Flawless FX marred by Flawed Script

Rating: 7/10 (12 July 2007)

This is going to be a cliché review of a cliché movie. First of all, I really really like the movie. The FX is awesome, the pace is non-stop, the jokes are funny. However, all of these are to be expected when you go into the theater. So I'm going to focus on the unexpected.
First of all, there are no bad guys. Well, no bad humans, that is. Everyone is trying at their best to stop the real bad guys - the Decepticons. Sure the Section 7 secret agent starts out like an @$$, but in the end, he still kinda redeem himself a little when he's fighting the Decepticon spy Frenzy.
Second, the humans are not dumb. This is good. I'm particular delighted that the special forces quickly figure out the enemy's weaknesses, and are actually able to lend a helping hand to the Autobots during the fights.
Now the bad.
Way too many characters. Is it really necessary to throw in a Black hacker-geek? What's the point of the boy hanging up-side-down on the tree? I guess Michael Bay wants to show there are lots of stuff going on, many are just mundane, so it adds a layer of believability. However, what it does is added 20 extra minutes that could make it a lot tighter and better film.
Too much time spend on the second chapter, around Sam's house. I understand it is important to build a relationship between the Autobots and Sam, but it drags on and on and on. So even though the movie's 140min, I was not really satisfied with the last battle. For me, it's too short, especially the fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron. And the way Megatron was destroyed was a total let-down.
Which brings me to Megatron. Hugo Weaving the voice acting is bad-ass, but Megatron's design is way too grotesque. He looks more like a giant metal Freddy Krueger than an evil general or an evil king, which is actually what he should be like. And what's with the transforming to an airplane? All the Cybertronians get their looks from some kind of vehicle on Earth, so where did Megatron get his disguise when he's been frozen for thousands of years? And why doesn't he transform in to a giant kick-ass laser canon? Being a plane, it was actually hard for me to tell Megatron and Starscream apart.
Anyway, a really exciting movie, lots of enjoyment, with some giant holes as well.