Fun all round

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2007)

If you're a child of the 80's and you saw the original (and still best) Transformers cartoon, then the prospect of the Transformers film would have both excited you and given you pause. After all, we're talking about a legend here. Optimus Prime, Megatron et all are names that any kid of the 80's knows and the film had to do them justice.
I'm pleased to say that it did, for the most part, with Prime and the other Autobots being well represented. The storyline was a bit thin, and used mostly as a vehicle to generate action sequences, but the amazing look of the film makes up for it. The Transformers look incredibly realistic, and the human contingent keep the events of the film relevant, preventing the film from descending into an FX-laden slag fest, and after a time you start to like the goofy teenage kid.
What was lacking from the film was any fleshing out of the Decepticons. Megatron barely features in the film until the final act, so gone is the chance to depict the Megatron/Starscream rivalry of the series. In fact, none of the Decepticons are really shown all that much. The action sequences are a bit chaotic sometimes and you can't tell which Transformer is which.
Other than that, the film is a visual treat and the element of wry humour is another appealing factor. An entertaining film!