Hard hitting documentary about two pre-op transsexuals on a quest for gender reassignment... ha, ha, just joking, it’s actually a live action remake of the 1980s cartoon, executive produced by some bloke called Steven Spielberg.
As far as the plot goes all you really need to know is that it’s a Michael Bay film, so there’s a shit load of explosions, car chases, epileptic editing and glossy production values.
Apart from that, we haven’t got a clue what the story’s about, but these press notes may help you out slightly. For centuries, two races of robotic aliens – the Autobots and the Decepticons – have waged a war, with the fate of the universe at stake. Yikes!
When the battle comes to Earth, all that stands between the bad guys and ultimate power is a clue held by high school loser Sam Witwicky (LeBeouf – no relation to Frank).
Unaware that he alone is mankind’s best chance for survival, Sam and his friend Mikaela (Fox) find themselves in a tug of war betweens the Autobots and the Decepticons as they trash downtown LA in search of the “Allspark”, a mystical box which holds the key to... oh I don’t know, just sit back and enjoy the mayhem.
They say:
Empire: “The script may have rubbery legs, but the action is rock hard. The surprise is the lightness of touch. Treat as a comedy for best results.”
Total Film: “The sense of occasion is undeniable as Bay, Spielberg, Shia and peerless special effects fashion what should be the hit of the summer.”
Channel 4: “Even die hard fans of the toys won't be able to escape the niggling feeling that this is disappointing - The Phantom Menace for the Transformers generation.”
We say:
Finally, after months of brooding, passionless disappointments (Spider Man, Pirates, Silver Surfer etc.) Michael Bay has literally transformed the summer blockbuster season with his best film since The Rock.
Ignoring the recent trend for angst and circumspection, Transformers remembers that people sometimes just go to the cinema to relax, disengage the brain and have a damn good time.
With a proven track record (his first six films have already earned over $2 billion) in big budget, testosterone fuelled action this is the perfect err... vehicle for Bay’s talents - or “blowing shit up” as it’s otherwise known - and his spectacular use of CGI sets a new benchmark in the genre.
But the real key to Transformers’ success is it’s refusal to take itself too seriously (writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman take a bow), and LeBeouf’s brilliant comic timing means no one is likely to really care that the plot doesn’t make a lick of sense.
Mixing the everyman qualities of Tom Hanks and quirky charm of Nicholas Cage, the 21 year old is one to watch (as is co star Fox but for altogether reasons - insert lame pun about impressive bodywork here) as Spielberg’s decision to cast him in the new Indiana Jones film attests.
Watch out too for a typically energetic cameo from John “Barton Fink” Turturro which lightens up the second half of the movie, along with some nice digs at the Bush / Rumsfeld regime.
While the robotic transformations are a miracle to behold (check out the fighter jet sequence late on), the narrative does eventually begin to lose its way in the final third as Bay goes into destruction overload, blowing up half of LA in a medley of bullets, rockets and mega tonned automobile pile ups.
It would have been a better idea to focus more on the human aspect of the story, particularly as we don’t really care about the predictable final battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron.
At 144 minutes long, Bay/ Spielberg could also have cut out some of the clunky exposition, and the subplot involving young Aussie tech geek Rachael Taylor is fairly redundant.
Extras:
Slightly uninspiring menus (again with that pseudo patriotic soundtrack) and an audio commentary by Michael Bay - which is actually quite novel as most big name directors take a rain check on the DVD's first editions, instead saving their anecdotes for the four disc overpriced bonus pack with free movie postcards and a prize draw for a Daewoo.
Unfortunately a chat track is all you get here, not even a lowly deleted scene or Megan Fox anatomy special to perk you up.
Bay is open and informative though, especially when talking about himself ('John Turturro kept saying he based his character on me') and the scary world of psychotic fandom ('I didn't get how many Transformers fans there were around the world... boy, I had a lot of death threats!'). He seems like a surprisingly alright bloke.
CAST
Shia LeBeouf
Megan Fox
Josh Duhamel
Jon Voight
John Turturro
Hugo Weaving
Tyrese Gibson
Anthony Andersen
Rachel Taylor
DIRECTOR
Michael Bay
TIME
144 mins
POSTED...
Fri 27 Jul 2007 at 8:20am
