Throwback Thursday Review: 'Transformers'

Sorry for the delayed review but this week I'm beginning another series of reviews with my thoughts on Transformers, once again well in advance of the correlating film due to the number of installments in the franchise and sequels that will be released this year. Next week I'll be doing my Throwback Thursday Review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and I will then take a break from Transformers reviews till April. The following four weeks I will be reviewing The Matrix trilogy and John Wick to coincide with John Wick: Chapter 2 since it will see a reunion between Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. Reviews of new (or wider) releases you expect over the course of January include Hidden Figures, Patriots Day, Live By Night, Split, The Founder, A Dog's Purpose, and Gold.

'Transformers' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing. 

In Transformers two races of alien robots, the Autobots and Decepticons, bring their war to planet Earth and everyman Sam Witwicky is drawn into the conflict. I'm not going to dress it up, Transformers is mindless popcorn entertainment and the fact Michael Bay is at the helm doesn't help much. Bay has a distinct style, it involves big loud CG and lots of explosions, and his tropes are cranked up here. With that being said, it's actually fitting for a movie where metamorphosing robots fight each other in grand action sequences.  

Bay's in his wheelhouse and alongside the visual and sound effects departments does a superb job translating the Transformers to the big screen, handling the action quite well. On the flip side of things, the script from Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and John Rogers features scarcely developed characters with basic motivations and the story is generic, but that doesn't make it bad, just mediocre. The performances are passable for this action blockbuster ranging from pure exposition delivery to regular people running amidst the robot rumble.

Shia LaBeouf makes Sam an awkward protagonist, Megan Fox feels like a dunce in some moments as her mouth is open a little too long and then Mikaela often gets over-sexualized, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are around as the military personnel with Rachael Taylor and Anthony Anderson playing the techie comic relief and Jon Voight, Michael O'Neill, and John Turturro playing the governmental agency representatives.

I also feel the voice actors who voiced the Transformers deserve some appreciation for great robotic caricatures including the likes of Peter Cullen, Mark Ryan, Darius McCrary, Robert Foxworth, Jess Harnell, Hugo Weaving, and Charlie Adler.

Transformers is the perfect encapsulation of a big, dumb popcorn movie, the insane action and grand spectacle can't be denied as visually interesting and make for a fun ride but the flat storytelling can't be ignored either. In summary, Transformers encapsulates everything notable from Bay's filmography; explosions, slo-motion, explosions, blatant eye-rolling product placement, and did I mention the explosions?

Film Assessment: C