A Mixed Bag - A Transformer Fan Review

Rating: 6/10 (7 July 2007)

I came to a summer matinée blockbuster not expecting much, but rewarded far beyond my expectations. Transformers is a pleaser on many fronts. Main favorite characters are there, in pseudo-recognizable form, and many of the personality traits of the beloved television characters are there, as well as the voices. The movie is genuinely funny at times, and I am hard to please. The interaction between the humans and the Transformers is artfully written and acted. However, to my supreme disappointment, neither Starscream's voice (Cobra Commander) nor Megatron's voice is similar to the old series (Optimus', however...awesome). However their personalities and especially one-liners seem ripped from the comic book. If any of you out there are Starscream fans, you'll love the stuff he says. =) The cons: 1. No Soundwave. They have one of the little guys (Frenzy, I think) doing Soundwave's part as intelligence engineer. 2. No Shockwave. 3. No Ultra Magnus. 4. Too many ridiculously hot chicks. I mean, there's such a thing as a good amount, and then there's too much. 5. OBVIOUSLY Military funded! The entire movie is a 2 hour recruiting spot for the U.S. Army, filled with pro-war slogans, like "No Sacrifice, No Victory," and "You're a Soldier Now! You HAVE to do it!," and "For These Guys (soldiers), Losing's Not an Option!" It reminds me of Starship Troopers. Planes and tanks are destroyed, but only one actual soldier is seen dying, after a 3 minute battle between a detachment of Rangers and a downsized Skorpicon. Somehow, they are capable of holding off a 20-ton armor plated robot firing plasma wave cannons and heat seeking missile packs while hiding behind sandstone walls in Iraq and using hand grenades and M-16 fire. Gimme a break, kids. (The military stuff is the biggest downside, not that I don't support the troops, but I don't support the Iraq war, or war in general, and I don't think it's a good thing in any movie to make war appear to be anything other than what it really is. See Saving Private Ryan, that's the truth about war.) The whole military thing is the biggest drawback, in my opinion.
Other than that stuff, awesome!