Worth the admission, but leaves a lot to improve

Rating: Null/10 (29 June 2007)

Personally, I give Transformers a rating of 7.8 -- high enough for a movie that is intended to entertain. Michael Bay's shortcomings persist, but it's still well worth the admission.
Best plot layouts and dialogs are within the 1st hour, most of which I doubt are Spielberg' efforts, not those of Michael Bay (MB for short). Top-class sitcom jokes except the Chris Rock-like cliché performed by Antony Anderson.
The quality goes downhill from where good robots hide from the parents. Lengthy, repetitious, with too few punchlines.
In the fight in the last third of the movie, MB's usual weaknesses go abound.
Superfluous, childish heart-warming dialogs and background music (reminds you of Peal Harbor. Did MB read too many "Washington cut the cherry tree" stories?). Contrary to the 1st hour, multi-threaded plot lines begin to scatter here and there. And don't forget the meaningless slow motion takes.
But this part edges out in special effects. The ensemble is not too sloppy, compared with camera manipulation of his previous works.
As a whole, it's a must see, but leaves a lot of room too improve.
To me, MB is a 2nd-class director. There's must be something missing in his character,unable to judge "what's to be left and left out in movie composition." I wish this film would have been directed by James Cameron, Steven Spielber, Tony Scott,or even Ang Lee. MB probably will never be on the same level of the above-mentioned great directors.