This epic conclusion will make a Transformers fan out of everyone

Rating: 7/10 (28 June 2011)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is Michael Bay's finest achievement. It is not his best film (that honour will always reside with The Rock), but it is his most mature film to date. After disappointing everyone including himself with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Bay went back to the drawing board with the final film in his robotic orgy of mayhem and destruction, and rehauled just about everything. While the results are not perfect, it shows that he may not be quite the hack we always thought he was. And that he knows exactly how to end things with a bang.
Picking up a few years after the travesty involving the Fallen, Dark of the Moon revolves around secret government coverups, the US/Russian space race of the 1960s, high-level assassinations, secret counter- terrorism ops involving the Autobots, and Sam Witwicky's (Shia LaBeouf) search to find his place in the world.
It may sound just as busy as the previous two films, but Dark of the Moon manages to let the story flow organically through the first two acts. It feels significantly more grounded immediately after it starts, and all the threads manage to lead somewhere. And rather surprisingly, there are very little action scenes splitting up the story beats. It stalls in some places due to a serious lack of editing, but I am willing to give more than enough credit to Bay and writer Ehren Kruger for composing something that actually held my interest and did not lose me twenty minutes in. The government intrigue and the blending of the Apollo 11 mission and infamous space race into the story was so incredibly well done that you almost forget you are watching a film about robots that can turn into cars.
But what is really impressive about the film is how grown up it feels. When I watched Transformers and Revenge of the Fallen, I knew I was watching slickly produced movies primarily sold to teenagers and young males. While watching Dark of the Moon, it felt like it was catering to a more adult audience. The dark nature of the film is simply astounding, and becomes downright brutal in some areas. I was really surprised by Bay's go-for-broke style, but it works for the tone the film strives for. There are more than a few shocking moments sprinkled throughout that really push the PG-13 rating of the film. I predict that some parents may take immediate issue with how violent the film becomes.
While the dark nature of the film flows throughout its excessive running time, the story comes to a screeching halt when it hits the third act and the massive battle scene begins. You may have read that it lasts almost an hour, and it comes pretty close. It is an absolutely insane, balls-to-the-wall action piece that simply needs to be seen to be believed. The blend of special effects, practical effects and 3D effects is simply outstanding. The addition of the real 3D effects helps make the battle, and the robot antagonists, feel more real than ever. Bay has staged some awesome fights in the previous two films, but this ridiculous heart-stopping battle is simply incredible and outdoes every single one. It is worth the price of admission alone, Transformers fan or not.
Of course, this is a Transformers film, so it is not without its fault. The 3D may be the best since Avatar, but it never really comes alive until the final act of the film. Leading up to that, it is just as underwhelming as every other 3D film you have seen recently. And as you likely have guessed, the film is far too long for its own good. Some scenes drag themselves out unnecessarily, and others are cut up way too quick.
But what really drags it out is the obscene level of comedy taking place before the epic battle starts. I mentioned how adult the film is, but it still attempts to bring in the child audience with goofy jokes and ridiculously zany performances from John Malkovich, John Turturro, Alan Tudyk and especially Ken Jeong. The previous two films seemed like they had a few too many jokes, but here they just feel forced and overdone. It makes the film feel desperate in some scenes to evoke the dark tone it is aiming for, and in other scenes feels like a complete betrayal.
Acting wise, there are not a lot of standouts. LaBeouf does his usual scared hero routine, and both Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson do their usual ass kicking routine. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is absolutely stunning eye-candy as Sam's new squeeze Carly, and she wisely does not even attempt to act. Frances McDormand does well in a thankless turn as a CIA honcho, but Patrick Dempsey is likely the only human character who gets to chew scenery and not overact while doing it. I have yet to be impressed with him as a film actor, but he gives a great performance here easily outshining everyone not playing a robot. Voicewise, Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving are excellent as always, as is the absolutely impeccable Leonard Nimoy playing Sentinel Prime.
I wanted to love Transformers: Dark of the Moon for everything that is done right and all the mistakes it makes up for. But it still has its share of problems that seem to be characteristic of the franchise more than anything else. Yet, do not let these issues hold you back from experiencing the sheer absurdity of Bay's robot opera. It is a wild event, and one of the few true worthwhile blockbusters we have seen this summer. After being disappointed by the previous two films, I can say without fault that I was made a fan by this film. I just wish I did not have to wait for three movies to make it happen.
7/10.
(An extended review also appeared on http://www.geekspeakmagazine.com).