Review:
As a kid growing up in rural Mississippi, I always missed out on the cartoons my friends were watching in the afternoons until, thanks to Hurricane Alicia, dad had one of those old school giant satellite dishes installed. During the school year, it didn’t matter as much, but during the summer, I could watch the satellite feeds of shows such as Thundercats, Centurions, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. As a 31-year-old, I admit to having man love for the Transformers. I loved the meanness of Megatron. I loved how loyal everyone was to Optimus Prime. I loved that Jazz had the same voice as Hong Kong Fooey! When they announced a live-action film, I was as excited as anyone else…that is, until Michael Bay signed on to direct.
It isn’t that I hate Michael Bay. It’s that I hate his work. The only movie of his I enjoyed has been The Rock. I watched Armageddon and realized with horror that I will never get those nearly three hours back. I looked at the banality of Pearl Harbor (in trailer form) and vowed never again to see one of his movies.
My love of Robots in Desguise trumped that, though. I mean, let’s face it: As Americans, we don’t have ready access to our people interacting with giant robots. We have to make do with anime. I actually held out until about two weeks ago. At any rate, this afternoon, with a bit of trepidation, I entered the theater.
In the film, the Decepticons want the Allspark, as do the Autobots, who want to stop the Decepticons from using it to wipe out life on Earth as we know it. No one knows where it is, though. Not until Optimus Prime arrives do we learn what young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) has to do with finding it. Throw in Megan Fox as a high school student way hotter than any that went to my school, John Tuturro as a government spook and John Voight as Secretary of Defense, and you have a talented-enough band of actors that you wouldn’t lay the blame on them if the movie failed.
I am happy to report that the film works. It’s silly summer fare, so don’t look for the plot holes (why not shoot them with liquid nitrogen?) or you will miss the point. This film is about giant robots beating the shit out of each other. It is a glory to behold. The effects are top notch. The voices aren’t bad, either, leading to one of the things that made me soften my stance: the hiring of Peter Cullen as Prime’s voice. Bay making that decision leads me to believe he actually likes the cartoon. The sound design is outstanding, as you would expect from an action movie director such as Bay.
I still don’t trust Michael Bay. This film was produced by Steven Speilberg, so that might be the reason it’s enjoyable. I have to admit, though, Bay finally did make another movie I enjoyed, a feat I didn’t think possible. Check it out. If you have a love of Transformers, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Transformers was viewed at the Pacific Paseo 14 in Pasadena, Calif.
August 12th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
You had me at “Hurricane Alicia”. I’m from Galveston btw. Will never forget that. That was the first time I saw the exorcist. That was the only thing on television and the adults were more concerned with boarding up the windows as opposed to keeping track of what was on television. Anyway, great review!
September 24th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
I loved it too! and I don’t usually go for these types of movies! Very cool indeed!