Transformers

"Summer blockbuster" and "Michael Bay" - this is normally a good recipe for a very bad film - think Pearl Harbour. 2007's Transformers was released in a blaze of publicity and hype. But there were many who (with good reason) questioned Michael Bay's ability to produce a movie worthy of the Transformers name.

Fans of the 1980's animated series and film, along with the ubiquitous action figures, didn't want to see the great characters of Optimus Prime, Megatron etc mangled by Hollywood's insatiable desire for the big summer blockbuster.

Luckily, the final product is not the disaster it might have been. Nor is it a fantastic addition to the Transformers universe, but I would say it is certainly passable.

What we have is a big, fun blockbuster, filled with action, mild humour, the obligatory hot girl and even manages to sweeten the deal with giant, fighting, transforming robots. The first hour of the movie does feel like an introduction, but equally the last 40 minutes is one giant action scene. There are no particularly stand-out performances, with far more emphasis on special effects, of which there is absolutely no shortage.

Rating - a B-, borderline B. Standard blockbuster fare.

1 comment:

RikerDonegal said...

Well put. I was nervous about this one.

I'm not a huge Transformers fan, to be honest, but I know enough of the source material to know that it deserves respect and could - in the right hands - make for a stirring movie experience.

Optimus Prime is supposed to be noble and heroic after all. He's supposed to mean something.

And...

Bay did a pretty fair job. Yeah, it could have been better, but - as you say - it's certainly passable.