Michael Bay has crafted a reputation for creating visually stimulating and engaging action films with flimsy storylines and even flimsier characters. Despite his apparent lack of storytelling ability and his almost blatant disregard for the craft of filmmaking, he has made quite a career out of crane shots, lens flares, and blowing things up on screen. His newest effort, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, doesn’t attempt to deviate from his tried and true formula and to be honest I am not all that upset about it. We’ve been trained to expect a certain type of film from Mr. Bay and his cinematic endeavors, and if you’re still trying to fool yourself into thinking that he’s going to offer anything other than an entertaining summer blockbuster then don’t complain when he does just that.
The opening sequence follows in the revisionist history footsteps of X-Men: First Class and features an interesting use of found footage that revolves around the Space Race and the Moon Landing. The first act is the slowest part of the movie and could have easily been cut half. Why do I care about Sam’s inability to find a job? Just because I can’t find one doesn’t mean I want the main characters in the movies I watch to endure the same plight. The only redeeming quality from this first act is the jaw dropping Chernobyl set piece, which is the setting for the film’s first bit of action. It was so eerie and really helped build the tension in the scene. The set designer deserves some recognition for this scene alone.
Megan Fox’s replacement, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, doesn’t bring anything new to the role save for the blonde hair and the stiletto heels (don’t ask me how she runs in those things), but she fulfills her purpose and keeps the sex appeal high from the moment she appears on screen. The acting highlights mostly belong to Shia LaBeouf who has this ‘goofy-yet-handsome-leading-man-with-a-heart’ thing down to a science and his interaction with John Malkovich really shines through. Patrick Dempsey and Francis McDormand were also welcome additions to a cast that was getting increasingly stale as the series wore on, and the always on point John Turturro was as funny as ever.
To no surprise, the strongest aspects of the film are the visuals. This is where Bay and the rest of his team really shine and the 3D option really brings out the best in these shots. After the slow first half of the movie, Transformers really hits its stride once the action shifts to Chicago in the third act. The city hasn’t looked this good since The Dark Knight and I haven’t enjoyed a 3D experience this much since Avatar. Michael Bay and James Cameron are the biggest proponents of the technology, so it seems only fitting that their films are leading the 3D wave. If Hollywood can limit the usage of the technology and only apply it when it truly enhances the movie experience, then I believe there is some life for 3D after all.
Yes, this arguably unnecessary third installment in the Transformers trilogy has its fair share of downfalls including the longest first act since Avatar (took roughly sixty minutes for the main character to become involved in the primary plot line) and the most shameless sex appeal since the last Michael Bay movie, but the visual effects (especially in the last 45 minutes – the skydiving scene was dazzling!) were so captivating that I found myself thoroughly entertained and would definitely recommend this flick for anyone trying to enjoy a few mindless hours watching the most visually stunning movie of the summer.
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