This movie didn’t give me anything that I wasn’t expecting when I decided to see it. Though the reviews have been abysmal, the franchise is undeniably critic-proof. I am a big fan of the first film. When it comes to the second film I probably have an irrational hatred for it since I saw it in theatres and it put me to sleep. Then I watched it on television and it wasn’t any better. For the third film I didn’t bother seeing in the theatres (not that it hurt its $1 billion gross at all), but I ended up watching it on Netflix and it honestly exceeded my expectations though it didn’t warrant a repeat viewing. Now we’ve got the fourth film, an all new cast, and endless potential. After seeing it this weekend I sort of wish I’d seen it on a real IMAX screen because it does come off as bigger than life and the CGI was a thing of beauty. That alone justifies the 15 minutes of credits. It takes a village, a city, and a small country of artists to make this happen. And I tip my hat to all of them for a job well done. They are the true stars if you ask me.
Considering how much it’s getting hammered critically it makes me wonder about my own tastes. This is my favorite one since the original. Of course the first one is probably the better film when it comes to balance, but this one blew it away when it came to the action and visual effects. I liked how some of the angles were shot from different POVs. It gave the film a more immersive effect. I can still feel those explosions rumbling through my chest.
Optimus Prime remains awesome. I normally don’t like leaders as much when it comes to superhero groups (often times their generic personalities and self-righteous attitudes make them less interesting than the other members) but he’s just a badass who gets things done and always gets the honor of dishing out those super gruesome fatalities. It’s amazing what Bay gets away with since it’s all robot violence. I thought the new cast was okay. Marky Mark was on the same level as Shia LaBeouf for me so I didn’t find myself missing the old gang.
Was the film overly long? Yes. Was it loud? Yes. Did I have to take a bathroom break? Yes. Was the plot senseless at times? Yes. Was he clearly objectifying the female star with constant shots of her legs and backside? Yes. But if you accept that going in knowing you just want to see giant transformers transformin’ and kicking butt then it’s a feast for the eyes if nothing else. Think of the super long runtime and next to non-stop action as Michael Bay’s gift to hold us over until the 5th film. And you’d better believe there will be a 5th film.
I paid for an experience I can’t get at home and it delivers ten-fold on that. There were some jaw-droppingly good cosplays for this last year at Comic Con. I hope to see a lot more when I head there again in a few weeks!