Better Than The Second Film, Not Quite The First Film

Rating: 6/10 (29 June 2011)

The first Transformers film was an event for me. As a fan of the cartoon, I was excited to see it brought to life on the big screen. And seeing it was quite an event. I got the chance to see an early screening of it at Anime Expo in 2007 with about 3000 excited geeks and nerds. So, you can imagine, it was a lot of fun. Sadly, the energy in this series is not the same. Gone is the excitement carried by the discovery of CGI- fueled Transformers. Gone is the thrill of seeing Optimus for the first time or hearing the line Autobots, Roll Out. Without that thrill, one thing becomes glaringly obvious: the series just isn't that exciting any more.
Don't get me wrong, this is not necessarily a terrible film. Good, well, that's debatable. The action is still very well done and Michael Bay is still probably the best choice of a director to do a Transformers film. He makes the action look great, and it certainly is great here. But, one could argue that this is the same film as the first, and that was probably done on purpose. We're made aware of some dark secret, reintroduced to Sam Whitwicky in his current life, and then things go wrong. And yes, it all ends in a spectacular battle in which an entire city becomes the battleground.
What is highly noticeable is how long the film is. It drags in the middle and by the end, you are starting to notice that the film is really long. And it is, at 2.5 hours. There is certainly some entertainment value to be had. The action is spectacular, to use that word twice. The CGI effects are phenomenal, as they have continued to be for the series and the Transformers are as enjoyable as ever. Sam and Bumblebee's relationship is specifically enjoyable, as it was in the first film. Despite what many will say, Bay does have a certain way of pulling out even the tiniest bit of emotion from his films, and he succeeds here on the smallest scale. Certainly it's not a film to will find a deep connection with, but there's one there.
But, as I stated, this is essentially the first film, minus the excitement of discovering the Transformers for the first time. So, if you enjoy these films as a sort of reunion with old friends, then you will like this one. While the second film was certainly a disaster, this is much better, with a simpler plot, decipherable action, and even a decent story. I, however, was fairly bored. There's some sprinkling of humor and decent action, but again, the film dragged quite a bit. Maybe I was just a bit tired when I saw it, but one thing a Transformers film shouldn't be is boring, and sadly, this one was.
What I say to you is see it if you want some decent summer action. But if the idea of another Transformers film already has you rolling your eyes and yawning, I say skip it. You probably won't change your mind.