Directed by:
Michael BayCinematography:
Mitchell AmundsenComposer:
Steve JablonskyCast:
Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rachael Taylor, Anthony Anderson, Jon Voight, John Turturro, Kevin Dunn, Amaury Nolasco, Zack Ward (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg comes a thrilling battle between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. When their epic struggle comes to Earth, all that stands between the Decepticons and ultimate power is a clue held by young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). Unaware that he is mankind's last chance for survival, Sam and Bumblebee, his robot disguised as a car, are in a heart-pounding race against an enemy unlike anything anyone has seen before. (Paramount Pictures)
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Reviews (14)
Michael Bay's own words are that he aims to entertain the audience. In that case, I state that I am not his target group, because I feel more entertained in a dentist's chair. I had the opportunity to watch all three Transformers movies within a few days, and I couldn't finish any of them. This is simply beyond the scope of what I consider digestible cinema. Michael Bay is not so much a representative of a certain genre as he is a diagnosis. Lots of action, bombastic special effects, clumsy dialogues that bring physical suffering, and a script and story on the level of a small child. Unfortunately, I haven't been eight for a long time, and I won't be eighty for a long time, so Bay's offer didn't appeal to me. I considered giving 1 star for the special effects and set design, but I would rather go to a magic show. Overall impression: 10%. My choice for a movie set in the world of children's toys would be any of the Toy Story movies.
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No, no and no. I would love to give it four stars, but I can’t, these big-ass blockbusters are just not my cup of tea. The action scenes are awesome, it’d be hard to find any competition in that regard, but there are other things that I value in movies. Transformers is good stuff to unwind, but it doesn’t offer anything else. The story is predictable and the characters are clichés with an awfully American behaviour. In short, it entertained me but didn’t take my breath away, I don’t need to see it again, nor do I want to.
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Technically, Transformers is undoubtedly a fantastic ride and it is incredible what they can make nowadays for a lot of money. Unfortunately, the entertainment and overall childishness of the film come at the cost of an absence of logic and at least a bit of the seriousness that was present in all of Michael Bay's purely action films. Some lines are funny, but some are so clichéd that you don’t even react to them. The actors are your typical pretty-faces – Bay's common practice – and the music, thanks to Steve Jablonsky, is solidly dynamic. What surprised me the most is the style Bay uses to shoot the action. There’s an unusual amount of handheld camera and shaky shots, with classic trademarks such as camera tricks, slow-motion, and low-angle shots taking a back seat. The truly beautifully lit quieter sequences and two helicopters against the sunset are not absent, though. After watching it for the second time, I’m giving it another star. This has happened to me several times (and now it will probably be the rule), having a better watching experience at home than in the cinema. Even the action looks much better and clearer on a smaller screen – the big cinema screen only harms it. I stand by the fact that the film is infantile and stupid, but Bay occasionally winks at us, doesn't he? And the annoying British or whatever accent of Rachael Taylor will be ringing in my ears for a long time...
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Completely bombastic. Bay showed himself in the very best (orange) light and Shia LeBeouf proved to me personally that I was wrong again. This fits him like a glove. Constant wisecracks make him every inch a nice guy and in places he is the life and soul of the entire movie. Megan Fox is nice and foxy again (that stands to reason) and now for the main attraction. And that’s the huge, transforming robots (probably from Japan). ILM did some excellent work (precise in every detail) and Bay too. He chose the best cars currently on the (not Czech, but American) roads and made them into cool, wisecracking hunks who you can’t help loving. The brave Optimus Prime, heroic Jazz, the mellow-yellow Bumblebee and the musclebound Ironhide (he got to me the most during the movie). It’s hard to choose who to like more. They’re all so idiosyncratic and you just want to gobble them up. In the same way, their enemies are also fairly comely. They’re faster and have bigger tricks up their sleeve. For instance, Blackout and Starscreem are completely great. While Megatron is evil through and through and it’s scary when he starts flicking people like lint on a sweater. And I’d love to take another look at Slint... But what are words compared to this wonderful spectacle. So stop reading and head for the movie theater, this movie won’t wait for a DVD. And you, Mike, say yes to part two. I’m already looking forward to it. Transformers... More than meets the eye...
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More than meets the eye... Or not? It’s disappointing that after the pleasant although unsuccessful The Island, Bay took a step back into soulless action fun for the masses. It doesn’t thrill me that he has fallen back into his traditional, epileptic fit provoking editing. It outright annoys me that the entire story takes place in the opening crawl... I would have been willing to forgive the creators all of the above if they could grip me. Which Transformers managed to do, but only at isolated moments, definitely not for the entire or at least part of the running time. The first part of the movie, which is carried on the shoulders of the ever more likeable LeBeouf, is outstanding, humorous and very promising. But then the whole picture goes to the dogs in the middle, from the game of hide and seek until the defrosting of Megatron. There is humor elsewhere in this movie, but it doesn’t work in the least; Shia practically disappears from the screen and the robots start playing first fiddle, led by the “philosophizing" Optimus and the wannabe funny roles filled by John Turturro and Jon Voight. Although the last third is one big, continuous action inferno, for my tastes it is just too predictable and primarily it’s over-combined. What unarguably works well is the technical side of the movie. They were evidently working overtime at ILM, Jablonsky composed a punchy and fitting soundtrack, the action is nice and comic-bookish over the top and couple of scenes like the onslaught of the Autobots had me pinned to my seat. What brings Transformers down on the big screen too is its extreme length, the lame pieces of wisdom from Optimus, lots of superfluous robots that have barely two seconds of fame and also that pesky little Decepticon. Transformers certainly don’t disappoint, especially in a well-technically equipped movie theater, but don’t expect wonders. It’s not boring, it’s entertaining, but it doesn’t leave any particular lasting impression. This is the feeblest Bay movie yet. Unfortunately.
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Gallery (209)
Photo © DreamWorks Pictures & Paramount Pictures
![Transformers - Concept art](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/005/160005829_b39cce.jpg)
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