Transformers (2007) Review

These films are loud, bumpy, incoherent, and the acting is a wooden as a coffee table. That's how one die-hard critic would sum up the live action Transformers films by Michael Bay, the director and producer of many horror film remakes and war films. I have to admit, I am not crazy about these films either, but you got to admit, there are a lot of stunning things to like about these films, and even if the characters aren't as solid as one would hope, they are still incredibly remarkable in their own right, and still as iconic as they were in the 1980s cartoon series and comic books. So, as you would guess, I have a pretty different perspective and view of the first Transformers film, which hit theaters back in 2007 and became one of the highest grossing motion pictures of that year. I don't the film is perfect, but far beyond terrible, far beyond crap as some hard core Transformers purists put it. It's a good popcorn flick and was very vivid, filled with lots of CGI goodness and action sequences which could send one right through the roof. I was blown away by a lot of the stuff in this film, and it was surely one of the best films I have seen in a while, a film that didn't completely slaughter the groundwork it was based upon, delivering a lot of what we look forward to seeing in films, fighting and suspense and most of all, story. Even if the story in the live action Transformers film doesn't make a whole lot of sense and is very complex, it's still very intriguing in it's own way, far different from a lot of the stories we have seen in movies at that time. Transformers was fast paced, edgy, and different from what we were used to in other Transformers media, but still very cool nonetheless and captured the whole essence, meaning and tone of the entire Transformers franchise. The film reinvented the whole feeling of the series, but still kept what made the series great at heart, delivering a new "coming of age" tale that all could enjoy once they look past the negative factors.



Shia Labeouf is considered a terrible actor in some critics' books, but I think he really hit the spot when playing the role of Sam Witwicky, the human companion to the Autobot kind. You can really tells that he is taking his role very seriously and trying to make Witwicky a likely character, though Labeouf is often criticized for his overbearing screaming, shouting, and random speech, particularly in the second film. I like the character he plays in the film, and though he isn't the bravest and the smartest of heroes, he has it where it counts, and comes very close to capturing the essence and nature of the original Witwicky character from the 80s television show, originally called Spike Witwicky. Megan Fox, Jon Voight, Josh Duhamel, and John Turturro also do a pretty spectacular job as their respective characters, and I have to admit, I let out a few chuckles when Bernie Mac appeared on the screen as a used car salesman. Of course we all know that Mac wouldn't be the only well known actor to make an appearance in a Transformers movie, several other familiar faces unexpectedly popping up here and there in the Transformers film universe and getting a howling response from the audience. I really got a laugh out of Sam's mom and dad, Ron and Julie Witwicky, portrayed hilariously by Kevin Dunn and Julie White. They are so funny, particularly in the scene during the end credits, and I think it's awful laughable how they know nothing about the autobots, who often gather in their backyard or another place nearby, Sam and Mikaela putting tremendous effort into keeping them from knowing of the Transformers' existence. Some fans find the parents annoying, which I find a bit thought provoking, for I believe them to be just like parents in real life, humiliative and overprotective of their offspring. And I think the relationship between Sam and his mom is also something to burst out laughing about, for she always finds new ways to baby Sam and make a fool out of him in front of his father or other people. I enjoy watching the relationships between parents and children in movies, for they are sometimes like the relationships between parents and children in real life, children going insane over their parents' nagging and raving, going against some of the things the children want to say or do. And sometimes, the parents and the children become enemies, often fighting against one another and hunting down one another's companions. Look at the relationship between Luke Skywalker and his father. His father went as far as to cutting off his own son's hand and killing his aunt and uncle as well as his best friend in the Death Star assault. Talk about a swell guy Darth Vader was to his children, thankfully he came back to his senses at the end and helped his children end the greatest evil the galaxy has ever known.

