The coolest commercial I have ever seen...

Rating: 3/10 (22 October 2007)

I have to say that I watched this movie out of curiosity, people have been raving about it since it hit theaters and now that it is on DVD I decided to give it a go... No amount of spit and polish can hide the fact that Transformers is pure garbage. So let me start with the high points. The CGI is beautiful. I have experience with 3D modeling and animation and must say that my mind was blown by all of the beautiful transformation sequences and details in each robot. The team behind Transformers will surely get the Oscar for best special effects and deservingly so. The rest of the movie is mediocre at best... The foundation of any decent movie is its screenplay and this movie is a compilation of stupid character archetypes, clichés and failed attempts at humor that reinforce the summer movie money whoring feel. Slightly nerdy, doesn't quite fit in protagonist: CHECK. Sexy, slightly snobbish girl who needs to be won over by protagonist: CHECK. Life altering encounter with object that alters the ordinary world: CHECK. Source of conflict found in one all powerful artifact: CHECK. The dialogue is riddled with goofy lines that have come to be expected in crappy movies based on comic books and any theme is an afterthought since Michael Bay's only concern is filling every frame with things that go boom and special effects. Bay is what I fear most, an anti-artist out to make millions for movie studios every summer. His movies are empty and formulaic and aimed at the masses for maximum monetary return. He undoes the work of so many great filmmakers that has come before him by allowing audiences to escape into a ridiculous world where they are in no way thrust into cognition. Have Bergman, Fellini, Truffaut, Bunuel, De Sica and Kurosawa's work been for nothing? Literature, cinema, and music are artistic arenas and as such all entries into these forums should be judged on their artistic merit. Period. My biggest grievance is the fact that this film felt like a 143 minute commercial. Not since The Wizard have I seen a film that promotes a product so well. After watching I felt like I was being begged to buy a General Motors vehicle and joined the armed forces. It was disgusting. Performances are mediocre but it is really a moot point considering that the actors really didn't need to convey much, act surprised here, awkward there, courageous at the end... The usual. I beg anyone who has any respect for cinema to avoid this film and indulge in something of substance... To anyone who enjoyed this I implore you to take some time to try and enjoy something less commercial...