Watchable , but not without its problems....

Rating: 5/10 (2 August 2007)

Transformers is a mixed bag. For every great moment, there's something corny and annoying to counteract it, resulting in a patchy viewing experience that's watchable but filled with flaws that stop the film from being first rate.
The transformers themselves look amazing; they are well realised visual effects that are stunning to watch. But whenever they're not on screen (which, sadly, is often) you have to sit through a holey plot that focuses on tons of one dimensional soldier and geeky hacker characters who do not need to be there. The only interesting human characters are the witwicky family who are a likable, quirky bunch .If the transformers and the witwickys were the main focus of the movie then things would be a lot easier on the attention span .
What's great about the film is its sense of humour, the jokes are well timed and hit their mark perfectly (although some of the humour is unintentional).Even the autobots are in on the chuckles (look out for what bumble bee does to john tutorro) .
Surprisingly, things are a bit disappointing on the action side of things. Sure, there are huge action sequences but they are so poorly shot and edited that you'll have to squint to see them . You'd think that Michael bay would want the audience to have a clear uninterrupted view of the millions of dollars worth of robot action on screen , but puzzlingly he does the exact opposite and decides to shoot almost every action sequence with violently shaky, amateurish camera work. Not recommended for anyone with motion sickness......
Transformers is filled with annoying and unnecessary bits but it's a watchable film with great visual effects and a welcome sense of humour.