Movie of the year 2007!!!

Rating: 10/10 (2 August 2007)

At 2 1/2 hours, "Transformers" is a impressive movie with a lot of special effects. At stake is protecting whatever parts of Earth aren't destroyed in battles between warring metallic factions from outer space. The film starts off like an alien-invasion picture, telling the Transformers story as though it were "Independence Day." The new movie offers a much better time than that one.Transformers, of course, comprise the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons . Both factions are imposing robots who contort themselves to become machines like trucks and supersonic fighter jets. In a dicey bit of cross-promotion, the movie uses the occasion to hawk Hummers, Pontiac roadsters, and GMC trucks, which are some of the vehicles Autobots turn into. The Decepticons become ominous cop cars ("to punish and enslave" reads the motto) and anonymous military vehicles -- more intimidating but harder to buy.In any case, they've brought the fight on their planet to this one. Both sides are in pursuit of a cubed life-force called the Allspark that in Decepticon hands could turn simple machines into robotic weapons of destruction. But there's a horny teenage boy unwittingly in the way. His name is Sam Witwicky , and to play this smart Aleck on a parental short leash, Shia LaBeouf seems just to have wandered over from the set of "Disturbia."Based on a line of Hasbro toys, Transformers puts the fun back into movie-going, blending comedy with the robot action and adding a dash of romance along with eye candy for both sexes into a film that never takes itself seriously yet doesn't poke fun at or offend those who grew up loving the toys. Smartly cast with awe-inspiring special effects, Bay and company have created more than just a movie. Catch it in a theater because on DVD it just won't be the same. Watching Transformers on the big screen is a real cinematic experience. The preview crowd I was with cheered the robot heroes and really interacted with the film (not to the degree it was annoying), totally caught up in what was unfolding on the screen. And strangely enough, the idea of robots battling each other with the future of mankind hanging in the balance almost seems plausible because of how ingeniously the make believe world of Autobots and Decepticons has been brought to life in Transformers. A+