Very good no-brain action. And that's no bad thing.

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2007)

I must admit - the most I've ever experienced of Transformers before I saw the movie was a Megatron toy I had as a kid, so I had no connections to the universe before. I went into the theater expecting nothing but action and I got what I came for. After all, if you watch a movie featuring a battle between giant morphing robots, who reign destruction on each other (and Earth) and expect a revolution in storytelling, or ingenious twists and turns in regards to plot or characters, you're stupid... to say the very least.
Now, in regards to the plot: I've read quite a few reviews where people complain that the story is confusing and difficult to understand, just because you have to learn a few new words, like "Autobots", "Decepticons" and "Allspark". Those reviewers must be deliberately daft. I mean, how hard can it be? Good and evil robots race to find the same ancient artifact. Evil robots want to use it to rule the universe. Good robots want to destroy said artifact to prevent evil robots from ruling the universe. What's the problem exactly?
And with a plot like that, I find it nice, that the movie does not take itself to seriously, meaning that there is a lot of humor, especially in the first part. Instead of having serious discussions, travel montages etc., you have a bunch of gags, that ensures a light and easy entrance into the characters, the story and so on. In regards to the characters. Yes, there might very well be a connection to the name of the main character, Sam, and "Uncle Sam", but let's just leave that. Instead, Megan Fox deserves mention... The screen almost melts when she is on it. Yes, sometimes the director spends just a tad too long focusing on her (very) pretty face, but even so, it's hard to actually get enough of her in this movie :) The other actors play their role as expected (Jon Voigt is solid in this one), but special mention must come to the animators at ILM for their job on the robots. From the first kick-ass scene where an airbase is being decimated by a single robot, all the way through to the (to say the least) explosive finale, this is the kind of film that makes you want to become an animator... at ILM. To name a particular scene, it must be the one, where a robot tumbles down a busy street. To avoid hitting an innocent bystander, he fires two shots down into the ground to propel himself over said innocent bystander. I can barely imagine how much fun and play-time the animators must have had making this. All the robots kick serious metal butt, all the way through the movie. If nothing else, the robots make the movie worth watching. Watching them fight, dodge rockets and other shots, and especially watching them transform at blinding speeds just to keep on fighting each other, without slowing down is a joy to watch.
Basically, when you watch this movie, you're getting an evenings worth of pure entertainment: There's no intricate plot in this movie. It's straight action from start to finish, mixed with a handful of gags to lighten the mood. Throw in awesome effects, an ultra-hot Megan Fox and the coolest robots of all time. This is an evening of pure, relaxing fun.
If you need to cool off your brain after thinking too much about something, this is definitely a movie for you. If you like pretty girls, and Megan Fox in particular, this is definitely a movie for you. If you're looking for a movie with killer giant-robot-action, this is definitely a movie for you. If you're into animation and CG-effects and want to see, what the technology is capable of at its' greatest, this is definitely a movie for you.
All in all, this one is very recommended.