Movie Review

Transformers

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 2, 2007

A child’s eyes were glazed over, jaw dropped, barely blinking and breathing softly. Not wanting to look away and barely able to believe what he was seeing on the magnificent big-screen, this child knew that he had never and probably will never see anything as amazing as what he was watching. He ran from the theater and told every one of his friends what he saw, partly to make them jealous but to also hail the sight for what it was: The most incredible movie ever.

I was like a child while watching Transformers. I was taken back to so many movie moments that sparked my imagination, and I humbly knelt down to what can only be described as “movie magic.” Even with today’s technology, most films can easily be dismissed as just special effects and explosions. Once you spot the strings on a puppet, your imagination runs dry just as when you spot mediocre CGI. Joining the forces of Industrial Light and Magic and Digital Domain, Transformers brings all the fireworks we need this summer. I can easily say that Transformers is an experience that has never been matched in a movie theater. I can say this because Transformers has raised the standard for visual effects and sound.

While Transformers was a roller coaster ride of explosions and jaw dropping special effects, it finds a special place amongst iconic films of past. I remember watching films like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Labyrinth and being amazed by the imagery. When creative minds collaborate, you can only expect the best. Steven Spielberg has always challenged our conventional wisdom and forced us to believe in something more than what we know to be real. I could name several movies that made me feel like a child, but today he has added another film to an impressive list of projects.

Knowing that Michael Bay was involved with this film only scared me, but Speilberg’s influence would come to suppress my anxiety. I won’t lie. Some of Bay’s films are my favorites. There are some obvious thematic elements that you will find in every Bay film, Transformers not excluded. You can expect several “Bayisms” like a flare scene (The Rock), a slo-motion walk while in uniform (Armageddon), stock up-tempo synthesizer tracks and some high speed car chases (Bay’s filmography). While the film just screams Michael Bay, it also rocks.

As complete a film as you will find in the action blockbuster genre, Transformers is filled with laughs, drama and some great characters. Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox do a great job of keeping the film moving in between action sequences, and even the over-the-top performances of Bernie Mac, John Turturro and Anthony Anderson fit within the plot well. Finding another movie to match Transformers would be a seemingly endless search this blockbuster season. Well worth the price of admission, as I am sure that I will see the film at least a few more times.