Transformers

Viewed: Theater

I only vaguely remember the Transformers cartoons and movie from the 80s. The nostalgia factor for me is present, but it is pretty low. When I first heard of this movie being made, I had little expectation of anything good. I planned to see it when it was released, but it would be light fare for a Saturday afternoon. But when I heard that Steven Spielberg was the producer, my hope for it to be actually decent, increased. Spielberg doesn’t make crap movies.

In the past couple of months, I watched the trailer a dozen times. It looked really good. My hope increased a little more, but I still didn’t expect it to be great. Then I got one quick review from someone whose movie opinion I trust—he had seen it at its midnight opening. I actually started getting excited about the possibilities of it being good.

The start of the movie had me worrying. Having a narrator explain the back story rarely leads into a good present story. The notable exception is Lord of the Rings.

I’m so glad this movie didn’t get cut down to less than two hours like so many others are now days. The two and a half hours for this tale is long enough to cover the story without dragging anything out too much. I was never for one minute bored. The story is told, and the robots kick each other’s metal butts.

99% pure Awesome! All during the movie, and so far for the past several hours after leaving the theater, I’ve thought this movie was one the best I have ever seen. And I’m not one to throw around such strong accolades for movies easily. I’m actually known for being pretty hard to please with movies.

The writers did an excellent job of updating the story for the 21st century. They explained the robots’ history and abilities sufficiently (though not completely). The CGI is amazingly believable, as are the human actors. A couple things irked me a bit, like helicopters chasing at street level, but these were molehills compared to the mountains of absolute coolness.

I will see this movie again in the theater, and I will buy the DVD. I can’t remember a movie in the last ten years that so excited me during and after viewing.

There are three short scenes after the credits start rolling, all within the first couple minutes or so. The first two are just for laughs, but the third might be a hint of a future plot. There’s nothing at the very end of the credits.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com