But the thing that makes this Transformers film to me would have to be, well, the Transformers, the focal point of the film and the characters in which the plot revolves around, obviously. I know a lot of people weren't happy with the redesigns of each character, particularly the redesigns of Bumblebee and Megatron, but I think they look great. For some reason, I like the unique looks of each character in this film. They aren't as good looking as they were in the 1980s cartoon and comics, but they are very appealing and proportioned in my humble opinion, and very suitable for cinematic versions of the Transformers we all know and love from previously established Transformers media. Seeing the Transformers transform in glorified CGI looked visually stunning to me, and I thought it was great that each Transformers transformed in a different way from one another, making that classic OOH OOH WAH EEE EEE noise that has become a trademark sound of the franchise. Each Transformer had different weapons, methods of fighting, and catchy voices that further solidified each character, each Transformer having a different rhythm of speak and mannerisms that helped to make them who they are, because who wants bland, tasteless characters with no personality or characteristics or characters that talk in the same monotone voice. I thought it was excellent that they got Peter Cullen to do the voice of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots and the most famous of the Transformers bunch. I think he was just like his 1980s counterpart, a wise, conservative master of all the other Autobots that knew how to kick butt when the time was right, and when the world was in peril. Even after 20s years, he still has the charm and tone of Optimus that helps make the character more realistic and stunning in every way imaginable. Hugo Weaving was pretty decent as Megatron, although not on par with the famous Frank Welker, perhaps the greatest voice actor of the 1980s decade. He was pretty dark and menacing and really gave us a different, more threatening voice for Megatron, although I still prefer the cheesy, yet terrifying Frank Welker Megatron voice from the 80s television series, because Welker really knew how to make characters unforgettable and different from any other characters we have seen beforehand. But I still like Weaving tackle on Megatron, and know doubt he will be bone chilling as all heck as Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avengers, hitting theaters in just a few weeks.

Another thing I'd like to mention about the voices is how they gave Bumblebee somewhat distorted, incoherent speech, the famous yellow and black Transformer, who took the form of a volkswagen in the original cartoon speaking through a car radio or through a strange "fizzing" noise, which I have found quite annoying at times. I also find it annoying that he gets his normal voice at the end of this film, but by the beginning of the next film, he's back to speaking in the erratic, radio, fizzing speech.I don't get it, for it is something that is never explained or dawned upon, although it could very well be that Bumblebee's voice box suffered a malfunction off screen, and he returned to speaking in the incoherent radio voice. I don't know, all I know is that Bumblebee in the movies is very, very abstract from the beloved Bumblebee we all know from the original cartoon. It's common that characters change drastically when they are brought to the big screen, but Bumblebee's change is something a lot of people weren't too thrilled about. Alright, enough talk about that, let's talk about the plot of this film, for it didn't make a whole lot of sense, but I still found it quite intriguing. It surely was a different approach at the Transformers story than the original 80s cartoon, but it still did the 80s show and comics justice, for it did a great job of capturing the very flow and pattern of the original plot. Some would say that they butchered the plot and meaning of Transformers in this film, focusing more on the human characters and their struggles, but I think they baked the cake right, and delivered a plot that doesn't make a whole lot of sense in some people's eyes, but still had a lot of things to cheer over.

The action of this film makes the film the high flying blockbuster it is today. I cherish the action and excitement of this film, for it was very reminiscent of the action and suspense present in the original Transformers movie from 1987, which I highly consider to be the greatest Transformers film ever made. Seeing the Transformers literally beat the living tar out of one another and cause severe damage and destruction to the buildings and citizens around them, what more could you ask for? That's what films are all about right, action and excitement, and this film is chalked full of those elements, making this one of the best action films of this decade by far. Some might say the action's sloppy and fast paced, but that's what a lot of people look forward to seeing in films. Nonstop robot beat downs, crumbling buildings and random explosions! YAH! I love that stuff, I always have, and Transformers gave me all of that good stuff when I first saw it back in 07. I enjoyed it, I know a lot of people dislike this film and the films that would follow, but I think it's a pretty satisfying good and plenty flick as I like to call them. It has a lot of humor, horror, suspense, high flying action and drama all rolled into one, and though I don't watch it all the time, I still find some time to pull out this film and give it a go. It isn't the best film since Citizen Kane, but I still savor it and really hold it dear, for it gave me the taste of Transformers I have been craving, and I couldn't wait to see what would unfold next in the Transformers cinematic universe. Autobots, roll out, for this is the best of the trilogy by a milestone, and I'd highly recommend it to any robots in disguise fanatics. The may be weird robotic aliens from another galaxy that take the form of automobiles, but they always know how to keep one entertained, how to suck one into their universe to explore the fun, the excitement, the beauty.