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Transformers (2007)
The heroes are truly heroic: the noble and powerful Autobot leader Optimus Prime is one of the most iconic characters of the 1980s, and getting the original voice actor (Peter Cullen) to give him life was a stroke of genius. The villains, meanwhile, are just plain evil: Decepticon leader Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving) is motivated by absolute power, and his soldiers are not above a bit of wanton destruction to achieve their goals. Mix in a bit of mysticism in the form of the Allspark, the source of life for all Transformers, and the result is pure cinematic magic. It's not a perfect film: there are some characters and sub-plots that are unnecessary and which go nowhere, and at almost three hours, it's a lot of movie. But the Transformers themselves, rendered in CGI, have a very realistic size and weight on screen, and look particularly good as they switch from one mode to the other. Moreover, director Michael Bay is smart enough to realise that appealing to kids doesn't mean pandering to them--the cutest robot on screen is a manic little psychotic killer with the apt name Frenzy. The humans in the film, meanwhile, keep the film grounded, whilst never detracting from the real robot stars. Unlike The Matrix trilogy, which tried to be too clever, or The Lord of the Rings films, which were too clever, Transformers is probably the best science fiction epic since the original Star Wars trilogy. --Robert Burrow
RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £4.48 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
As sci-fi action blockbusters go, they don't come much bigger than Transformers. Maybe it's because of the subject matter: it's based on a toy line from the 1980s, concerning giant robots from outer space engaged in a civil war that pits the heroic Autobots against the evil Decepticons. They have the ability to disguise themselves as vehicles and other mechanical objects, transforming back into robots when it's time to stomp each other senseless. As a premise, it's rather silly. But it's also very simple, and that's why it works.
'Why does Michael Bay get to keep on making movies?'
Review date: 2008-06-23 Rating: 2 out of 10
So went the song in 'Team America: World Police' - I don't know why. Nobody does, but obviously somebody thinks it's a very good idea to keep giving him millions of dollars to make spectacular pieces of sh*t like this. And spectacular it is. 'Transformers' manages the impressive feat of being both the coolest AND crappest movie in recent memory. There's no denying it - the CGI is AMAZING and the robots temselves are vividly bought to life. Sadly, none of the human cast convince and, frankly, just get in the way with lame dialogue, ridiculous sub-plots and acting so dire, it feels like the entire cast opted for a frontal lobotomy before appearing in this craptacular movie. Shia LaBeouf does a hyper Woody Allen impression and his female co-star (so memorable i can't remember her name) pouts a lot and looks sexy but manages to kick butt when needed just to prove that she's a modern woman. John Turturro falls flat on his face and Jon Voight massacres his role with thickly sliced ham that makes his turn in 'Anaconda' look like a masterclass in acting!
The 2 big flaws with this film are 1) The screenwriters (previously of Hercules and Xena fame) cannot write believable dialogue and resort to terrible cliche, and 2) They structure the movie in such a cack-handed way that anything interesting happens in the last 10 minutes, where a multitude of sins occur (a terrible fight between Megatron and Prime taking place off camera, Megatron appearing for all of 10 minutes then being killed off, Michael Bay simply unable to make his ending work because it's all been waaay too big for the previous 2 hours that the big fight and Megatron's death is such a non-event...need I continue?).
This might seem terribly picky for what is, essentially, a kids film - but even kids deserve better than this. Despite the average animation, the '86 film is actually better than this huge monster mash. Oh, who cares what I think? It's made millions, a sequel 'Revenge of the Fallen' is on the way, nobody seems to care that Michael Bay gets to keep on making movies...especially when they are as brain dead and insulting as this.
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Reviews
Very, very silly
Review date: 2008-06-16 Rating: 6 out of 10
Take the 'big, dumb, silly, loud'-ness of all Michael Bay's other films combined (a list that, let us not forget, includes Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and The Rock) and you still don't come close to how big, dumb, silly and loud Transformers is. Far and away, and without a shadow of a doubt, the stupidest two hours I have ever spent in my life - but since that is exactly what the makers were aiming for, I guess that makes it a success.
Damn Sweet
Review date: 2008-06-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
I was never a Transformers fan before this film but this is simply awesome, only 2 complaints, it is a lil bit long n also the Megatron Optimus Prime fight near the end is stupidly one sided, I have since watched the cartoon version of that fight and it was way more even. Still easily worth 5 stars.
pointless
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 2 out of 10
this isnt a film its a commercial nothing more.dont waste your time on empty noisy rubbish like this
It is what it says on the tin......
Review date: 2008-06-01 Rating: 10 out of 10
I get hacked off with people slating big budget blockbusters all the time. Sure, people might see it more ''artistic' to say the love a film that was made for £100 by an indie in Belgium. Sure, there are many indie's that are great. but don't slag a film like this just because its mainstream and big budget! It's transformers! the cartoon and toys i grew up with. This is FANTASTIC and brings that world to life. Great fun - Shindlers list it isn't, but a great movie in this high octane fun genre. A must for a fan of this type of film.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Shia LaBeouf
Rachael Taylor
Megan Fox
Tyrese Gibson
Josh Duhamel
Director(s):
Recording label: Dreamworks Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Home Entertainment
EAN: 5051188153236
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Surround Sound, Widescreen, PAL,
Release date: 2007-12-03
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 143 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007-07-27
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)