Good entertainment action flick....but could have been more.

Rating: 6/10 (14 June 2008)

Hmm where do i start...well this movie really wasn't all the bad everyone was expecting it to be, yet it had moments where it could have been better. The acting was OK, Shia did a decent job as Sam though i didn't see why they couldn't have had him called "Spike" once or twice here and there, to make reference of them 80's show and for someone to actually know thats him he's playing as. Cause i doubt highly many people, if not any, knew Spikes real name was Sam in the cartoon series...i don't think they ever mentioned that. But anyhow, it wasn't as big a deal.
Cullen rocked as Prime again, though you could sense in his voice that it was a lil deeper and edgier and not quite the 80s Cullen voice as prime but in general i think it was still a great job, despite some corny and unnecessary lines. What i really had fair beef with was the lack of characterization on the Decepticons. Thats what made them so loved and comical and very entertaining to see in the cartoon. But in this live action adaptation they were really not much different then the T-1000s from the Terminator movies....lifeless walking chaotic machines. There was no intrigue to them, you would've like to have seen At least some more dialog from StarScream who we all know was the most witty and had his very individual personality which set him apart from the rest of the Cons. But all there was was one line which he had with Megatron, that was a moment i relished in the movie and was waiting for more...but there wasn't. Speaking of Megatron, Hugo Weaving did excellent and was a great replacement for Peter Welker...i kinda understand why they decided to go with him and not Welker. My favorite parts where when he would use the same phrases as the 80's Megatron did...like Boy! and Pet!
I also loved the sequence when they first introduced the Autobots and you actually see them all transforming as the camera is shifting from Primes Feet to the other Bots. That part gave me goosebumps. The voices used for the Bots were good, Ratchet was my favorite you could believe the voice that it was him. Ironhide's was OK, still wished they had used someone like Sam Elliot. Jazz was good i didn't have much problem with his voice, all in all i was satisfied with the Autobots and their voices and characterization. The ending was surprisingly good, and made me already anxious for the sequel, which i hope when they're making it give a lil more attention to the Decepticons but either way, im sure will be a great movie w/e they do.
Since i gave the Animated movie a 8 out of 10 im gonna give this one a 7. So, until 2009 comes.....Roll Out!