Transformers: Dark of the Moon
(C or 2/4 stars)
'Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon' (directed by blockbuster maestro, Michael Bay). How does it stack up to the other Transformer movies? Well, it's more of the same. The slight difference here is: the action, special effects, & sound design are bigger & better than ever. I wish I could say the same for the plotline & character development. The story begins in the early 1960's when men travel to the moon to investigate a crashed Cybertronian ship. Nearly 50 yrs. later, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), having only learned of the crashed ship, takes a team to this wreckage. They return to Earth with the dormant remains of one, Sentinel Prime (voiced by the iconic Leonard Nimoy), who is brought back to life by Optimus Prime.
Not only was/is Sentinel the Numero Uno Autobot (and Optimus' mentor), but he is also the inventor of the Transformer's biggest weapon, which can be used to aid or destroy all of humanity. For the time being, the Autobots (including trusty 'ole Bumblebee) praise Sentinel. But the Decepticons, led by an injured Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving), have other sinsiter ideas revolving around Sentinel. Familiar friends (from this series) like hero, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), Simmons (John Turturro), & Lennox (Josh Duhamel), are joined by some new ones, like Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) - Sam's new girlfriend (adios, Megan Fox), Dutch (Alan Tudyk), Mearing (Frances McDormand), & Brazos (the eccentric John Malkovich). The humans & the Autobots must wage war with the evil Decepticons (and their secret weapon - Shockwave) as they bear down on Chicago. Chaos ensues.
For me, T3 is better than the ostentatious T2, but not quite as invigorating as T1. The first film had a certain character & spark. And the 2 sequels miss that component; opting to offer never-ending epic battles, paper-thin characterizations, & redundant thematic set pieces (battle - destruction - goofy characterizations - battle - destruction - climactic battle btwn. Optimus & Megatron, etc.). That is a writing issue. And after Michael Bay openly admitted how crumby the screenplay was for the 2nd Transformer film, he vowed that he'd improve that for this film. To that I say, 'there isn't a heck of a lot of improvement'.
'Transformers' is based on HASBRO toys, but that doesn't excuse infantile screenwriting. Firstly, there's too much exposition. Yak, yak, yak. And most of the dialogue is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Also, the plot is not of the caliber that a film of this enormity requires (Sam + girlfriend incidentals, half-assed subplot with Sam's parents, or Sam being jealous of his girlfriend's jackass boss, played by Patrick Dempsey). Because there's so much juvenile exposition, the 157 min. running time should really be no more than, say, 120. And if you're wondering why I haven't spoken about the performances, it's because the characters take a back seat to the spectacle. Shia LaBeouf's Sam was endearing in the 1st film, but dickish in these last two. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is gorgeous, but Megan Fox had a 'something' & more charisma with Shia. Josh Duhamel & Tyrese Gibson are wasted in their roles. John Malkovich made me laugh, but his character is beyond superfluous. And anyone could have done Frances McDormand's one-note role. I just didn't care about the characters.
But I don't want to get miserable, here. Let me touch on the positives. Michael Bay's set pieces are monstrous; and wonderful to look at. The cinematography (nothing to note from the 1st 2 films) IS noteworthy this time around. The way the camera 'moves' in this film is magnificent. I was bowled over by some of the action sequences, here. There's a moment in a car chase where an Autobot saves Sam after he's flying through the air -- and it's a WOW. There's a majestic (if preposterous) sequence where the military leap out of aircraft & fly down onto the mayhem below. And I was in drop-jaw awe at an elongated sequence while a skyscraper was falling. At its best, 'T3' is eye-catching, intermittently fun, & a big, bloated spectacle.
