quick to judge orders that were not Prime's and he killed quickly which probably called back to his decepticon roots which weren't discussed much in the movie.
The government was effective in eliminating 'cons because there were hardly any. Galvatron was the 'secret' puppeteer of the whole film and brought about a new, human made, decepticon army. I always liked Megatron more but everything about Galvatron I remember from the show was present in this movie and I liked that. On top of that when I first heard his voice I got chills; I later learned it was the voice of Megatron himself, Frank Welker! His army consisted of the 'cheap kockoff' of Bumblebee, Stinger. He and the rest of the army were just cannon fodder but visually I enjoyed their look. sleek but sharp.
Lockdown was the main villain in this movie and he really was a great one. Better than sentinel Prime and the Fallen combined. He was a simple bounty hunter (great concept) who took no sides but was systematic in his kills to the point where fighting him was basically a mute point. He brutally killed Ratchet and while I disagreed with that I must admit that it was scary how good he was at finishing the job with no remorse or an after thought.
The Dinobots were not in the movie much but when they were boy did they make use of it. I had tons of questions about their origins like 'Where they the steeds of the cybertron knights and if so why do they look like dinosaurs?' 'Did they come from the artctic from Lockdown's ship? Why do they exist and why are they there?' Somewhere between Grimlock transforming and Optimus taming him I stopped caring about it. They do not talk in the move which is a shame and only slug (slag) and Grimlock are the original G1 bots that make it into the movie. When they transformed I was so happy because in this franchise I am used to letdowns and expected no transformations but since they did not talk I think it was a fair trae off. They have that G1 essence because one scene depicts slug landing with his head in the ground and he just gets back up along with the other dinobots and keeps fighting like nothing happened. THAT is the dinobots to me. They can take a licking and keep on ticking and that is why they are so great in the movie.
EFFECTS
It is a transformers movie and the effects were cutting edge and great. The distictive colors and looks of the trasformers helped to distinguish who is who. Especially during fights and the slow motion scenes helped that considerably as well. We also see what happens after the transformers pick a new look and how the chasis changes and that was a great scene to me. That along with the Optimus G1 semi transforming in live action.
SCORE
Steve Jablonsky nails the score again and manages to bring back the autobots theme from the past trilogy. Some score highlights include 'Autobots reunite' which gives an 80's nostalgia with the heroic modern themes and 'Lockdown' which is a menacing theme and perfect for the character because you feel like resistance is futile. I liked Imagine Dragons song 'Battle cry' but their incessant 'ohhs' in the score were unnecessary.
IMPACT AND CONCLUSION
While the movie didn't leave me with the same feeling of awe as the first, there is still much that can be salvaged from the junk. Certain things left my head itching such as 'did same make it or was he hunted by the government for questioning?' and 'Did they forget to add dialogue to crosshairs or his he moving his mouth and pointing for fun?' This may be the film major in me talking but finally I just rolled with the punches and did as I usually did in these movies. I got indescribably mad at Ratchet's death because he was given no honor to his death and he begged! I relished in the fact that , much like a war, THEY RAN OUT OF AMMO. I also hoped that with Optimus going to space the sequel would have him return and hopefully not have Ultra Magnus as a replacement leader. With a new cast and new tone the rules have indeed changed. While Bay reminds us that reboots are a fad and old Americana still exists; the almost three hour run time and exploding air and grass and water can manage to steer away the die hard film buff. For those who can tolerate this and recognize it as a summer film Mark Wahlberg and Kelsey Grammer manage to reel in an audience getting the onset of franchise fatigue for another wild ride.Whicle not the worst of the series; if this is the start of a new trilogy then hopefully Bay is serious about stepping down as director and the next film's director gives the script a chance to shine. 7.5/10 stars.
Side note: sorry about the changed format. I had windows 8 issues and lost my last article but the next review will go back to the basics! Thanks for the read and I hope you enjoyed!