A Major Improvement Over FALLEN

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2012)

REVENGE OF THE FALLEN was an abomination. Seriously, it was crap. I was a fan of the first TRANFORMERS movie, but the second was almost enough for me to write off the series completely. Now, I understood that there was a lot of behind-the-scenes trouble during the second movie's development/production, so when the time came that the third movie, DARK OF THE MOON, was to be released I could barely muster any interest. I almost passed on it, but I enjoyed the first movie enough and the reviews coming out claiming that the third film was actually decent blockbuster fodder convinced me to give it a shot. I did, and I'm happy to say that it was a lot better than I expected. Not good enough to rank as one of the best movies of 2011, but fun enough that I haven't totally given up hope on the franchise (because let's be honest, this series isn't done yetnot while it keeps making bank at the box office). In this movie, it's explained that America's sudden eagerness to reach the moon during the 60's space race was the result of a mysterious craft's crash landing. The first men to walk on the moon discovered a Cybertronian secret that would remain buried for decades. In present day, Optimus Prime and the Autobots are angered to discover that the humans have been keeping this secret from them and demand access to the craft and it's contents. We discover that the craft is the Ark, a ship sent from Cybertron during the war containing a secret to ensure the continuing survival of the Cybertronian race.
For starters, I should mention that the story in this movie is actually coherent. It's amazing how much better things turn out when your writers aren't on strike. The plot is pretty slim (though I love the premise: integrating man's first landing on the moon with the Transformers canon), but that's to be expected in a movie where the big interest is the visuals. If there's one thing that can be counted on in a Transformers movie, it's that the CG will be spectacular. They've had three movies to perfect these effects, so yeah, they're pretty awesome. Quick complaint about the CG: the computer-generated JFK. It sucked and stuck out horribly. The Transformers themselves look great and the action is seamless and intense. The battles in this movie are done a lot better than in the previous movie because you can actually see what is going on. With that said, I've got to saythe fights in this movie are pretty brutal. I was surprised. I mean, the whole series is based on a collection of children's toys and a cartoon. When the Transformers fight in this movie, robots are being dismembered. "Blood" is spurting. Death gurgles. Heads ripped off and even a "spine" being ripped out. Seriously, you replace the robots with humans in this movie and you've got a hard-R rated action film. I'm not complaining, I'm justwow. A bit out of place but pretty cool nonetheless.
There's a lot of action in this movie. The last 45 minutes in the movie is a non-stop action sequence as Sam and the Autobots infiltrate a Decepticon-devastated Chicago. But, unlike the overlong action ending in REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, this one entertains. The majority of the regular cast returns here: Shia LeBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, etc. Even Sam's parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) get some screen time, though mercifully less than in the second movie. The only one missing is Megan Fox. Oh well. Her character was nothing more than eye candy in both of the first movies so, plot-wise, she won't be missed. Nope, director Michael Bay merely replaced her with a different piece of eye candy, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. A Victoria's Secret model, Rosie's acting history is limited. But that's OK, because the only thing this character needs to do in Michael Bay's Transformer movies is look good in slow motion and show off the goods when necessary. And that's all she does. Mission accomplished? Speaking of Michael Bay, I guess he's had a good run with the Transformers series but, in my opinion, it's time for him to let go. Let another director have a chance to bring these larger-than-life robots to the big screen. He's done well (ok, except for FALLEN) but his shtick is getting stale. His obsession with the military is becoming overbearing in these movies. I get it, he likes the armed forces and has some friends inside that let him use the cool stuff. But I didn't come to this movie to see Bay's military toys, I came to watch giant robots kick each other's butts. Enough, man. I also think the character of Sam Witwicky has run his course. Let him remain as a supporting character in future films, but pass the torch to a new leading man. New director, new characters, more robots. Time for an overhaul. Well, time will tell where this series will go in the future (and there's already a release date scheduled for a fourth film). On the bright side, DARK OF THE MOON was fun enough that I'm willing to see another in theaters. If you were a fan of the first movie, then DARK OF THE MOON probably won't disappoint you.