Retrospective Review: Transformers

Retrospective Review: Transformers

“Fifty years from now, when you’re looking back at your life, don’t you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?” – Sam Witwicky

Nothing demonstrates the strengths and flaws of Director Michael Bay more than the Transformers trilogy. I was never a true Transformers fan growing up. The only Transformers animated series I watched was Beast Wars: Transformers. From my perspective, the franchise is a child’s toy and a Saturday morning cartoon. Despite what movie critics say, the fact that Michael Bay can turn something so silly into an entertaining multi-billion movie franchise is a tribute to his ability to make movies that people want to see. On the other hand, I will not defend his movies from the perspective of artistic value. Among his films, The Rock is definitely his best work and the one film that even the critics applaud. He also did an excellent job with The Island. Ironically, it is his biggest box office bomb. Regardless, it is safe to assume that Bay will not be directing the next Gone with the Wind. I understand the vantage point of professional movie critics. They probably watch hundreds of movies a year and have a difficult time just shutting off their critical lens to enjoy the Transformers films. However, most moviegoers do not see as many films and do not watch movies for a living. Sometimes, they just want to go to the movies to shut off their minds, watch something entertaining, and escape from real life issues like work. For movie critics, watching films is work. As a result, there are films that they hate but regular moviegoers enjoy. No matter how much critics destroy Michael Bay’s work, he will never listen nor stop making movies. He clearly appeals to a key demographic from teenagers to young adults. Movie critics can continuously band together to universally bash him but he is still laughing all the way to the bank because people still flock to the movie theaters to watch his work.

I have been entertained by all the Transformers films. They have killer alien robots that fight each other and the military in fantastic action sequences. The films also have crude humor and beautiful women. Those features definitely attract the 15-35 year olds. I am a part of that group. Moreover, each film is synced perfectly to brilliant scores composed by Steve Jablonsky and the legendary Hans Zimmer.  While I openly admit that the films are terrible even though they are entertaining, I still believe the first film in the franchise is a very good movie. The novelty of the first film is a reason it is great. Regardless, it does an excellent job in building up the suspense and excitement of seeing and learning about the Decepticons, Autobots, and their war. Its sequels throw as many Transformers on the screen as possible with no rhyme or reason. They are only there for a killer alien robot death match. The first movie is much better because it introduces the Transformers one by one so they each have a purpose that is integrated into the plot. Moreover, I like the order the Transformers appear in the movie. The more minor Transformers generally appear before the more iconic characters enter the stage. Accordingly, there is a crescendo that builds throughout the film with Optimus Prime and his Autobots arriving in the middle of the film before Megatron’s grand entrance near the end. Moreover, I like that the movie keeps a shroud of mystery around the Transformers at the beginning of the movie and trickles more information as the story progresses. You learn about their capabilities and whether our military stands any chance of fighting them.

The human storylines are also solid. The main character, Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf) is a hormone filled teenager trying to buy his first car to get his first taste of freedom. He is also fumbling all over himself to win the affection of the most gorgeous girl in school, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox). He is involved in a lot of awkward yet hilarious moments throughout the film. These aspirations are the same for most teenagers. As such, they make him relatable to the audience. Moreover, the Decepticons and Autobots racing to find him in the first half fits in perfectly with the fast paced excitement of the film. This movie also has the best supporting characters in the franchise. John Keller (Jon Voight) is a strong, charismatic Secretary of Defense. Captain William Lennox (Josh Duhammel) and Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson) are very solid as the brave and tough leaders of their Special Operations team. There are also plenty of supporting characters that are in the film for comic relief such as Agent Simmons (John Turturro). Add everything together and you have a very entertaining and thrilling blockbuster that the sequels do not come close to matching.

I had very low expectations before I watched the first Transformers film but I ended up enjoying every minute of it. For me, it is magic from the beginning when you see the All Spark floating in space and colliding with asteroids before crashing to Earth. At the same time, Steve Jablonsky’s score creates the exciting feeling that something epic is about to occur while Peter Cullen’s distinct voice [as Optimus Prime] narrates the premise of the story: “Before time began, there was the Cube.  We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to create worlds and fill them with life…” He further explains how the Decepticons and Autobots continue to fight a war that has already destroyed their home planet, Cybertron. They are in a mad scramble to find the Cube, also known as the All Spark, because the group that reaches it first will have overwhelming power. Of course, the Decepticons will use it for evil while the Autobots will keep it for good. It is a simple premise but works because they develop the characters enough so that they serve a purpose in the story. In contrast, the sequels are poor movies because they just throw as many new Transformers on to the screen as possible for action sequences and no other purpose. The first film also does an excellent job building excitement by introducing each Transformer individually with each addition generally more progressively iconic than the last one.

