Transform and roll out!

Rating: 8/10 (5 July 2007)

I tried not to look up too much on the Transformers movie beforehand, because I wanted a fresh experience when I did see it. These days it's possible to find out pretty much everything about any big movie before you even see it, and I didn't want that to happen to me. I also hadn't seen any of Michael Bay's movies previous to this, so I didn't come in with any preconceived notions about the director. As someone who was a kid back in the G1 days, I haven't really kept up with any of the current story lines since Beast Wars. There are also some scenes interspersed with the credits, so it pays to not leave as soon as the credits roll.
The good: The special effects were spectacular, as expected. You really got a sense of how *big* and awesome the TFs are. There are some funny moments to break the tension, including some that had the entire theater in stitches. The main characters got a lot of characterization and there was a good human angle on the story. Prime's voice is done by his original VA, Peter Cullen (who sounds older than he did in the G1 cartoon, but I suppose that's because he IS older). There are also some memorable quotes pulled from the first TF movie.
The bad: While I understand the need for updated vehicle modes, I wish that the TF's robot forms looked closer to their G1 counterpart's, even if it was just in the facial features. If you're familiar with the Alternators toy line, they're a good example of how IMHO the TFs *should* look in robot mode. Some of the TFs got very few lines, and thus not much in the way of characterization. I would have preferred there to be some interaction scenes between the Decepticons, to show their personalities better. The movie didn't use the 'transforming sound', it's just kind of a mechanical clanking and whirring.
The neutral: The story deviates from the classic G1 storyline on how the TFs came to Earth. It's still 'giant alien robots come to Earth' but the details are different. Prime has the face shield, but it's retractable and he spends most of his screen time with it off. It's kind of odd for me to see him with a mouth, but then again, this isn't the first time he's had one. Some of the characters do get killed, but due to their lack of characterization, it's hard for me to feel for them like I did when characters died in the first TF movie. There is some swearing and sexually themed jokes, so I don't know about taking really young kids to see it if you're hung up on stuff like that, but teens should be fine.
Overall, this movie is full of win and well worth the $9 it cost me to see it.