What I like about this film that was not really done in the first two was the thourough historical background that they gave in the beginning of the film. It truly sets the tone for what the audience is about to watch. And to top it off there were a few famous cameos to add icing on the cake. Those first few minutes really built the foundation for the journey we as the viewer was about to embark upon.
In a nutshell, Transformers: Dark of the Moon basically tells the story of the Autobots learning about a Cybertronian spacecraft that's hidden on the Moon, and the race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets. Now everything that leads up to it, in the middle, and the end is what makes this film a huge success!!
Let me first start with the CGI it can be described in two words.... "Awesome Fluidity". Everything was crystal clear, which is definitely a step up from the prior two films. You can tell that Bay was trying to improve and make better with each one. The action scenes are WAY BETTER, so much to the point that you jump out your seat it's so good!
Now as it relates to the characters Optimus Prime is a BEAST!! That Autobot is no joke, he can handle any and everything...that's one BAD ROBOT!! With this third installment, I think this one they did a better job matching the personalities with the new Autobots and the Decipticons. A lot of the lame humor was thrown out the window (thank goodness). Although we can definitely a little more humor in some more than others. And of course we have our "veteran" Autobots who still keep us wanting more! In this one we get some new faces and some new vehicles "Sideswipe [Chevy Corvette Stingray concept] my personal fav, "Mirage" [Ferrari 458 Italia], "The Wreckers" [NASCAR Sprint Cup series stock cars], "Brains", and of course "Sentinel Prime" [Rosenbauer fire truck]. Then you have the Decepticons which include new folks like "Shockwave", "Soundwave" [Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG] as well as others. All I can say is UNBELIEVABLE!! The more and more I look at "Bumblebee" the more I want to get a Chevy Camaro...it's just got that FIRE!!
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The human characters were not too bad themselves either. Of course we have Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf...who is actually quite a cutie) who seems to mature with each film, you can tell that he definitely trying to redefine his role and how he fits into this Autobot/Human connection. I actually like Sam's new lady Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) much better than Megan Fox's character from the previous two. She had much more believable spark, charm, and wit plus I she was more relatable. Now don't get me wrong she portrayed a certain "vixen" type image but it seemed to be more tamed. Now John Malkovich's (Bruce Brazos) and Ken Jeong's (Jerry Wang) characters were definitely a pleasant surprise. I was not sure how each of them were going to be used but it worked in a weird, quirky kind of way. It was not too much and not too little. It was good that Jeong played the typ of guy that he did, because it somewhat redeemed him from his earlier summer film
The Hangover Part II. Now what would a Transformers film be without Sam's parents Ron & Judy (Kevin Dunn & Julie White) and good ol' Simmons (John Turturro), it just wouldn't be right. You can't help but laugh when they hit the screen. And we can't forget the hard-ass, self-righteous character Mearing (played by Frances McDormand), the charming but evil second generation science brat Dylan (Patrick Dempsey) and the goofy but smart assistant Dutch (played by Alan Tudyk). Each of these supporting cast members added an ingredient that truly flavored the film. I was a little leary on what they were going to doing with all these big names, but they managed it well.
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Michael Bay is truly genius with this film he pretty much shut down any nay-sayers for a very long time. From beginning to end you could tell that this was a Bay-directed film. Certain elements (ex. slow motion and hovering helicopters) always shine through. What's there not to like about about a city (Chicago) slowly crimbling into pieces, especially when it is done is such an artful way. There are certain scenes that seem like Bay basically returned back to the drawing board with an idea from one of the previous two movies to this time around do it bigger and with better camera positioning; he wanted to make the point of, "THIS is what I meant for it to look like." The moments seem just more epic!!
And I love love love the music, it just builds the energy and explodes at the perfect moments. It's nothing like having an awesome soundtrack to go along with an excellent flick, it just makes the movie experience more enjoyable.
The plot, the characters, the story all build up to the final hour of back to back action sequences of spectacle, dynamic stealth, wild violence and utter amazement that will excite the masses and probably confuse the critics since they can never assess these kind of movies. Personally what does it need to be compared to? And when it is all said and done whoever attempts to create a franchise will have a lot of work cut out for them, matter fact they can use this one as a foundation, because the stakes that Michael Bay has placed are pretty damn high in the sky!
Transformers: Dark of the Moon was an outstanding film, and pretty much #1 out of the three made so far. Keep in mind I am not a fan of 3D but this was the first film I watched in the IMAX 3D and needless to say I was very impressed! No complaints from me!! Without a shadow of doubt this movie exceeded all of my expectations and then some. The wait and the hype that cam along with it was well worth the wait!! As a matter of fact I will probably check it out again, it was just that good! And trust me when I say you can't go wrong seeing it in the IMAX 3D, worth every penny!! Michael Bay made good on his promise that he was going to improve on the second film and he did it immensely.
As a good friend of mine said..."
Transformers: Dark Moon is ridiculous! It should be called 'Break all the Things: The Movie'..."
Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars
