Throwback Thursday Review: 'Transformers: Age of Extinction'

Sorry for a late review but this week I'm rolling out the last of my Transformers reviews with a Throwback Thursday Review over Transformers: Age of Extinction and new Transformers: The Last Knight review in the coming days. Other reviews you can expect this week week include a Throwback Thursday Review over Despicable Me 2 and both Baby Driver and Despicable Me 3. The first few weeks of July will incorporate Throwback Thursday Reviews of The Amazing Spider-Man, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Inception, Recollection Reflection Reviews of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and reviews of new releases Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, Dunkirk, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

'Transformers: Age of Extinction' Review

Transformers: Age of Extinction takes place five years after Dark of the Moon's Battle of Chicago. The US government has turned against the Autobots, hunting them alongside intergalactic bounty hunter bot Lockdown. Ambitious inventor and overprotective father Cade Yeagar discovers a trashed truck inside an abandoned cinema and brings it home in hopes of repairing the vehicle or scrapping it for parts, only to learn the truck is actually Autobot leader Optimus Prime. Yeagar is then tasked to help Prime reunite the remaining Autobots to protect mankind once more.

Age of Extinction is the fourth film in the franchise to be helmed by Michael Bay yet it feels more or less the same as his previous entries, only this time the Bay-isms have worn thin. The visual noise is dialed up to the max volume with no worthwhile story to tell underneath it. While I don't watch the Transformers movies with the expectation of seeing the greatest blockbuster of all time, I think it's sufficient to expect to an adequate story with reasonably entertaining action pulling things together. This is where Age of Extinction whimpers out because everything about Age of Extinction is overcrowded and unnecessary.

Bay allows similar problems to plague this project as incomprehensible action sequences come by the viewer one after the other, sprinkled in the midst of a human storyline you won't be invested in. Watching the Transformers fight one another is cool enough on its own so you don't need to obscure the action with egregious editing and frenetic shaky cam or even draw it out with superfluous slow-motion. For that matter, the Transformers need to be the shining stars of their own franchise. I understand that the effects are expensive but these things are practically guaranteed to be a hit oversees so you may as well pump a little more financial fuel into this gas tank. 

Are the effects incredible? Of course, the superb deafening sound design and vibrant visual effects are practically the only redeeming elements of the franchise at this point but none of that really matters if you can't draw audience interest into the onscreen insanity. While I understand the financial motive to extend the Transformers franchise with Age of Extinction, there really isn't a new story to be told with these characters. The end result is that Ehren Kruger's script is a repackaged version of the last three movies (Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen, and Dark of the Moon).

I could go on and on about the story semantics but the film really fails engaging me as a viewer. I consider myself a fairly avid Transformers fan so it shouldn't be that difficult to maintain interest when you have remarkably realized robots fighting one another but this installment nearly bored me to sleep both times I've seen it (when I first caught it on Netflix a year and a half ago and my second viewing for the purposes of this review). Instead, Bay decided that it'd be more worth the audiences' time and money to see Yeagar chastise his underage daughter over her awkward, inappropriate relationship with a twenty year old racer. 

Meanwhile, the performances don't offer much to elevate the entertainment. Mark Wahlberg phones it in as Cade Yeagar, providing little personality beyond his thinly sketched characterization of being an overprotective father and the writer's insistence to constantly remind you he's an inventor. Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor play Tessa Yeagar and Shane Dyson with their bland romance serving as an obnoxious plot thread. Neither actor really shines as a charismatic force to brighten things or draw attention to the monotonous action. 

Elsewhere, T.J. Miller, Stanley Tucci, and Bingbing Li playfully factor into the proceedings in varying capacities. Miller's a funny surfer bro, Tucci screams quite a bit as a tech company executive, and Li fights off some henchman with proficiency. They don't do nearly enough to save the movie but provide momentary blips of something off-kilter. 

Peter Cullen, John Goodman, Ken Watanabe, Robert Foxworth, John DiMaggio, and Reno Wilson all provide sufficient voice work as Optimus Prime, Hound, Drift, Ratchet, Crosshairs, and Brains but none of these actors are really challenging themselves in any way, shape, or form considering they mostly deliver expositional dialogue. For the most part they're voicing caricatures with little personality beyond basic stereotypes. 

Frank Welker, Mark Ryan, and Kelsey Grammer fill the antagonistic camp as gruesome Galvatron, the unyielding Lockdown, and wicked government agent Harold Attinger. They make the most of the material provided but are restrained by a paper thin script. 

Transformers: Age of Extinction is indicative of everything currently destroying Hollywood, it's essentially a visual effects reel devoid of any sense of purpose other than to make money. Bay or Kruger must know this is true to some extent because there's even a line in the movie about sequels and remakes being prevalent among Hollywood these days. In summary, Age of Extinction is easily the worst Transformers movie I've seen to date simply because it's maddening to even attempt making it through the two hour forty five minute runtime without losing focus. After watching this movie, I knew one simple fact. My mind had been transformed (and not for the better). 

Film Assessment: D-

'Spotlight' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Tom McCarthy, Best Supporting Actor; Mark Ruffalo, Best Supporting Actress; Rachel McAdams, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing
Won: Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Spotlight tells the true story of an investigation undertaken by the Boston Globe's Spotlight team to uncover a horrendous scandal amongst the Catholic Church. This story broke shortly after the events of 9/11 and was the first major news story since that horrific event and the story earned the Spotlight team a Pulitzer Prize in 2003. Tom McCarthy directs and does a terrific job ensuring the film has a tangibility to it in the sense that I felt that I was watching an actual news reporter team investigation. Spotlight was a unique cinematic experience for me because the film's tension continued to snowball, deepening my interest and intrigue as the film progressed.  The film's story is very engaging and only draws more interest throughout the film. The entire ensemble cast of Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci were spectacular. I'm sure a few members of the cast will likely at least earn a few awards nominations but I felt that Mark Ruffalo was the huge standout. Mark Ruffalo definitely gives one of the best performances of his career as his character becomes a workaholic, which provides Ruffalo with some great character moments. There was never a moment that I felt I was watching these high profile actors but rather a group of very dedicated investigative reporters. The acting is also great in another regard because it all feels so real because all of the actors act like actual people in these situations rather than expressing over the top emotions, which would feel awkward in this film because of how the performances are subtle and tangible. I enjoyed Spotlight significantly more than I thought I would, as usually some of the awards buzz heavy films are either a hit or miss with me, and I'm fairly certain that Spotlight will receive a plethora of Academy Award nominations and won't be surprised to see it win in a few categories. I'd highly recommend the film for those interested in "Oscar bait" films or those who just want to learn about an intriguing true story.

Film Assessment: A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Hunger Games'

The Hunger Games is the first in the popular Hunger Games film franchise based off of novels of the same name. Given that The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, the final film in the Hunger Games franchise, will be released next week I thought I'd go back and review it's predecessors. This week I'm reviewing The Hunger Games and next week will review The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and if I have time will go back and modify my review on The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part One after rewatching it because it was one of my older reviews that didn't go to in-depth and I will add a Film Assessment to that review. I would like to make it a habit that when I re-watch a film that I reviewed a while back before I added the Film Assessment rating, I will go back and at least add that to the review or possibly modify the score if the film doesn't hold up to repeated viewings. 

'The Hunger Games' Review

Gary Ross does a phenomenal job of weaving the cinematography, costuming, production design and visual effects all together to help visualize this dystopian future described in the young adult novel series. Ross and the design teams also do particularly well juxtaposing the different environments of the bleak, dismal District 12 with the lively, bustling Capitol which is a brilliant piece of social commentary. The Arena is also given it's own atmosphere and I like how the film helps place the audience in the character's eyes as once they enter the arena there is a genuine sense of confusion as it feels as though the audience is thrust into the games. However there is a huge blaring problem as soon as the Games begin there is an extensive overuse of shaky cam. I found this to be quite annoying and really distracting to the film and it's probably my largest issue with The Hunger Games. I'm unsure if the filmmakers were trying to create a sense of confusion but the shaky cam just didn't quite work for me. I believe shaky cam can some times help to elevate a film if used correctly but this is not the case as it's used in almost every scene shot in the arena and there are moments where I wonder if they even had  tripod on set while shooting this film. Despite the annoyance of the shaky cam, several of my favorite moments take place in the arena. I liked seeing the tributes utilize basic survival skills, and one scene between Rue and Katniss is just heartbreaking, I won't dive into spoiler territory though as it's a very impactful moment and I wouldn't want that scene to be ruined for anyone prior to viewing the film. The performances across the board aren't too impressive, but there are a few diamonds in the rough figuratively. The true star is Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, the film's lead, and fits perfectly into the role of the tough yet humble heroine. A majority of the scenes that transferred perfectly from the page to the screen were the scenes that focused on Katniss. In particular, the scene in which Katniss volunteers as tribute to save her sister is very emotionally moving and perfectly encapsulated the moment as it registered in my mind whilst reading the book. Other scenes that featured Katniss that just felt cohesive to the film's narrative with Lawrence's performance and maintaining pinpoint accuracy to the way these events unraveled in the book ranged from the scene where Katniss is being evaluated by the and she chooses to fire an arrow into the viewing area to catch their attention showing just how courageous Katniss is to the simple moment when Katniss is being interviewed by Cesar Flickerman and twirls in her dress to have the skirt become engulfed in small flames that earns her the nickname "The girl on fire".
Josh Hutchinson plays Peeta, the other tribute from District 12 and doesn't really bring anything special to the role but is certainly serviceable as the nice sensitive guy who is one of Katniss' love interests, the other being Liam Hemsworth is very underused in the role of Gale with very little screen time but he also doesn't booster too much acting prowess. One actress I was very impressed with was Amanda Stenberg, the child actress who portrayed Rue, as her character has one of the most pivotal emotional core moments in the entire film and the young actress nails it really "hitting the audience in the feels". The main supporting cast consisting of Stanley Tucci as the flamboyant Cesar Flickerman, Elizabeth Banks as the pretentious Effie Trinket, Woody Harrelson as the laid-back mentor Haymitch, and Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' stylist Cinna. Each of which fit quite well in their respective roles and really bring out the exaggerated characteristics of their characters which helps keep the film more interesting in the dialogue heavy scenes. In regards to villains, Wes Bentley is a very sly and smooth as the Gamemaker, Seneca, who designs the Arena and manipulates the situations inside the Hunger Games and Donald Sutherland has a very malevolent presences as the autocratic ruler of Panem, President Snow. Both actors wear out their villainous roles like a glove adding to the bleak dystopian atmosphere when present. Having read all of the books I can say that the film is very faithful to the source material and has fantastic world building onscreen that helps to place the audience in this dystopian future and feel as though they are truly watching the events of the book occur. Overall, the film is quite entertaining with a stellar lead in Jennifer Lawrence, a solid supporting cast, an intriguing narrative and riveting action despite the annoyance of the shaky cam. In spite of all of these elements that are well crafted together I personally prefer the book. If you have yet to see The Hunger Games I strongly recommend you watch it, especially if you have any interest in the book series.

Film Assessment: C+