Transformers Reviews

It should have been great

Pros:

1)There is some great CGI

2)When the Decepticons first begin to reveal themselves, it's pretty sinister and dead exciting.

3)Shia is good value and Megan is truly a fox.

4)There are some great comedy moments.

Cons:

1) It's far too long. Bay makes the mistake of trying to fit too many scenes in, when there isn't enough subject matter to go around. This means that even the action scenes drag and you want the film to end about half an hour before it does.

2)Although the robots look great, the fighting is often too fast to keep up with.

3)The little robot that does the hacking is really, really annoying.

4)The script, although funny in places, often feels like it was written by a 12 year old.

5)The plot is patchy, at best.

6)Why is John Turturro in this film?

7)It is very, very cheesy.

In summary, although I loved Transformers when I was a kid, this was a pretty big disappointment. It probably could have been saved by editing out about an hour of the detritus, or by cutting down on the cheese factor, but even though I gave it more than the benefit of the doubt (I was trying desperately hard to like it), I almost wish I hadn't been to see it.

Megawasteoftimebot

This movie started as 4 stars for me and slowly, slowly turned into the 1 star you see. It was brilliant at first, if you excuse the silly teenage acting, but I figuered that would be expected anyway so i over looked it. THEN the other robot things came to Earth and it all went to hell. The cheese factor was so high, only topped by the ASTOUNDING product placement. Their names should have been Camaro, Apple Computers, Mountain Dew, Nokia and XBox 360 instead of (ha!) Bumble Bee and Megabot. Seriously, there was so much blatent product placement it really took away from the movie. Then there was the weak plot, surely this all could have been avoided if only someone bid on the eBay listing (another name drop). Not to mention the theater was super hot and this movie was super long. The fight scenes were so quick moving you couldn't tell who was good and who was bad, that is how flipping terrible it was. Not to mention the pentagon needs to get rid of all it's analysits and apparently hire 17 year old high school kids instead, guess who solved the problem by the way.......thats right, the high school kids. it did have some cool points though, The CGI looked really really good, and I now must have a Camaro or Mustang or my entire world will end. The good bits were overrun though by feeding socities 'never too thin or too rich' obcession. Why do i say this? Because according to this movie all black people ever do is use ebonics and swear and are inapable of critical thinking. Always with the 'yo dawg' and 'i'm gonna kick yo azz' phrases every 2 seconds. Even the black guy robot followed that trend, not only that the overweight black man, though smart couldn't form a complete sentence and ate donoughts like it was his last meal, because as we all know fat people sit around eatting donoughts and playing Dance Dance Revolution. This movie could have been so good, I guess it is if you over look the steriotypes, product placment, length of the movie, weak plot, mediocre acting, improbable human behaviour, etc... then yes, it was a great movie. I've never been so ashamed to be American, black, overweight, 20, and part robot.

[Highly rated reviewer]

It's a robot. You know, like a super advanced robot. It's probably Japanese.

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. But overall one of the films of 2007 and certainly the best of the summer blockbusters.

[Highly rated reviewer]

TINO?

Saw it last night at a midnight screening. It was amazing!! Same feeling as when i saw Jurassic Park, Independence Day and the Matrix at the cinema.

It's everything you wanted from the movie with the added bonus of great sub-stories following Shia (maybe outshinning the Robots) and the military guys. The pace is ok with it lagging a little towards the end but the comedy should keep you awake in those parts.

Turturro is easily the worst part about the film his character brings comic relief when all you want is more ROBOT CARNAGE!!!

You already know the Robots look fantastic however there are parts where you really dont feel they interact with things the right way!

Ok so they updated Bumble Bee, Prime has flames etc but my main prob was that Megatron just wasnt Megatron. Yeah he was good as say a new character but as the Megatron we know he wasn't a touch on the old guy!

