Transformers 3...worse than I expected.

Rating: 3/10 (28 June 2011)

When going into a film, it's only right that you go in knowing what the film wants to deliver. In the case of Transformers 3, the package has always been non-stop robo-action, and humoured digressions. That's what I kept telling myself going into this film: "it's just a popcorn movie, so enjoy it for what it is." Well, I went in, and for part of the movie I was kind of enjoying myself, but as soon as the final hour began, whatever enjoyment I felt disappeared and boredom set in.
If you're familiar with the humour of the franchise then you're probably expecting more of the same, and that's what you get: more colourful comic relief, more banter between characters, more awkward moments for Sam Witwicky. Your enjoyment of this is likely dependent on how you enjoyed the previous instalments's humour: if you enjoyed it you'll like this, if you didn't then you probably won't. Personally, I thought this film was funnier than the others, but I still thought it was hit or miss.
The actual plot itself has a lot going on, but it's largely there to connect the dots and present opportunities for large scale action. Even the moments of humour, which appear to at least attempt to advance the film's plot in some way, come across more as digressions from the plot as certain characters are given license to chew the scenery. But really, does anyone come to Transformers expecting to be engaged in the plot? Most people come to this movie to see robots fight each other, and that's just what they will get. And yet...I found myself wanting more.
I thought I had gotten myself ready prior to my viewing, to enjoy the film as best as I could on its terms, and for a moment I believed I was heading in that direction, but I soon became bored in the final sequence & though I have a few reasons for feeling so, the one that sticks out in my head the most is the fact that not only was I not engaged, but I wasn't even feeling the slightest sense of drama.
Out of all 3 Transformers films, Dark of the Moon easily has the most at stake, and there are moments of characters in distress, but it all comes across as superficial. Michael Bay fails to go deeper into the characters and throughout the climax I kept asking myself "why should I care that 'this' is happening?", and if I don't care about anything that's happening then why am I watching all these special effects other than to just, well, watch the nice looking effects? To a lot of people out there they are able to view only the eye candy and get enjoyment out of that, but to me, without any real feeling behind anything that's happening, the climax became meaningless.
Dark of the Moon is indeed a popcorn film, and if you go in looking for a lot of action and humour then you may come out pleased, but for me the lack of any real drama hindered the conflict a great deal and left me feeling cold and bored.