Excellent finish for an excellent franchise

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2011)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the third and final installment of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. Viewers had to wait 2 years for this sequel just like they did in case of the 2nd one. The question is: Was it worth it? Did the movie live up to its expectations? (Obviously, expectations were set by the people who did not become haters after watching the first two.) Well, it's a yes and no. In the main areas where we expect Transformers to do its job, the film excels. That is, visual effects, fun (and yes, I mean fun, laughter, because Agent Simmons and the Witwicky parents do their job for the 3rd time and also it's fun to watch Shia arguing with Bumblebee), heroic scenes, great villains and top notch voice acting (Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime is just superior, and thanks for Leonard Nimoy, too).
We see some great cameos just like in the previous film. John Malkovich, Frances McDormand appear and those who liked Hangover will be happy to see the Chinese gangster. Alan Tudyk was silly but a necessary addition to Simmons' character.
And it's a no because there is just so much action in 150 minutes that there's no time to elaborate the characters' stories - including not only the new ones but good-old' Witwicky and pretty much the rest.
So why did I give it 9 out of 10? Because I am capable of realising that a movie that has a 2 and a half minute-long trailer full of explosions just like its predecessors sums up the film for the 3rd time and tells you what exactly you can expect: a lot of explosions.
If you have not watched the cartoon made in the 80's you'll not see the small references to it. You will not be relieved to hear Peter Cullen talk. If you want to see a film with the caliber of the King's Speech or The Godfather you will not appreciate the modest acting present in Transformers.
The 2nd film definitely had its flaws but Mr Bay fantastically ended the story. I give the film a solid 9 out of 10 because I can value Transformers for what it really is: an entertaining summer blockbuster movie fully utilising today's technology in terms of audio and visual effects.