What a summer movie should be

Rating: 8/10 (2 July 2011)

First let me start of by saying that I was a big fan of the first Transformers movie. In my opinion it was exactly what I was looking for in a summer movie. It had lots of action, excellent effects and was a great way to spend a summer evening. The second on the other hand was a step down from the first. The seconds biggest downfall was the fact that it lacked a coherent story. I have tried hard to piece together everything that happens in the second movie and link it together but I cannot. It does not advance the story in anyway and it seems it was made primarily to make money and to give Michael Bay the chance to blow stuff up and show us sexy shots of Megan Fox. In other words the second one sucked big time (and everyone from Michael Bay to the actors have said as much). Going into this third Transformers film I was not sure what to expect. The previews for it were good and it seemed as though this one had coherent plot. However, the memories of the second still lingered and I was prepared to be disappointed again. That was not the case. TF3 was everything I wanted and more. First off there is a coherent and easy to follow story line, which was a welcome departure from the second. Second the film does an excellent job of evoking emotions. If you do not hate the character Dylan by the time the Chicago battle starts something is wrong with you. Third is the action. As with every Michael Bay film the action and effects are typically at the forefront. This film is no exception. The effects in this movie are incredible. The entire last hour of the film is a climatic battle in the streets of Chicago. There is a lot of autobot and decepticon fighting (much more than in the previous two). Furthermore Bay shows the ruthlessness of the decepticons in graphic detail. The battle of Chicago begins with an intense attack on the city by the decepticons. Bay shows them destroying the city and also it's human inhabitants. Another excellent scene is a car chase about halfway through the movie. It is an incredible scene. The big question is how good is the 3D in this movie. This is the best 3D I have seen since Avatar. This entire battle of Chicago needs to be seen in 3D. It is a breathtaking battle and I cannot imagine seeing it any other way. As with most live action films there are scenes where the 3D is not utilized as effectively as it could be, but those are few and far between. Basically see this movie in 3D, it is worth the price. This movie is lacking in several areas and many of them have already been covered by other reviewers. Basically the acting is okay, it is not great, but it is also not awful. There are several cringe worthy lines in this one (one in particular is delivered by Optimus just before the battle of Chicago kicks into high gear). The humor, although not as prevalent and not nearly as bad is still there. The good definitely out weighs the bad in this movie. It is a perfect summer blockbuster. I loved it and I highly recommend it. Very rarely do I see people clapping at the end of movies, but the audience I saw it with clapped several times throughout the movie and also at the end.