Two years have passed since moviegoers have seen a Michael Bay explosion on the screen, but this summer blockbuster fans have been blessed with “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” The third entry in the franchise runs at a staggering 155 minutes filled with a hodgepodge of political intrigue, frenetic robotic violence and teen comedy.
The movie opens with the notion that an ancient vessel has crashed on the moon and the Apollo crew at NASA must investigate it. Once there, the team finds the remains of the first Autobot leader: Sentinel Prime. The ship is The Ark, an Autobot vessel from Cybertron that can open a space bridge to summon the vast planet anywhere in the galaxy. The Decepticons wish to use it to bring Cybertron itself into Earth’s atmosphere and enslave humanity.
The biggest flaw of the “Transformers” trilogy is the lack of character development of both the human and digital variety, as well as the erratic tone. Sam Whitwicky, played by Shia LaBeouf, is the snarky yet nerdy protagonist who somehow manages to score a supermodel-esque girlfriend (Rosie Huntington-Whitley) while saving the planet with the Autobots in awesome adventures.
Most of the Autobots and Decepticons are presented with annoying one-liners and nothing more. Leonard Nemoy makes a welcome appearance as Sentinel Prime and Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime is the perfect fit. It’s frustrating to hear Hugo Weaving voice Megatron when Frank Welker, who played Megatron in the original cartoon, was included to voice various Decepticons. Weaving is a fine actor, but he does not fit as Megatron — his voice is too gruff, too predictable for an evil robotic villain with red eyes.
As a high budget summer blockbuster, the film proudly employs Dolby 7.1 sound and is presented in 2D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D. As expected, the special effects are astounding, complete with buildings ripped to shreds and the usual explosions. What really sets this movie apart from its earlier counterparts is the brutality of the Decepticons. They vaporize humans into charred skeletons by their superior technology. It’s surprising to see this much violence in a summer PG-13 movie based on a children’s cartoon.
To truly get the most out of this movie — or anything directed by Michael Bay – is to turn your brain off, laugh at the silly humor, cheer as the bad guys get taken out and enjoy the ride.
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