Bring on the nostalgia!

Rating: 6/10 (28 July 2007)

I have to admit I loved this film and, perhaps, as someone who was a child in the Eighties at the height of the Transformers craze has some bearing on that. I was a tomboy who loved the toys and watched the cartoon on Saturday mornings so there is a certain amount of sentimental nostalgia when watching this film. However, that doesn't detract from the fact this was a very enjoyable blockbuster.
The premise of 'Transformers' sees war between two robotic races-- the Autobots, who are good and honourable, and the Decepticons, who are evil and cruel-- on the planet of Cybertron as they are vying for control of the powerful Allspark weapon. The weapon eventually finds its way to Earth but, in his search for it, the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, is frozen in the polar ice cap. Years later, seventeen-year-old Sam buys his first car, unaware it is Bumblebee, one of the Autobots who have come to Earth to find the Allspark. War again is looming between the Autobots and Decepticons, this time with Earth as the battleground.
The human characters of Sam, his girlfriend Mikaela, the military and government people aren't irritating distractions from the robots. Sam is old enough to realistically be embroiled in this situation without coming across as some precocious little moppet who should be tucked at home in bed and we should be thankful they chose the main character to be seventeen instead of ten. Shia LeBeouf, who played Sam, brought humour and the human touch to the film. It also made a pleasant change to see the military portrayed to have some brains instead of carrying on like a bunch of reckless fools who make moronic decisions time-and-again.
As for the robots, the CGI used was of excellent quality. The visual effects were able to re-create them in a manner that doesn't leave the audience sitting there thinking, 'this is so fake', which would have ruined the film. The robots were also depicted in a manner that gave them individual personalities that brought their characters to life, which was essential because these aren't meant to be mindless drones.
This film is, ultimately, a Hollywood blockbuster, not some deep-thinking epic. People do need to remember that when judging 'Transformers'. The plot is involving without requiring a vast intellect or powerful thoughts and yes, there are plenty of explosions and fight scenes. Take it for what it is and I imagine many people upwards of twelve who just want to see a fun film will enjoy this. It is definitely a must for those in their twenties who grew up with Transformers; nothing like re-living your childhood once again!