What is this "Transformers?" If you grew up in 1980s, especially if you were a male, the answer would have been part of your daily knowledge. This reviewer grew up in the 1990s, so even though the "Transformers" phenomenon was not as powerful as it was in the 1980s, this reviewer still remembers watching the many reruns on "Cartoon Network." Nonetheless, this reviewer remembers watching the reruns of the television show, along with many other ones from that era. The question will be asked: will fans of the television show like the movie? Will it appeal to the non-fans as well? The answer to those questions is an absolute yes.
Sam Witwicky buys his first car, but, to his surprise, that car was actually Bumblebee, a member of the Autobots, disguised as a Camaro. Through Bumblebee, Sam discovers the secrets about the mysterious "Allspark," a cube that gives machines the gift of life, and the war that is going on between Autobots and Decepticons. Unfortunately, Bumblebee is not the only Transformer to have landed on earth. In Qatar, there was an attack on the US military base, but those attacks were not from any particular human terrorist but two Decepticons. In addition, two other Decepticons attacked Sam and his girlfriend, Mikaela. These Decepticons want the Allspark for their own needs greedy needs, while the Autobots want to destroy it because of its corruptive power. With more and more Decepticons appearing, Bumblebee sends a message for other Autobots to come to Earth. Now the war hits the Earth and it is up to Sam, with the help of the Autobots, to ensure humanities survival.
The special effects, created by Industrial Lights and Magic (ILM), and fight scenes were phenomenal. Every time one of them did their transformations, your jaw will literally hit the floor. Special effects have been amazing over the years, but you have not felt this overwhelmed since seeing the Dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park." Never once did you feel that it was computer generated. It is consistently action packed, and never once during its 144 minutes does it feel boring. Sure there is at times, when the trademark "shaky" cam came into play, making it very difficult to tell what was going on, but there is also times where they would slow down the fights to show you the most important scenes.
There are many references to the cartoon series. Some lines from the original cartoon series are quoted in this. The great Peter Cullen, who was the voice of Optimus in the animated series, voices Optimus Prime in this one too. They do make little tiny tweaks to the designs of the characters, for a more modern look, but it would have looked extremely cheesy if it was left unaltered. If you were a fan of the series, you are going to love the references.
Besides the action, special effects, and many references to the cartoon series, the humor was surprisingly well done. It is surprising how much humor is actually there and even more surprising how much it works. There are some parts where the audiences, and this reviewer, are laughing so hard that you could not even hear what the characters are saying after words. Warning to parents: some of the most humorous scenes are very adult, so if you do not want to explain to your young children some awkward things, do not show them this movie.
The acting is nothing special, but it does the job. The most impressive is Shia LeBeouf as Sam. This role really showed that he can do big budget lead roles, a big step up from his days as Lewis Stevens in "Even Stevens." Megan Fox is in this for nothing else but eye candy. Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are in this film, but as expected, do not do anything for their roles but play Soldiers. Anthony Anderson and Bernie Mac bring great comedic relief. Peter Cullen shows off his iconic voice as Optimus Prime. John Voight is a great president too!
In conclusion, go see "Transformers" because it is an awesome action movie. Fans of the series are going to love it and the casual fans are going to love it as well. As a fan of the show, this is everything expected, and much more. You should see it as soon as you can to get the full effect. The audience, this reviewer saw it with, loved it. There were many laughs at appropriate times, lots of cheering for great action scenes and the appearances of popular characters like Megatron or Optimus and a big applause at the end credits. It just made the film so much more enjoyable, and that is why you see a big budget "Transformers" movie. It is not "The Godfather," nor should the audience pretend it was. "Transformers" is a movie to have fun viewing, and boy is it!
Sam Witwicky buys his first car, but, to his surprise, that car was actually Bumblebee, a member of the Autobots, disguised as a Camaro. Through Bumblebee, Sam discovers the secrets about the mysterious "Allspark," a cube that gives machines the gift of life, and the war that is going on between Autobots and Decepticons. Unfortunately, Bumblebee is not the only Transformer to have landed on earth. In Qatar, there was an attack on the US military base, but those attacks were not from any particular human terrorist but two Decepticons. In addition, two other Decepticons attacked Sam and his girlfriend, Mikaela. These Decepticons want the Allspark for their own needs greedy needs, while the Autobots want to destroy it because of its corruptive power. With more and more Decepticons appearing, Bumblebee sends a message for other Autobots to come to Earth. Now the war hits the Earth and it is up to Sam, with the help of the Autobots, to ensure humanities survival.
The special effects, created by Industrial Lights and Magic (ILM), and fight scenes were phenomenal. Every time one of them did their transformations, your jaw will literally hit the floor. Special effects have been amazing over the years, but you have not felt this overwhelmed since seeing the Dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park." Never once did you feel that it was computer generated. It is consistently action packed, and never once during its 144 minutes does it feel boring. Sure there is at times, when the trademark "shaky" cam came into play, making it very difficult to tell what was going on, but there is also times where they would slow down the fights to show you the most important scenes.
There are many references to the cartoon series. Some lines from the original cartoon series are quoted in this. The great Peter Cullen, who was the voice of Optimus in the animated series, voices Optimus Prime in this one too. They do make little tiny tweaks to the designs of the characters, for a more modern look, but it would have looked extremely cheesy if it was left unaltered. If you were a fan of the series, you are going to love the references.
Besides the action, special effects, and many references to the cartoon series, the humor was surprisingly well done. It is surprising how much humor is actually there and even more surprising how much it works. There are some parts where the audiences, and this reviewer, are laughing so hard that you could not even hear what the characters are saying after words. Warning to parents: some of the most humorous scenes are very adult, so if you do not want to explain to your young children some awkward things, do not show them this movie.
The acting is nothing special, but it does the job. The most impressive is Shia LeBeouf as Sam. This role really showed that he can do big budget lead roles, a big step up from his days as Lewis Stevens in "Even Stevens." Megan Fox is in this for nothing else but eye candy. Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are in this film, but as expected, do not do anything for their roles but play Soldiers. Anthony Anderson and Bernie Mac bring great comedic relief. Peter Cullen shows off his iconic voice as Optimus Prime. John Voight is a great president too!
In conclusion, go see "Transformers" because it is an awesome action movie. Fans of the series are going to love it and the casual fans are going to love it as well. As a fan of the show, this is everything expected, and much more. You should see it as soon as you can to get the full effect. The audience, this reviewer saw it with, loved it. There were many laughs at appropriate times, lots of cheering for great action scenes and the appearances of popular characters like Megatron or Optimus and a big applause at the end credits. It just made the film so much more enjoyable, and that is why you see a big budget "Transformers" movie. It is not "The Godfather," nor should the audience pretend it was. "Transformers" is a movie to have fun viewing, and boy is it!