This is what I call entertainment!!

Rating: 8/10 (2 July 2011)

Just came back from the cinema watching the latest Transformers, and I will say this : This installment of the series is entertainment at its best! Note that I use the word "entertainment" and not story telling because this film is what it is and makes no apologies about it. Critics and others who savage this film are obviously stuck in their ivory tower and unable to differentiate just what summer film audience wants. You do not go to a cinema in the middle of summer expecting a dose of Chauncer, Shakespeare or Hemingway! Yes, there are holes in the story the size of elephants, but so what? You want to be entertained. End of.
So here's my review.
As a lay follower of the Transformers story, I am somewhat familiar with the lead characters, and I have to say that although the movie takes creative license to the max, the end result is a satisfying 2 hrs of solid entertainment. You have it all : a revisionist view of the lunar mission, treachery by a senior ranking Autobot in Sentinel Prime, moments of comedy, a gorgeous woman, and eye popping special effects that will leave you breathless to the very last minute. The final hour is a fantastic convergence of the story where Chicago is pulverised to smithereens, and yes, this time unlike the previous two installments, innocent civilians can be seen vapourised on screen. The producers have also obviously realised that the audience wants to see a more detailed, ie, slower, transformation of Autobots and Decepticons from their robot mode to their alternate mode, and the special effects team have done that splendidly! You will be amazed.
However, despite this, I could not give this a full score because I am left with a certain level of disappointment. The relatively cheap and undignified deaths of Starscream, Megatron and Shockwave was totally unexpected. You would think that a major character like Starscream deserve a more glorified death than being hit in the eye by Sam's weapon. I could not believe these high tech villains could be undermined by really low tech solutions.
That said, this is a fantastic piece of entertainment which will make your summer that much more memorable.