Robots in Disguise

Well, the wait is finally over and I got to see the spectacle that is Michael Bay's Transformers. I must admit that the movie caught me by surprise in many ways. Perhaps in a bit of pessimism my expectations were rather low (considering Bay's directorial reputation). I ended up being rather pleased by the film.
(above image used from http://www.accessatlanta.com/movies/movies/etc/getCriticReview.jspd?criticReviewId=4741).

The story was changed a bit for this film version: instead of seeking new sources of energy, the Transformers are seeking a key artifact, the life-giving AllSpark. In Decepticon hands it would spell doom for mankind, as they could use it to turn Earth's machines into an army of evil robots.

The film itself was very uneven, but I still found that my palms were sweating through the first hour of the film. The action scenes were intense and exciting, but overly violent. When Optimus Prime transformed for the first time, I was ten years old all over again, and that's how I felt throughout the rest of the movie. This is where the movie achieved its greatest success for me: it had high nostalgia value.

As a movie, it was acceptable but not good. The acting was not bad, and often good, in my opinion. Shia LaBeouf turned in by far the best role as Sam Witwicky, the central human character. It was the editing and the story that needed help. There were several throwaway scenes (they add absolutely nothing to the film) that could have saved the viewers at least 20 minutes of their valuable time (the movie is 140 minutes long). Some plot threads were left hanging completely open. There were far too many unhumorous sexual jokes and one scene of annoying toilet humor (can we PLEASE agree that urinating/"lubricating" on people is not funny?).

Still, there was a silver lining. The robots looked AWESOME. The meticulous detail with which the Transformers were rendered was well worth the effort. Watching them transform truly never did get old. Overall, Michael Bay didn't ruin my childhood or mangle my beloved childhood heroes. For that, the film earns three antelopes, plus a baby for bringing out my inner child.