More than meets the eye.

Rating: 8/10 (15 July 2008)

My Take: Subtlety is not in the name of Michael Bay, but boring isn't either.
"Pump up the volume! I like that special effect, but make it look more real! Now, I like that shot, well done!" That's what probably Michael Bay said repetitively, other than "Action!" and "Cut!", all throughout his latest summer blockbuster TRANSFORMERS, and when it is what you've come to hope for (big, glossy, silly and noisy), then TRANSFORMERS is the best, most anticipated and enjoyable rides of the summer. Does it live up to the hype? Never thought so before. When I saw the trailers and posters set up for advertising the film, I though this would just be another summer popcorn movie that's doing its job. I also though it would just be another exhibition of the newest line of special effects available at the department, something that director Michael "Kaboom" Bay is more comfortable to make.
I stand corrected. While it is silly, dumb and has no ambition to write, TRANSFORMERS works on the levels where it should work. The action keeps viewers on the go, and under the watchful eye of exec. producer Steven Spielberg and his Dreamworks crew, TRANSFORMERS has touches of class (a class of its own that is). Shia LaBeouf plays Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets himself involved into a plot to save the world when his "new" car turns out to be one of the Autobots, a race of machines set to save the earth from their enemies, the Decepticons. They're also in search of an object called the Allspark, also known as "The Cube" before the Decepticons rest their dirty hands on them, therefore fulfilling their plans for intergalactic supremacy. Along the way, the film juices up a few subplots including Sam flirting with the hottest chick in his school, played by model/actress Megan Fox. There's also subplots concerning a bunch of American soldiers (mainly Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson) and their families, but it's rarely exercised and almost utterly forgotten.
TRANSFORMERS may not have much of a plot, and if it does, it feels like it's been written by a bunch of kids playing with their Transformers toys. But what's weak in plot is more than made up for pure summer movie entertainment. Bay booms up the sound system, making it quite possibly the loudest summer movie since Bay's own films like THE ROCK and BAD BOYS. The special effects are triumphant creations, making the famous gang of Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee and the lot far beyond their plastic toy origins. Every single rust and scratch is captured by the film's creative and industrious effects crew. The fights scenes, most especially during the early moments of the film are especially exciting. The problem that lies on its never-lacking amount of action is that in almost overstays its welcome. The film runs at about 144 minutes tops (that's more than 2 hours!), much too long for a movie that doesn't intend to make much sense. The film could have cut at least 30 minutes or so of special effects and have nothing to risk losing.
Still, while surely not free of its flaws, TRANSFORMERS is everything you can ask for in a summer action entertainment. It may not offer anything more in bargain, but it deserves much credit for offering one of the better times I've experienced at the movies during the year.
Rating: **** out of 5.