Effects were spectacular, but the story could have been MUCH tighter.

Rating: 7/10 (7 July 2007)

The difference between this movie and Star Wars - why this will be a cult fave with a certain segment of society and not a timeless classic - is the lack of a tightly crafted story to hold the terrific special effects together.
There are characters that do not forward the story and disappear part way through the movie. There are new characters that should be introduced in the first three scenes that don't appear until mid way through and therefore don't have the impact they should.
Every film maker learns that job one is to make every scene move the story forward, and Michael Bay fails to do this, which results in a 2 hour+ movie that leaves you feeling a vague lack of something instead of a tight 1 hour 50 minute movie that ties up all loose ends and gives every story thread the expected pay off.
It's worth seeing if you love great special effects and "Independence Day" style alien a$$ kicking, but don't expect the completely satisfied feeling you get from seeing a great story brought to life on screen.