Another criticsm is that Bay just hasnt got his battle geography up to scratch in this one. When the Transformers fight its a bit of a blur. When they actually slow it down and you see uppercuts etc thats when the pie is cooked!!! However this just doesnt happen enough. The end battle tries to concentrate on too many aspects and even though it doesnt let you down it leaves you wishing they had made the end battle longer and cut out some of the Popcorn comedy!

This film is fantastic my criticsms are minor, when the action starts nothing else will matter and your jaw will hit the floor!!

So is it Transformers In Name Only? Yes and No. There are parts that arent in keeping with the Cartoon lore, and things that are but when you see this film its hard to really care!!

Triumph

Warning bells immediately rang in the back of my mind when I discovered Michael Bay was associated with this movie... but fear not! Throughly enjoyed myself in the cinema last night and took delight in the fact there was decently drawn out characters (including The Transformers, which was crucial) and legitimately witty one-liners. Some of the effects were breathtaking, although -like most modern-day action sequences- there was a tendency to use the lightning-quick blur technique, leaving the viewer wondering [what exactly] had just transpired. That's a minor quibble though.

The most fun I've had in the cinema since 'Kill Bill'.

Why the positve ratings?

'You want the film to end 30 minutes before the end'

Hmmm. You want the film to end 30 seconds after it starts is more accurate.

Lets not mince words here, this film is unbelievable awful. I was truly loosing the will to live whilst watching it. The yellow robot thing seemed to die several hundred times, the fight scenes were confusing, the film direction terrible and the story line essentially non-existence. They were looking for a pair of glasses or something. There was a very important box in there somewhere too.

Make better use of your time and kick yourself repeatedly in the groin.

Michael Bay Does It Again

In a word this rehash of the popular 80's cartoon is abysmal. Michael Bay has created a loud, incoherent, mess of a film with all of his trademark flashy visuals, cheesy dialogue, bizarre sub-plots and ludicrously OTT action scenes. What Bay can't do however is make a simple genre movie, Sam Raimi can do it, Peter Jackson can do it, Spielberg can do it but Bay fails hopelessly. Transformers should be a straightforward kids adventure movie, good versus evil and yet what we get is a ridiculously long advert, devoid of a decent plot, relatable characters or any idea of pacing. Yes there are fighting robots, yes there are loads of action scenes but it is so badly done and frankly dull. Bay will inevitably be saved by the fact that many 80's kids will view Transformers through rose tinted glasses and it will do very good business. But this is another film to prove that Bay hasn't got a clue. Shockingly bad.

Surprisingly Great!

I saw this for a laugh, thinking it would be absolute cack. It is actually great fun! AWESOME effects, some funny jokes, and stuffed full of action!

If you didn't see it in the cinema then you missed out!

[Highly rated reviewer]

action packed - no story

Yet another big film that doesn't hit the mark after all the hype -- special effects are good but even these can get boring. I would wait until it comes out on TV.

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This film was an Sci FI/Action film i will definately remember. Which makes a change because it has been a while since i have felt that way about this genre. The Scf-Fi film is dying a slow death and action films are just a re-hash of the Matrix or war films that dont stand up too the older greats. This film had the best special affects i have seen in recent years, the phrase 'Those robots are real!!!' ran through my head for a split second before i slapped myself and became 23 again. The Action sequences are immense with the Americans showing there miilitary might and shooting at just the enemy for a change and the robots blowing up........ well everything. The music score was a welcome surprise capturing the different moods very well giving the film real drive. There were also some occasional bits of quirky humour which didnt comcicalise the film but instead just gave a little extra entertainment value. The only thing negative i can say is some bits were a little corny the section seven characters for example. However most of the acting was quite good which is a surprise for an acton film. This film was a good all rounder that i think anyone could sit down, watch and enjoy. It makes a change for somone to actually have a little think about an action film for once rather than just throw in some weapons and special effects. I am really looking forward to the sequel. I don't remember the Transformers stories as i was a nipper but apparently there are plenty more robots and stories to tell. So lets hope the Americans dont spoil the sequel with some special weapon that kills the robots with one shot or something, we shall see June 2009 ETA.