Certainly "More than meets the eye"

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2007)

OK I'm rating this movie on the basis of what it is- A sci-fi movie about big robots that can transform into mechanical objects on earth.
This is an event movie, a summer blockbuster, a no brains action/comedy film. I will not give this the critical eye of which I might give when reviewing something like the "English Patient" or the "Constant Gardener". This film is not trying to be anything other than what I described above.
So is it any good?! Well yes it is, many elements of the film are extremely well conceived and pulled off.
The Cast- Well that was OK, Shia LeBeouf plays the character of Sam Witwicky with charisma, style and competence. I great find for mainstream cinema. The rest of the cast don't have much to do or input into the story. Megan Fox certainly looks stunning, but it stops there, Josh Duhamel provides some slight acting gravitas, but is under-used. Sam's parents played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White both give fantastically likable performances. Overall the casting and performance of the cast was pretty good if not spectacular.
The Effects- Well hats of to them, this film is quite the spectacle thanks to those extraordinary CGI robots. All of them good and bad look absolutely amazing. This movie has a Jurrasic park feel to it regarding CGI, you feel that you are witnessing the next step of effects.
The Story/Script- OK lets pass on this one, its a let down, not much to it and very weak. I think they certainly could have put a little more effort into this than they obviously did.
Direction- Typical Michael Bay, loads of explosions, loads of jumpy camera movements, loads of slow-motion, loads of sunlight, etc etc...... Overall I was satisfied with what he did.
Overall- 2 hours of class no brain entertainment, its funny, charming at times, and exceptionally well made. As I'm from the generation that played with the original toys and watched the G1 cartoons I wasn't that disappointed about the changes. So go along, pay your money then sit back and enjoy a fantastic spectacle.
******** out of **********
Points lost for poor character arc's and a pretty weak plot and script. As a comedy action event movie its pretty good, and in my opinion is a much more entertaining than all the other sequel event movies so far this year.....Spider-man and Captian Jack better watch their backs, as there are new boys in town......