Transformers (2011)

Dark of the Moon

Autobots Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide, Mirage (aka Dino), Wheeljack (aka Que) and Sideswipe led by Optimus Prime, are back in action taking on the evil Decepticons, who are eager to avenge their recent defeat. The Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the United States and Russia to reach a hidden Cybertronian spacecraft on the moon and learn its secrets, and once again Sam Witwicky has to go to the aid of his robot friends. The new villain Shockwave is on the scene while the Autobots and Decepticons continue to battle it out on Earth. - synopsis from IMDB

Cast - full listing

Genres

action, crime, sciencefiction

Facts & Figures

Directed by Michael Bay.

Rated 6.3 on IMDB from 336983 votes.

Runtime: 154 min.

Review

Massive, explosive, exhilarating. But also forced, tedious and on an agenda. The new Transformers installment is predictable if anything. It’s the sensation-pounding, head-spinning and smirk-inducing 3D swirl we’ve come to expect. More than previous editions, though, this movie leaves an imprint and unfortunately, not in the right way.

If you’re epileptic, you probably weren’t planning on seeing this one anyway. At times the effects are so agressive it’s not even much fun to watch. Of course, it’s all very well done and if you like seeing mechanical stuff getting blown to bits, you will get plenty of it. As I felt with the previous movie, there’s just too much going on. Since most action is so fast it’s nearly impossible to keep up with what’s going on.

If you’re a big fan of great story-telling, you probably weren’t planning to spend the night on Transformers either. And you wouldn’t mind being told you were right to pass up on this one. In short: it’s more of the same excrutiating - I’m going to go with - “humor” stirred through another reason-to-save-the-planet epic battle scene - all carefully balanced by some not-so-subtely-placed commercials. Which brings me to my next point.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is an all-out meme-fest and advertising bonanza. From Lenovo to Mercedes and Cisco to Northrop Grumman, they’re all lined up to piggy-back what will undoubtedly be a huge commercial success. But there are more disturbing underlying themes meant to be stamped onto your memory. They are hardly covert, as well, being pretty blatant.

A shame really, because the movie could easily have been just as mediocre as it is now without them. I know I prefer a movie that’s just a movie. Oh, and if you don’t subscribe to that kind of cynical thing, that’s fine too. I’m just telling it as I see it.

Just a quick note on goofs. There are so many illogical moments in this movie it boggles my mind. I’ll leave you with one gem below.

Let’s assume you’re a fighter pilot. You fly a multi-million dollar aircraft at 2, 3 times the speed of sound, packed with the worst kind of ammunition man has ever dreamt up. So at this particular moment in time you are confronted with a new and alien enemy, with far superior technology, endurance and weaponry. It has engulfed a densely populated area and is shooting down planes, tanks, soldiers and civilians as if it were swatting flies. What tactic do you employ to counter such a foe? Aha! You wil engage this enemy (whose aircraft, I should point out, are, by rough estimates, about 100 times larger than your own) by flying straight at it and shooting low-range missiles. Genius!

So, after all that clattering applause, what positive points could I possibly add? Well, John Malkovich has a guest role. Nuff said.

Seen: 03 Jul 2011