You know, the trailer for 'T3: Dark of the Moon' made me really excited. There seemed to be a good story in there, somewhere. The action sequences looked great. Ditto the special effects & sound design (incredible). And while the 'story' in this film IS improved from the previous, & the action (particularly the last HOUR in Chicago) is breathtaking, & the special effects are superbly generated ... a trailer is 2 min. long, not 157. Parts of the film drag. And some of those phenomenal action scenes don't know when to stop; which undermines some of its intensity. Sketchy script, idiotic characterizations, but entertaining spots, for sure. In the end, I was satisfied with the particulars of the film, but not fulfilled by the entire endeavor.
Not only was/is Sentinel the Numero Uno Autobot (and Optimus' mentor), but he is also the inventor of the Transformer's biggest weapon, which can be used to aid or destroy all of humanity. For the time being, the Autobots (including trusty 'ole Bumblebee) praise Sentinel. But the Decepticons, led by an injured Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving), have other sinsiter ideas revolving around Sentinel. Familiar friends (from this series) like hero, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), Simmons (John Turturro), & Lennox (Josh Duhamel), are joined by some new ones, like Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) - Sam's new girlfriend (adios, Megan Fox), Dutch (Alan Tudyk), Mearing (Frances McDormand), & Brazos (the eccentric John Malkovich). The humans & the Autobots must wage war with the evil Decepticons (and their secret weapon - Shockwave) as they bear down on Chicago. Chaos ensues.
For me, T3 is better than the ostentatious T2, but not quite as invigorating as T1. The first film had a certain character & spark. And the 2 sequels miss that component; opting to offer never-ending epic battles, paper-thin characterizations, & redundant thematic set pieces (battle - destruction - goofy characterizations - battle - destruction - climactic battle btwn. Optimus & Megatron, etc.). That is a writing issue. And after Michael Bay openly admitted how crumby the screenplay was for the 2nd Transformer film, he vowed that he'd improve that for this film. To that I say, 'there isn't a heck of a lot of improvement'.
'Transformers' is based on HASBRO toys, but that doesn't excuse infantile screenwriting. Firstly, there's too much exposition. Yak, yak, yak. And most of the dialogue is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Also, the plot is not of the caliber that a film of this enormity requires (Sam + girlfriend incidentals, half-assed subplot with Sam's parents, or Sam being jealous of his girlfriend's jackass boss, played by Patrick Dempsey). Because there's so much juvenile exposition, the 157 min. running time should really be no more than, say, 120. And if you're wondering why I haven't spoken about the performances, it's because the characters take a back seat to the spectacle. Shia LaBeouf's Sam was endearing in the 1st film, but dickish in these last two. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is gorgeous, but Megan Fox had a 'something' & more charisma with Shia. Josh Duhamel & Tyrese Gibson are wasted in their roles. John Malkovich made me laugh, but his character is beyond superfluous. And anyone could have done Frances McDormand's one-note role. I just didn't care about the characters.
But I don't want to get miserable, here. Let me touch on the positives. Michael Bay's set pieces are monstrous; and wonderful to look at. The cinematography (nothing to note from the 1st 2 films) IS noteworthy this time around. The way the camera 'moves' in this film is magnificent. I was bowled over by some of the action sequences, here. There's a moment in a car chase where an Autobot saves Sam after he's flying through the air -- and it's a WOW. There's a majestic (if preposterous) sequence where the military leap out of aircraft & fly down onto the mayhem below. And I was in drop-jaw awe at an elongated sequence while a skyscraper was falling. At its best, 'T3' is eye-catching, intermittently fun, & a big, bloated spectacle.
You know, the trailer for 'T3: Dark of the Moon' made me really excited. There seemed to be a good story in there, somewhere. The action sequences looked great. Ditto the special effects & sound design (incredible). And while the 'story' in this film IS improved from the previous, & the action (particularly the last HOUR in Chicago) is breathtaking, & the special effects are superbly generated ... a trailer is 2 min. long, not 157. Parts of the film drag. And some of those phenomenal action scenes don't know when to stop; which undermines some of its intensity. Sketchy script, idiotic characterizations, but entertaining spots, for sure. In the end, I was satisfied with the particulars of the film, but not fulfilled by the entire endeavor.