Robots in Disguise
Last night I saw the (second) best movie of the year. And if it wasn't a sci-fi action movie, it would get the academy's vote too.
It beat out Pirates of the Caribbean, Fantastic Four, Crank and Spider-Man 3.
I am, of course, talking about Transformers. The movie had everything you could expect from a summer blockbuster and more. The thing I noticed most though, and its not something you get from every summer movie (especially first time movies) is the character development. And unlike some movies that spent maybe a little too long on development that wasn't necessary, Transformers got it done QUICK. But that doesn't mean they skimped either. They made well-rounded characters and made it so you understood where they were coming from.
The action goes non-stop from the beginning to the end, and I never ONCE was wondering what time it was or felt like it was dragging on.
Go see this movie, enjoy it and then come back to read the rest.
And now its time for
********SPOILERS********
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE
Ok, you've stopped reading if you haven't seen Transformers yet, right? Ok.
Now, I mentioned character development right, and it his dead spot on for the Autobots. However, the Decepticon side leaves a little to be desired. Megatron doesn't make his entrance until just before the last battle, and there is very little interaction between him and the other Decepticons. However, this doesn't hurt the movie at all (except for the lack of Starscream v Megatron banter, that while absent didn't hurt). You know the Decepticons are bad, and there isn't much that needs to be developed. They hate man, they hate the Autobots and they would follow Megatron into the pits of hell. The focus of the movie was entirely on the Autobots defending man from the Decepticon invasion.
It is unfortunate that Jazz was killed. However, seeing that Hasbro is making 2 versions of him for the movie, one as a silver Solstice and one with the G1 paint treatment (as a Solstice), I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the sequel.
Shia LeBouf continues to be a GREAT young actor and is great in the role of Spike, I mean Sam Witwicky. You can definitely feel the awkwardness that accompanies being a junior in high school.
The personalities of each Autobot show through really well, from Jazz's kick back attitude, to Ironhide's trigger-happiness, to Prime's commanding presence. Even Megatron's contempt for Autobots and humans is very noticeable when he is on screen. I'm not a huge fan of his alternate form, as he never adopts an Earth form. This could be due to him being frozen up until just before the final battle and so he never selected one.
I also liked the transformations. I had picked up Blackout and Scorponok last week, and when Blackout transformed at the beginning, the animation followed the directions pretty closely. So it was definitely more realistic than the cartoon in that respect. It takes a couple seconds longer, but it feels real.
Now, the voices. Peter Cullen shines as Optimus Prime. You can tell he's older, but it just adds that touch of "distinguished" to Prime. Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) provided the voice of Megatron, but the mechanization of it did a good job of distinguishing it from Agent Smith.
The set-up for the next movie was all there. Starscream escaped and was shown leaving the planet in a "bonus" scene. The Autobots (minus Jazz) have stayed behind to protect man. As a closing monologue, Prime sends out a call to all Autobots that Earth is their new home. Since Cybertron was destroyed in the war for the all-spark, Autobots and Decepticons have been scattered across the universe. Starscream is no doubt going for reinforcements (its been hinted that Soundwave will be in the next one) and I'm sure they'll find a way to resurrect Megatron. I'm sure the Autobot cavalry will arrive just in time to help, hopefully in the form of Wheeljack and Hound. I'm also holding out some hope for Grimlock, Slag and Snarl to be in the next one.
Anyway, that's Transformers. And it smokes ANYTHING that's come out in a long time (with the exception of 300).
It beat out Pirates of the Caribbean, Fantastic Four, Crank and Spider-Man 3.
I am, of course, talking about Transformers. The movie had everything you could expect from a summer blockbuster and more. The thing I noticed most though, and its not something you get from every summer movie (especially first time movies) is the character development. And unlike some movies that spent maybe a little too long on development that wasn't necessary, Transformers got it done QUICK. But that doesn't mean they skimped either. They made well-rounded characters and made it so you understood where they were coming from.
The action goes non-stop from the beginning to the end, and I never ONCE was wondering what time it was or felt like it was dragging on.
Go see this movie, enjoy it and then come back to read the rest.
And now its time for
********SPOILERS********
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE
Ok, you've stopped reading if you haven't seen Transformers yet, right? Ok.
Now, I mentioned character development right, and it his dead spot on for the Autobots. However, the Decepticon side leaves a little to be desired. Megatron doesn't make his entrance until just before the last battle, and there is very little interaction between him and the other Decepticons. However, this doesn't hurt the movie at all (except for the lack of Starscream v Megatron banter, that while absent didn't hurt). You know the Decepticons are bad, and there isn't much that needs to be developed. They hate man, they hate the Autobots and they would follow Megatron into the pits of hell. The focus of the movie was entirely on the Autobots defending man from the Decepticon invasion.
It is unfortunate that Jazz was killed. However, seeing that Hasbro is making 2 versions of him for the movie, one as a silver Solstice and one with the G1 paint treatment (as a Solstice), I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the sequel.
Shia LeBouf continues to be a GREAT young actor and is great in the role of Spike, I mean Sam Witwicky. You can definitely feel the awkwardness that accompanies being a junior in high school.
The personalities of each Autobot show through really well, from Jazz's kick back attitude, to Ironhide's trigger-happiness, to Prime's commanding presence. Even Megatron's contempt for Autobots and humans is very noticeable when he is on screen. I'm not a huge fan of his alternate form, as he never adopts an Earth form. This could be due to him being frozen up until just before the final battle and so he never selected one.
I also liked the transformations. I had picked up Blackout and Scorponok last week, and when Blackout transformed at the beginning, the animation followed the directions pretty closely. So it was definitely more realistic than the cartoon in that respect. It takes a couple seconds longer, but it feels real.
Now, the voices. Peter Cullen shines as Optimus Prime. You can tell he's older, but it just adds that touch of "distinguished" to Prime. Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) provided the voice of Megatron, but the mechanization of it did a good job of distinguishing it from Agent Smith.
The set-up for the next movie was all there. Starscream escaped and was shown leaving the planet in a "bonus" scene. The Autobots (minus Jazz) have stayed behind to protect man. As a closing monologue, Prime sends out a call to all Autobots that Earth is their new home. Since Cybertron was destroyed in the war for the all-spark, Autobots and Decepticons have been scattered across the universe. Starscream is no doubt going for reinforcements (its been hinted that Soundwave will be in the next one) and I'm sure they'll find a way to resurrect Megatron. I'm sure the Autobot cavalry will arrive just in time to help, hopefully in the form of Wheeljack and Hound. I'm also holding out some hope for Grimlock, Slag and Snarl to be in the next one.
Anyway, that's Transformers. And it smokes ANYTHING that's come out in a long time (with the exception of 300).
Labels: Transformers Review
posted by John at 10:56 AM
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