Summer Movie Mayhem - Week 6

Summer would not be complete without Michael Bay.  Honestly, I think his films typify what we've come to accept as popcorn-stupid blockbusters.  Whoever went to a Bay film and thought to themselves, "I'm in for some serious thought-provoking cinema?"  I haven't, not since I was first exposed to his lens in the superfantastic Bad Boys, there has been no reason to attempt dissection of filmic vagaries.  Why should Transformers be any different?

Yes, it's the adaptation of a toy with which an entire generation of men my age would identify with.  Yes, it's a cultural phenomenon where properties of the 1980's are being co-opted for mass celluloid consumption.  Yes, it's built for the screen perfectly by Mr. Michael Bay.  Upon the first opening lines by the original Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen, there's absolute nostalgia.  The nostalgia of waking up on Saturday morning to catch the epic struggle between autobot and decepticon, the nostalgia of that first crack of the blister pack as you peel out your die-cast and plastic Transformer toy that was bound to be broken, and, for me at least, the nostalgia of reading through a dozen or so comic books further exploring the saga of the aliens from Cybertron.  It was hyped beyond belief for people just like me, so it was inevitable that I would forego a lot of scrutiny for suspension of credible thought. 

I loved it.

That first scene, where Bumblebee transforms in front of an awe-struck Sam Witwicky, played by Shia Labeouf, is a spectacle to behold.  I liken it to the best scene of last Summer from Superman Returns when the Man of Steel catches an airplane of passengers before a packed stadium crowd, it was as if imagination had exploded in front of my eyes.  The same spectacle was played out time and time again in each action sequence, each transformation, in the juxtaposition of the giant robots and their human surroundings, and in the plain good versus evil storyline.  The film could be no more black and white if Optimus Prime was wearing a white cowboy hat.  Seriously.

There were the cheesy moments.  The injection of pop culture a few years old was a bit much, but somehow it seemed entirely appropriate.  A property familiar with many kids has to have some cheese factor, and it wasn't excessive.  There were groan-worthy plot points and dialog, but it wasn't front and center.  I also do take issue with some of the cinematic liberties concerning Megatron and the Matrix-errrr-Allspark.  That's just the nerd in me rearing his ugly head for continuity. It still wasn't enough for me to disregard how much I was enjoying watching the movie.

The movie never forgot that the robots themselves were the main event and thank Michael Bay that he knows how to shoot an action sequence.  Each one was choreographed to near perfection as the volume was clearly ramped up to 11.  What really brought it all together was the voice acting of the lead Autobot and Decepticon.  Of course, no other actor could play the part of Optimus Prime but Peter Cullen and while I had reservations with Hugo Weaving as Megatron, he was great as always.  I have fond memories of the original voice actor, but dramatically, I think it was a solid choice. 

Overall Score:  3.5 out of 5 stars.