Less Than Meets The Eye.

Rating: 4/10 (14 April 2008)

So, okay, I guess I'm the only one who's not a critic who didn't like this movie. I'll be honest, this movie was a big disappointment, and my least favorite of the summer so far.
Transformers delivered on its promise of stunning action and visual effects. The opening sequence in Qatar was literally jaw-dropping. My friend next to me had to push my mouth back up. Absolutely stunning. The final 45 minutes were also full of jaw-dropping visual effects, the most amazing shot being Optimus and Megatron flying through a building in downtown Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, there's another hour and twenty minutes of the movie that we have to sit through. The plot for this movie is barely enough to cover two hours, let alone close to two and a half. The Decepticons are evil and want to use the Allspark to turn Earth into their new empire. The Autobots have to stop them. That's it. So Bay fills the rest of the movie with total filler material that's about as necessary as the cannibal island in Pirates 2 (meaning completely unnecessary).
There is almost no characterization for any of the main characters. There is no depth or motivation for any character. Sam wants to score. Mikaela is there for eye candy. The Sector 7 agent is there for humor only (not to mention poorly executed humor). The Secretary of Defense is there to have a veteran actor on board. The chick hacker is there for eye candy.
And that's just the humans. The Transformers have no character development whatsoever. They're giant five-story tall robots that transform into cars and blow things up. Nothing more. There are no relationships explored between robots. The closest we come to character development for them is Megatron's line, "You fail me yet again, Starscream." That's it. In the final battle sequence, I found myself disinterested because I didn't care who won. I didn't really care if any of them died. No motivation was explored on either side. It was just Autobots vs. Decepticons. That's just boring.
Another thing. I'm able to suspend belief for movies if I have to. I'm a seasoned 24 viewer. But I can't throw believability out the window. Come on. A five-story robot literally pissing on some guy. Give me a freaking break. It's hard enough even accepting that there are five- story tall robots that transform into cars. When you have them do really stupid things like that, you destroy any possible credibility that the movie may have.
Bay also tries to insert campy humor into the movie. He fails miserably. The only time I laughed while watching the movie was when the soldier (don't know his name) in Qatar was on the phone with the operator who was asking him about a credit card. That was it. The cheesy humor puts more nails in the grave marked "Credibility and Believability".
Finally, we have this massive battle in downtown Los Angeles. Massive death, destruction, and mayhem. And in the end, the government buries the evidence and goes about their normal business. Come on! Like you could cover that up. That's like trying to cover up the destruction of the White House. It's just not possible. Completely impossible. That put the credibility coffin six feet under.
So, in the end, this movie focuses on eye candy and nothing else. The effects are eye- popping and jaw dropping. But eye candy will not float a film. To get a really good and entertaining film, you need:
1) characters you care about 2) a plot that is more than twenty words when boiled down 3) stunning action (on which Transformers delivers 4) believability and credibility
And all Transformers has is eye candy. It is certainly not "more than meets the eye". 3/10.
You also know it's not good when one of the trailer you see (1-18-08) is as memorable as the movie itself. If you want a great action movie this summer, go see Live Free or Die Hard or The Bourne Ultimatum.