Transformers, the Movie Review - Pros and Cons

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Video: Transformers: Inside the Allspark
Check it out... An inside look at how the visual effects were created, and at the people who made "Transformers" come to life.

This action-packed movie is about Sam Witwicky (yeah, that's his name!), a semi-nerdy teenager whose grandfather made a startling discovery years ago. I'd rather not say just what, but whatever he found makes Sam important to the good-guy Transformers, the Autobots.

Early in the movie, Sam gets his first car. It's a beat-up old Camaro that turns out to be a Transformer in disguise. How they fit a huge robot into the dimensions of a 60's Camaro is one of many breeches of logic in this film, but it's just these kinds of over-the-top concepts that make Transformers a fun ride!

Soon we learn why the Autobots and Decepticons (bad Transformers) are here on Earth and why Sam is so crucial to them and the human race. This section of the film is a little on the silly side with a scene or two reminiscent of E.T., but I thought it was still entertaining and funny enough. Remember, this is not a serious sci-fi movie as much as a fantasy/action flick.

Eventually, the stupid American military manages to unleash the bad-guy Decepticons and something called the Onespark into the world, forcing the Autobots to defend not only themselves but humanity, with particular attention placed on our hero Sam Witwicky.

OK, here's where the action really heats up. Sure, we've seen some Transformers earlier on (and they are awesome!), but this is the major battle between the full forces of the Decepticons and the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime. As usual, the good and bad robots tear-up the streets of Los Angeles with some heroic American help, more or less led by John Duhamel (you may remember him from the TV show: Las Vegas).

I say "as usual", but what else would you really want to see? The special effects and soundtrack work well here to keep you on the edge of your seat, again, without resorting to gratuitous blood-letting. These are great scenes where you'll see a lot of "transforming" and heavy-duty robot wrestling. My favorite...the roller skating robot!

The action is violent, but there's no real blood or beheadings or other gore. I was grateful for that, since I was enjoying the action and sometimes comic story line and didn't need gore to make the movie work for me. But then, I am pretty squeamish.

In my opinion, this movie is a lot like a comic book story and any additional violence or gore would have been out of place and surely forced the movie out of its PG-13 rating.

If you're looking for a serious and thoughtful doomsday movie, then don't bother with this new Transformers flick.

But, if like me, you are looking for a roller-coaster ride through fanciful scenes that demand you "suspend disbelief" every few minutes, then this is the film to see right now!

First of all, although I really enjoyed the movie, I discussed it recently with a relative in his 30's (I am quite a bit older) and found that he just about hated Transformers! I was really shocked to hear that.

Why such a strong opinion? Apparently, he and his friends (who went together to see the movie) were used to playing with the actual toys when they were kids. Also, they were avid watchers of the cartoon series.

Because they consider themselves "Transformers purists", they had a bunch of complaints about this movie.

First, there weren't supposed to be so many humans involved in the story line. Building on that criticism, they thought the first 45 minutes were a bit slow and almost irrelevant to the real Transformers story. (That's the part where we meet Sam and find out about his grandfather's discovery.)

I suppose I can see their point, but for someone like me, who was seeing the Transformer story and action for the first time, I thought the human side of the battle was necessary for the audience to care about the outcome. But that's just MHO.

I still say this was a very entertaining movie, but if you're a big fan of the Transformers story up to this point, you may be unhappy with this movie and disappointed with all the human interaction with the robots.

With this in mind, check out the trailers I have listed here and you should get a pretty good idea of the story and action and whether the movie is a "must see" or a "why bother?" for you.

Director: Michael Bay
Writers (WGA): Roberto Orci (screenplay) & Alex Kurtzman (screenplay) ...
Release Date: 3 July 2007 (USA
Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language.
Runtime: 144 min
Tagline: "Their war. Our world."
Plot Outline: A war re-erupts on Earth between two robotic clans, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, leaving the fate of mankind hanging in the balance.
Awards: 1 win & 9 nominations
Comments: Don't shy away from "Transformers"...this is in no way a kids movie
Cast overview, first billed only:

Shia LaBeouf ... Sam Witwicky
Megan Fox ... Mikaela Banes
Josh Duhamel ... Captain Lennox
Tyrese Gibson ... USAF Tech Sergeant Epps
Rachael Taylor ... Maggie Madsen
Anthony Anderson ... Glen Whitmann
Jon Voight ... Defense Secretary John Keller
John Turturro ... Agent Simmons
Michael O'Neill ... Tom Banachek
Kevin Dunn ... Ron Witwicky
Peter Cullen ... Optimus Prime (voice)
Julie White ... Judy Witwicky
Amaury Nolasco ... ACWO Jorge "Fig" Figueroa
Mark Ryan ... Bumblebee (voice)
Zack Ward ... First Sergeant Donnelly