Awful

Rating: 3/10 (3 December 2011)

Cool effects, but absolutely nothing else. The story was too thin to carry it longer than a half hour, yet it runs 2.5 hours. There isn't one likable character (though John Malkovich and Ken Jeong are pretty funny in their brief appearances). Many characters are introduced late in movie, and then only because more bodies are needed to populate the screen. I'm not really certain who the intended audience is here. Hasbro produced the movie, ostensibly to keep the toys selling. Yet, the movie is clearly not for kids. Autobot violence is one thing, but there are scenes with guns that go too far. The language is also too strong for kids, with several s--t and even a couple f-bombs dropped in for bad measure. It is also much too silly to be taken seriously by adults. Despite a couple tearful attempts, there is no heart or soul to it. The direction is very inept and Bay seems to still be getting the hang of melding live-action with CG action. I suppose he will keep going until the toys stop selling.