Transformers Age of Extinction Review. Same…..but different. The Transformers films are not for everyone but apparently with a $300 million opening this past weekend it seems that these robots in disguise still have power at the box-office. Could these films be critic proof? That’s a fair assessment but then again these films are not being made for critics but for a populace that wants spectacle and this film, like parts 1 and 2, succeeds in that area. Acting: Like most of the series thus far the acting really isn’t what these films are about, but I will say that it is nice to have an actor in the lead of a Transformers film that actually knows how to act. Sorry Shia LaBeouf fans. Mark Wahlberg is the first action hero that an audience can get behind in this series and his constant stance of protecting his daughter is an extremely welcomed aspect of the film. For once the stakes of the film actually seem to hit on a real personal level. Nicola Petlz is pretty and does her job well enough that I didn’t want to throw my drink at the screen. Jack Reynor’s accent although real, was confusing at the beginning because he sounded more Australian then Irish for some odd reason but his interaction with Wahlberg showed signs of some ability. Stanley Tucci was on top form like always and added nice humorous moments. But the stand out was Kelsey Grammer who portrayed the once noble but now corrupted spy with so much vehement tenacity that the film seemed to suffer when he wasn’t on screen. Peter Cullen has been playing Optimus Prime for so long now that it was nice to see the character actually confronting his own ideals and past that I hope they continue to test the character in future films. Cinematography: Michael Bay, a name that goes hand in hand with visual beauty. All his films have shown that the man has an outstanding eye for art direction and a love for gorgeous cinematography. His choices in production design staples such as the decaying beauty of old buildings juxtaposed with the clean lines of new ones is still there and his choices of making everyone in his films look fantastic constantly is shown throughout. Now that he shoots in 3D, he has slowed down his editing and the majestic quality of the frames are now able to be seen more clearly. Visual Effects: As has been the trend in these films, the visual effects of the Transformers and the big action pieces were fantastic with the exception of a few points in the film where interior car shots and a sequence between the three human characters dangling between skyscrapers just seem so fake. I assume that ILM was busy with the robots and another company did these effects because they were poor and really threw you out of the film. Storytelling: These films have never been tight with their storylines and this one is similar in that fashion. The storyline itself had moments that really seemed to have potential in more thought provoking concepts like how far will the human race would go for protection or profit even if it means using hypocritical methods or even the secret creation of the Transformers but these ideas are glossed over with the sequel hopefully following through with these concepts in a more direct manner. Action and spectacle is the choice here and story has taken the backseat. It is an interesting thing though because even after the movie was finished, I didn’t feel like I was short changed story-wise but wondered what the sequels would bring. Music: Throughout the film the music was similar in style to the previous films except for one moment at the very beginning of the film which saw the score be lighter with a more ethereal quality that really set the tone that this movie was going to have moments that were different (the main titles were also a lot more subtly than before) but when the action came the music piqued to the way we have been accustomed. The re-watch value: I would say this film just for the spectacle alone would be worth a re-watch. Bonus Category Adaption: There are events of this film that actually are adapted from the animated film from the 1980’s and they seemed to be adapted into this new take of the series that fit tonally with this film but in truth it would have been interesting to see them in the original way. Like the other films, these are very loose adaptions of the Transformers animated, comic and toy lines. Verdict: Great film spectacle-wise and a fun ride but is it a true art film? No and it doesn’t seem to be aiming for that. If you want to escape from reality and enjoy yourself then yes it is worth it but if you want something more, then I think there are other films that might fill that void. Entertainment value: 4 Exit Lights out of 5. by Jody Kinsela
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:20:10 +0000
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