Does exactly what it says in the tin (or battle-worn chassis I should say)

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2007)

I braved the torrential rain last night to go see the UK midnight screening of Transformers. But the real thunder was inside the theatre.
First, off ignore the snotty critics who have an issue with the premise. Anyone who goes to see a Transformers movie should be ready for metallic brawls and cheesy dialogue. The film gets off to a rip-roaring start, settles down into the story and closes with an extended smackdown between Autobots and Decepticons.
The special effects are astounding and will surely bag an Oscar next year, whilst the main performances from Shia LeBeouf and Peter Cullen were brilliant. Fans will be pleased to see various elements in tact from the cartoon. Bumblebee and Sam/Spike's special friendship is the main success at the heart of the film. Also, the Autobot dialogue is pretty much lifted from the cartoon with Megatron and Prime taunting and exchanging dialogue during their climactic fight.
The humour was spot-on although it felt more forced as the film got down to business. Typical Bay-isms were all present and correct, which leads me to my main criticism. The action was at times disorientating and hard to distinguish. Transformers dive past the camera so quickly that it spoils an otherwise flawless sequence.
If anyone was left disappointed by the lack of Decepticon footage, then I'm sure the inevitable sequel will up the stakes. All in all, the film did exactly what it set out to do and I have no issue with that.