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I'll try to keep this one brief, mostly because I want to run out and see this film again. And, after that, then maybe one more time. Having seen almost all of the high profile blockbusters the summer of 2007 has to offer (with only Harry Potter and Jason Bourne still waiting in the wings), I'm voting for TRANSFORMERS as being the most exhilarating and most entertaining film thus far. Given, I'm biased as I've loved the Transformers ever since when. Two hours and 20 minutes rapidly sped by, and, me, I never noticed. No, it's not Jane Austen's TRANSFORMERS, so check all snobby, high-falutin' ways at the door. It is what it is, shallowly plotted, over the top, and rife with one note characters. But it also boasts giant friggin' robots. And another good performance by Shia LaBeouf. And a smokin' Megan Fox. And giant friggin' robots!
Very early in the film, when enterprising car dealer Bernie Mac informs 11th grader Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) that "Cars pick their drivers," he couldn't have been more spot on - in Sam's case, anyway. Sam ends up with a shabby yellow Camaro that's *ahem* more than meets the eye. Sam's eyes light up when he gets a chance to use his car to hang out with Mikaela (Megan Fox), a classmate he's been crushing on. Now, Mikaela not only is sizzling hot, but she's also automobile savvy, which comes into play much later. In the fullness of time (or, going by movie time, about 15 minutes later), Sam discovers that his Camaro is actually a robot in disguise named Bumblebee, who, by the way, is extremely touchy about his paintjob. Turns out that Bumblebee, who communicates thru a combo of songs and recorded voices from the radio, is Sam's personal protector.
Sam further learns that his arctic exploring grandfather (whose passed on motto is "No sacrifice, no victory.") had made a significant discovery years and years ago, which a group of evil robots now dearly covet. This group, titled the Decepticons, has been opposed for many a millennia by the Autobots, of which Bumblebee is one. It is revealed that the source of the ages-old conflict is the Allspark, a size-shifting, all-powerful cube which is able to grant sentience to all things mechanical. There, that's the set-up.
One wonders just how much input Executive Producer Steven Spielberg had in TRANSFORMERS. With Michael Bay's preferred expertise firmly affixed to slick cinematography and high octane action sequences, I wouldn't be exactly poleaxed if it turns out that Spielberg was behind the many sweet and funny moments here, moments which provide the very necessary grounding and the film's saving grace. Sam's parents are a bloody riot, ridiculous and goofy as hell, sure, but still lovable. In the wrong hands, they could've been exasperating and the film would've then lost one of its humanizing touches. But, more than anyone, the grounding element is attributed to the male lead, Shia Labeouf. Labeouf plays Sam as underdog enough, and quirky and engaging enough that you can't help but wish good things for the guy. And he's enough of an actor that the scene between him and his damaged Camaro later on brings a lump to the throat.
Another plus is the ingratiating fashion in which the good guy robots are presented. Naturally, they already have 20 plus years of invested good will and childhood nostalgia saved up so that fanboys like me are preordained to like them. But these Autobots are simply awesome. The dazzling CG effects surpassed my expectations. I was so excited to see the seamlessness of it all, the weight and heft seen and felt as these massive mechanical giants interact with and impact their surroundings. There are moments, admittedly, in which they transform at such dizzying speeds that I couldn't quite take it all in, but never mind. It's still eye-popping to see these robots change shapes in mid-air or while whizzing down the highway. It doesn't hurt that they're also somewhat clumsy. It's a hoot watching the lawn-murdering Autobot hide-and-seek sequence outside Sam's window ("Ooops. My bad.").
Oh, there's other stuff I could mention, I suppose. There's the decisive Secretary of Defense (John Voight) who actually doesn't mind getting his hands dirty (Pres. Bush's involvement consists of a demand for Ding Dongs). There's the mysterious, beyond top secret Sector 7, as bullyingly embodied by an off-the-wall and unlikable John Turturro. Meanwhile, actors Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson provide square-jawed heroics as resilient military survivors of the initial Decepticon onslaught. Somewhere here, there's also a hottie of a signal analyst (Rachael Taylor) and a minor bit part (but very funny) for Anthony Anderson. Oh, and Hugo Weaving voices Megatron, who, here, doesn't transform into a gun.
People who are clueless about the 1980s Transformers cartoon series will still walk away content, I think. I came to this film to see colossal robots in a rumble, but I knew that there had to be a story and some sort of nod towards character development. Well, the story's certainly not deep and is fairly easy to follow. However, the nicely realized central characters (Sam, Mikaela, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime) are what sold it for me. When cut to the nitty gritty, TRANSFORMERS is a story about a boy and his dog. Or, rather, a boy and his robot. The romance angle actually takes a back seat to the relationship between Sam and his beat up Camaro. This is where the first half of the film, which focuses in huge part on Sam and Bumblebee, pays off. So, while I couldn't wait for that big moment in which we first glimpse Optimus Prime, my favorite robot very early on became Bumblebee.
Cripes, so much for the brief review. But, in closing and to echo everyone else, big ups to the film for landing Peter Cullen, who originally was and is again the voice of Optimus Prime. It would've been simply unsatisfying to have had someone else delivering his lines. I actually got a tingle when Optimus rumbled his battlecry: "Autobots - roll out!"
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