Transformers Review
by dnb@dca.net (dnb AT dca DOT net)July 11th, 2007
TRANSFORMERS
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2007 David N. Butterworth
**** (out of ****)
"They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round."
One wonders what the legendary songwriter Ira Gershwin, who penned those telling words, might have had to say about the pitch meeting in which the sub-legendary filmmaker Michael Bay ("Pearl Harbor," "Armageddon," "Bad Boys") first touted his Big Idea for making a big budget, live-action blockbuster based on Hasbro's action figures--commonplace vehicles that turn into uncommon robots. Because Gershwin, had he known then what I know now, might have been similarly ironic with his choice of words.
Presumably Bay made a pretty compelling argument during that stonewall session, or some studio executive saw the potential brimming beneath the surface of a summer science-fiction flick about kiddie toys that change into something else. (Or both, because the picture got made.) But its teaser trailer, which focused on a Mars Rover's last prophetic transmission, showed up well over a year ago accompanied by equal amounts of skepticism, derision, and outright chuckling. I even remember my own reaction at the time: "You're kidding, right?"
Well, 'turns out Bay wasn't kidding and here's something I never expected to admit--and I thank my five-year-old for the use of her quote: "I didn't like "Transformers"... I LOVED it!!" (Come to think of it that's pretty much my review in a nutshell; unfortunately Feature Editors don't pay for nutshells.)
Yeah, it's true. I loved it. I really loved it ("if loving Michael Bay's "Transformers" is a crime then lock me up and throw away the key!"). I couldn't really fault it, couldn't find any significant flaws in it. Perhaps it goes on a bit too long, say 20 minutes or so, but it's not like those are a *bad* 20 minutes, they're just more of the same, as if Bay isn't quite sure when to stop blowing things up (now there's a surprise). My question is, how could he, how could anyone, improve upon it? Only a confirmed curmudgeon would give it anything less than four stars (out of four; the last film I bestowed that rare honor upon was the Keira Knightley version of "Pride & Prejudice"). It's the perfect summer action picture. "Transformers" that is.
It's got a decent story. It's got a terrific cast--Shia LaBeouf, action hero? The star of "Holes," "Disturbia," and the upcoming fourth installment of the Indiana Jones adventures, is evolving into something very special; his co-star, Megan Fox, is appropriately cute/curvaceous; Jon Voight (as Defense Secretary John Keller) affects a convincing Southern accent; and creepy John Turturro is perfectly cast as a creepy Fed. Then there's a quartet of likable army grunts stationed in Qatar who first unearth the evil alien life forms known as Decepticons here to do battle with the goodly Autobots. The Autobots themselves, lead by the charismatic Optimus Prime, are a surprisingly goofy, good-natured bunch--who'd've guessed that!?
Last but by no means least are the special effects, which are staggering, even by today's standards (watching the robots "transform" is a thing of beauty). There's clearly a lot of money involved but Bay delivers 110%. "Transformers" is a class act. It's got action, romance, incredible CGI, convincing performances, a loud and lively musical score, way cool robots, and an adorable Chihuahua in a cast. What's not to like?
But wait. I didn't like "Transformers"... I LOVED it!!
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David N. Butterworth
dnb@dca.net
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
