
Steven Spielberg said, in one of the "making of" shows for 'Transformers', that this was the film Michael Bay was "born to direct". I've got to agree. A man who has made his living creating films with more explosions and eye candy than anything else, he definitely did a good job with Transformers. (Though 'The Rock' is still my personal favorite of his)
Yes, I enjoyed the film. I'll admit it! I was a Transformers fan as a kid, even though I pretty much remember next to nothing about the tv show. I know I had the viewmaster set of the cartoon movie, some action figures, and the sneakers. Because what was 'Transformers' but a line of toys with a ridiculous premise.
So, you must toss all logic and reason out the window before you go to see this movie. I mean, look at the basic set up - they are aliens from outer space who just happen to have the power to turn into EARTH vehicles. And not just one vehicle, no they all choose vehicles that fit their personalities. Yes, totally illogical. But just go with it. Turn your brain off and enjoy the silly fun. (Seriously, don't fill up too much on popcorn, because this film comes with a good helping of CHEESE!)
I was really surprised by Shia LeBeouf. I hadn't seen him in anything prior to this and he's signed on to be in the new Indiana Jones flick, so I was curious about him. I liked him a lot! He had a good sense of comic timing but he wasn't an ass. Megan Fox, the female lead, was kind of boring looking. One of those overly gorgeous overly thin types. (She reminded me of Jennifer Connelly back in Labyrinth days a little bit...dunno why, probably her large front teeth). The rest of the cast was pretty forgettable. John Turturro is always fun to watch, Jon Voight was Jon Voight-like. And Tom Lenk was on screen for all of 3 minutes but my fangirl heart still did a little jump for him.
Other than that, the primary actors were all CGI robots. Bumblebee stole the show. Optimus Prime was awesome. Megatron was evil (though his transformed shape was just so cool). The rest of the Autobots and Decepticons did a good job blowing up things.
(My only complaint was the overly stereotyped hacker character. I'm just growing tired of seeing this stale characterization in movies. Yes, haha, he lives with his grandma, is fat and single and eats lots of fattening foods. oh...so funny. El-Oh-El. /sarcasm)
It was a very dorky movie, but that's exactly what I expected and wanted! Good guys win, bad guys blow up, insanely cheesy voiceover wraps it all up for us. It's 'Transformers'. If you're a fan of such things, you'll enjoy the two hours of eye candy. If not, you'll probably be writhing in pain by the end.