Transformers (2007)

Michael Bay has become famous for bringing us extremely loud and explosive movies with horrible stories such as Bad Boys and Armageddon. He continues this trend with the release of Transformers, a metaphorical orgy of over the top action, bad acting, and poor writing. But one thing separates Transformers from the rest of Bay's mind numbing projects. It's good. It is actually very good. The story follows Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf), a normal teenager that wants nothing more than a new car and a hot girlfriend, a very relatable situation. But soon after he gets his car, he discovers that it may not have been him who picked the car, but the car that picked him. Sam is then swept into a battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, warring alien races that are both in search of "the cube". If this cube falls into the hands of the evil Decepticons led by Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving), the future of humanity would be bleak. It falls upon Sam and his new friends the Autobots led by Optimus Prime to find the cube before Megatron does.

Even with a story that seems to have come from the mind of an over imaginative 8 year old, Transformers manages to deliver solid entertainment for those even with IQ's above 90. For all the laughable writing and ridiculous plotlines, there are enough absurd action sequences to keep you and your mind as far away as possible. At times the story does become too outlandish and it makes you wonder why you are even watching this movie. But as soon as you think that, something blows up, and you just accept it. The special effects are first rate and the battle sequences will pin you to your seat and smack you in the face. There are some moments when the movie is so overflowing with action that you can barely see what is happening, but you just assume it's incredible. But this brings up one major problem. Transformers is strictly a theater movie. Without the giant screen and surround sound speakers, the power of Transformers is diminished greatly, which I learned first hand in buying the DVD. If you were not lucky enough to see this film in theaters, you will never know the true experience that was meant to be had by watching this movie.

If I were to make a list of all the best rising stars in Hollywood, Shia Labeouf would be up in the top 5. In what seems like such a short time he has gone from being the small troublemaker on Even Stevens to one of the best and most entertaining young actors of the decade. Even with a poor script, Labeouf is able to milk it for all it's worth and deliver a highly entertaining performance that will keep you laughing so you are sure to not take the movie too seriously. Megan Fox stars as Mikaela Banes, the girl that Sam has been lusting over. Her acting isn't much to behold, but the rest of her is. Her character is supposed to be in high school, but I'm not buying it for a second. John Turturro plays the cliche government official who runs the cliche secret organization that nobody else knows about. There isn't much to say about him except the fact that Mr. Turturro obviously had time to kill and needed a paycheck. After a recent trend of starring in bad movies, Jon Voight decided to star in a good one, as here he plays Secretary of Defense John Keller. Again, his performance isn't much, but I would rather see him here than in another Baby Geniuses movie. Basically, Transformers is not an acting movie in any way, with the exception of Labeouf's presentation. Kevin Dunn and Julie White provide a funny act as Sam's parents, but they aren't in the movie enough to really grow an attachment to them.

The one thing you must always keep in mind while watching Transformers, is that it was meant to be ridiculous. At least I hope it was. The best thing to do is leave your IQ at the door, shut the lights, crank up the volume on your television, and just enjoy the ride. A very long ride at that, considering the movie is upwards of 2 and a half hours. But if you feel you need a break from all the serious movies out there, go rent or buy Transformers, and forget everything you know about Michael Bay's previous films. My Rating (7/10)