Transform...and Roll Out

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2007)

By the time I am writing this, I have just returned from seeing Transformers the movie at my local mall theater, the experience of the film still rolling through my head. After waiting for an unbearable stretch of months since I first saw the movie promoed on the cover of a magazine at a Sheetz, I finally lost my patience, grabbed my bike (since I'm at college, my car's at home) and rode for two miles uphill, miraculously making it to the seven o'clock showing.
And let me tell you. It was worth it.
Transformers is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best summer flick yet. I know that this accomplishment is a bit dumbed down from "The Three Letdowns" (Spidey 3, Pirates 3, and Shrek 3) but this movie holds it proudly none the less. Fast, action packed, and surprisingly funny, Transformers is what going to the movies should be, entertaining, thrilling, and endearing.
That isn't to say the film is without its flaws. Some viewers I expect will find the character development for some of the 'formers to be a little weak, especially for the evil ones. The autobots are well portrayed and even quite humorous at times (especially Bumblbee), and although their voices are noticeably different from their first G1 incarnations, Bay and company have thrown in some clever nods that longtime fans will enjoy (an example being Jazz saying "what's up b####es" when he first transforms.)
As for the decepticons...there isn't much to say. The majority of them don't appear until near the final battle, among them fan-favorite starscream and the decepticon leader megatron, with a snippet of argument being the only indication that the writers understood the long established dynamics between the two characters. Outside of that, the only 'con that receives any major screen time is the pint sized, gibbering, hyperactive spy Frenzy, who, while entertaining in his crack-head like warbling, does leave a lot to be desired in terms of screen presence. The rest of the evil invading robots are basically all identical to one another: evil, angry, and destructive. And, while this is certainly accurate to the basic Decepticon belief system, it greatly neuters all the long established characterization given to them, and that's a bit sad.
In the voice acting department, kudos to Peter Cullen and his victorious return to the part that made him big. Optimus Prime is just as cool as he was twenty years ago, and Cullen's voice actually seems truer to the part with the aging its been through; Prime sounds just like a war general, battle worn and tough. My one complaint is that Cullen seems to have trouble saying things with a "normal" tone, and he can occasionally make prime a bit over-dramatic at times.
In the case of Megatron, Hugo Weaving says the lines with gusto and evil bravado, but with all the synthesizing done to his voice, it could have been Gary Coleman saying the lines when you get down to it. I've often disagreed with Transformers purists in the past, but I will agree with them on this: Frank Welker will always be THE classic Megatron voice, and his absence is certainly felt in this film.
As for the human cast, all of them do a performance that ranges from passable to quite good, but its young Shia Lebouf that definitely steals the show. I was greatly surprised and impressed by Shia's ability to say comedic dialog in a believable, human way, and its this attribute that makes his part as Sam truly endearing. You find yourself liking him, and this is crucial for the pacing of the story. Its no exaggeration that Shia's performance is the linchpin that keeps the film from falling apart, and I can honestly say I cant say that I can think of anyone better for the part. Nice call there Mike.
Transformers is a film that is great in a truly bona-fide way, and I enjoyed it immensely. I should warn parents that, besides the intense action, there are a few surprisingly crude jokes thrown into the skillet, among them the subject of masturbation.
Yeah, it made me pause too.
But aside from that, there's nothing to whine about. Buy that ticket, crack open a box of Mike-n-Ikes and a bottle of Volt, and hang on for the best flick of the summer.
Roll out.