Are all the critics fans of the original?

Rating: 10/10 (30 July 2007)

From reading through these reviews, the guys or girls (pretty sure they're guys? seem to be more miffed about the fact that back story and original characters weren't stuck to, and that the 'writers' are at fault and therefore this is a bad film. But this isn't a bad film! It's a great summer blockbuster, exactly what it was written to be and it has been produced, directed and marketed in exactly the same way.
However, most people when they go to the cinema, like myself, go there to enjoy what they are seeing, not to sit there thinking "well this is a bit like Michael Bay's other films..." - I'm by no means a fan of Michal Bay, not by a long shot. I could even criticise him for gratuitous shots of the military in action, however I found all of that quite interesting and admittedly a little bit scary. I'm referring to the processes of communication that go from 'order' to 'action' that were shown during the military involvement not the more Top-Gun esquire shots of men running to fighter jets in slow motion.
I think it's quite clear from the trailers that the film isn't a dark science fiction piece, a commentary on the fear of technology in a dark futuristic utopia. It's grounding is in the action, the battle, and the destruction potentially at stake. I'm so pleased I didn't read any reviews before seeing the film, and I advise anyone else, as objectively as possible as I'm not a huge fan of the franchise and never was, to go and see the film and make your own opinion. I haven't been that entertained in a cinema screen since 1999, with the visual treat that was 'the Matrix.' The characters are faultless as they make up much of the plot, and their interventions make it more interesting, but I'm not going to say too much on that because it depends on what films you usually go and see, but I didn't see too many clichés and there weren't moments where you find yourself cringing at how corny it was, if anything there are moments that will probably surprise you, and keep you hooked throughout the duration. There was just enough development of the robots on both sides that meant it wasn't exhaustive or too much for those who aren't fans of the original franchise to keep up.
Oh and anyone who criticises the graphics or visuals of the film, are talking rubbish. Like I say... Transformers is the next revolution akin to how the Matrix changed things before the new century. For fans or critics who are complaining because they are nit-picking about human involvement during the fighting, or because of sub-plots, or humorous elements that weren't instigated by the robots... try and think of the film as a disaster movie, except it's not a natural disaster per Se, it's giant robot aliens who are having a big fight here on Earth. Had they been fighting anywhere else would it be as entertaining? No, it would not, and no one would care unless they were a fan of the original and sadly, in terms of how many people the makers want to see the film, they're trying to branch out to people like me, in the majority, who no doubt will enjoy it too!