Looking past the hype... disappointment for a long time Transformers fan

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2007)

As a kid growing up in the 80's I was of course a fan of the Transformers. I still own a bunch of cool action figures and I never thought I'd see it as a live action movie.
The trailers were pretty good so I was excited and hyped, and as usual went to watch it on the opening night.
Unfortunately the movie falls short. I knew of course it was meant to be a blockbuster and it should be straightforward enough to please anyone. However the plot is REALLY lacking in depth and the characters range from interesting to pathetic.
Don't get me wrong there are a lot of good actors in this movie and they all go to waste playing mediocre rolls. The Defense Secretary is ridiculous, John Turturro's role as Agent Simmons is also completely idiotic. Shia LaBeouf is good and Megan Fox, although not a bad actress, has a stereotypical "misunderstood babe who looks shallow" role.
The CGI is amazing of course but it just can't hold the weak plot. The transformers lack personality (except 2 or 3) and are in many ways unfaithful to the series.
I wish they'd focus more on the plot and made a better movie. As a fan I'm sad to see this reduced to just another blockbuster with ridiculous characters, constant and exaggerated comic relief (IT DOESN'T STOP!), and a forgettable story.
It really could've been so much more...