Directed By: Michael Bay
Written By: Alex Kurtzman & Ronerto Orci
Story By: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & John Rogers
Cinematography By: Mitchell Amundsen
Editor: Tom Muldoon & Paul Rubell & Glen Scantlebury
CAST: Shia Lebouf, Megan Fox, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Turturro, Jon Voight, Anthony Anderson, Josh Dummel, Tyrese Gibson, Zack ward, Amaury Nolasco, Bernie Mac, Rick Gomez, Tom Lenk At this point I have to recognize Michael Bay as a auteur. He has 2 films in the Criterion Collection ARMAGEDDON and THE ROCK. When he makes a film you know it is his he puts his own signature on his films, That at first were produced by Jerry Bruckheimer the perfect producer for his style of filmmaking. Which seems to have rubbed off on the director as there films usually employ, Loud sound, Light plots, plenty of action, inventive shots, quick cuts and attractive actors who are more or less like mice in a maze ping ponging and running from one explosion to the next. The man has a certain filmmaking style that I’m not sure anyone else could make or would really want to but he will certainly be around for a long time because his films make money and audiences love them.
This film has all usual touches but for this type of film it actually fits. There is no way you can tell the story of the transformers in any realistic way based on the cartoon series of the 80’s which mainly consists of the battle of the Autobots (The good guys) VS. The Decepticons (The bad guys) The Subject is ripe for bay’s bombastic style of movie making. This time produced by the one and only legend Steven Spielberg.
There is no subltlety in this film everything is ham fisted with a good cast that strangley makes this popcorn movie watchable. The action sequences and effects are both excellent. The only problem is towards the end of the film when the transformers are fighting the bad guys it’s hard to tell who is who because they all look the same, like hunks of metal.
Another staple of Michael Bay is to install stale awkward jokes or bad comedic scenes into his action oriented films. Though it is usually a macabre humor like the BAD BOYS films but in those films it at least fir the criteria. In this film there are full on scenes of physical comedy. There are also important characters who are more comedic invention and act that way then being serious characters. For the comic relief they cast Anthony Anderson which also is nice to have the black guy be the smartest guy in the film which I haven’t seen in a sci-fi movie since VIRUS.
I will give Bay some credit he Is a good technical director. He is just lacking in the aspects of making a film though he does bring the goddess that is Megan Fox to the big screen in a substantial role her role as a love interest for Shia Lebouf. It’s a role that is unbelievable. She is so gorgeous like a Angelina Jolie Clone that she doesn’t seem real. I don’t know what role she could ever be cast in and be believable or look natural.
This film is so big it actually goes global bringing together the members of the cast who have survived numerous attacks from the Decepticons to face them in a building destroying fight in Los Angeles to save the world.
In the end this is a entertaining Perfect popcorn movie for a rental. If yo like his previous films you will like this one.
GRADE: C
