Bay's all-too-familiar approach falls flat

Rating: Null/10 (11 July 2007)

Overblown, clunky sci-fi/action movie about a young high school nerd who has never had the courage to pursue his sexy, popular classmate. He reaches a milestone when he buys his first car, only to discover that the car is actually one of many sophisticated alien robots that have come to Earth to fight a definitive battle against a rival robotic race. Despite having the prestigious Spielberg name attached, the latest project from director Michael Bay is—like most of his previous efforts—swift and flashy but equally hollow and cheesy; loud and annoyingly overlong it grabs your attention with destructive action scenes and high-octane, high-tech gadgetry that move at a breakneck pace, but who cares? An abundance of eye candy can't hide its lame characters, nearly nonexistent plot, and extraordinarily stupid dialogue that lead up to a noisy, video game-like climax. With sloppy direction, a corny script, and visual effects that try but fail to leave you in awe, this one really only works on a no-brainer level. **