The first scene in the movie starts with a Blackhawk helicopter approaching a United States Soccent base in Qatar. The military is completely confused because the helicopter was previously shot down in Afghanistan. Accordingly, fighter jets escort it into the base with an armed battalion waiting for it at the landing pad. To the disbelief of the military, the helicopter transforms into Blackout. He kills the troops encircling him, unleashes a shockwave that shatters the glass in the nearby area, and starts his destruction of the base. He has the element of surprise and superior weaponry. As a result, he overwhelms the base with little resistance. He also makes his way to a server that links to the Defense network. Fortunately, the commanding officer is smart enough to cut the hard line in time to disconnect Blackout from the network before he downloads the information the Decepticons are seeking. This opening action sequence demonstrates one of the better aspects of the film. As Blackout approaches the base, we know he is a Decepticon but the military does not. The excitement builds up as he gets near the landing pad because you know he is about to inflict a whole lot of hurt on the unsuspecting base. Nevertheless, we wait to see what each one of these Transformers can do. There is a thrill when you find out. It is an element that the sequels lack because the novelty of it wears out. The sequels also lack the mystery of the unknown about the Transformers.

After Blackout’s hack of the defense network falls short of his goal, Frenzy infiltrates Air Force One for a second attempt. He sneaks onboard disguised as a stereo and makes his way to a terminal. The hack is detected by analysts who are working on the origins of the attack on the Soccent base. They alert their superiors who relay the message to the Secret Service agents aboard the plane to investigate. They encounter and engage Frenzy. Although they shoot at him, they have no idea what he is and are quickly killed. At this point, the United States military leadership is scrambling. Their enemy has completely overwhelmed an entire military base and poses a danger to the President of the United States by infiltrating Air Force One. Both places are supposed to be strongholds and safety zones but have been compromised. Moreover, they do not know who is responsible. They believe it is a hostile country such as North Korea but we know it is aliens. Consequently, the plot thickens as we wonder when the military will figure out the truth and whether they have the capabilities to defeat a far more technologically advanced species.

They get closer to learning the truth when the lone survivors of Blackout’s attack on the Soccent Base fight Scorponok. This battle is one of my favorite in the movie and demonstrates a lot of the elements that I really appreciate about the film. The survivors are a Special Operations team that is led by Captain Lennox and Sergeant Epps. They are wandering the desert searching for a telephone to contact the military command. However, Scorponok is stalking them the entire way. Lennox’s team is completely shocked and terrified when Scorponok reveals himself and quickly impales one of the soldiers with his tail. Accordingly, they immediately run to the nearby town. While Epps leads the team in fighting and holding off Scorponok, Lennox heads into a home to get a satellite phone. Although Lennox pleads with the operator to patch him through to the Pentagon since he is in the middle of a war, the operator is not amused and monotonously answers “Sir, the attitude is not going to speed things up any bit at all”. The scene is very funny because it is reminiscent of occasional frustrations you may have when dealing with a help desk or customer service center that has been outsourced to a foreign country. The operator clearly does not understand or empathize with his dilemma. Accordingly, Lennox is forced to go outside to the battle so he can ask Epps for a credit card. Epps is obviously preoccupied trying to shoot and fend off Scorponok. When Lennox asks for the credit card, Epps quickly answers “pocket” then is slightly more descriptive noting that it is in his back pocket. However, the military attire provides him with approximately “ten back pockets”. Consequently, Epps is forced to scream “LEFT CHEEK! LEFT CHEEK! LEFT CHEEK!” while he continues to engage Scorponok. This sequence shows how the film is fun because it mixes great action scenes with a lot of humor. It also highlights how well Duhamel and Gibson are at playing tough guys and being a lot of fun. I also like that they are very strong, charismatic leaders.

After Lennox is able to connect to the Pentagon, he hands the phone to Epps to call for an airstrike. Secretary of Defense John Keller is at the control room witnessing the events. At first, the military sends a surveillance drone to see what the Special Operations team is engaging. When Scorponok shows up on screen, the military command is shocked, alarmed, and still confused about what they are seeing. Accordingly, it immediately sends air support. As gunships launch off the aircraft carrier and approaches the battle, the excitement builds. We have waited for the military to figure out what they are dealing with and to see if they have any chance of hurting the Decepticons. While the military still does not know exactly what they are fighting, we get the answer to whether they have the firepower to pierce through the advanced technology of the Transformers. The gunships shoot Scorponok with machine guns and rockets. Finally, they use sabot rounds that are able to sever Scorponok’s tail and forces him to retreat underground into the sand. I remembered being pumped after watching this scene the first time. In many movies, invading aliens are so advanced and overpowering that human kind is helpless to oppose them. We usually need to wait for a virus or other aliens to defeat them. I really like the idea that the military can fight well against the Decepticons. With the amount of money our country spends on Defense, it should be able to cause some damage against invading aliens. Nevertheless, this film does a good job of still keeping the mystery about whether the military can kill one of the Decepticons. It also delays the introduction of the more iconic Decepticons, like Starscream and Megatron, to build anticipation.

The film has a similar flow with the Autobots. Rather than introduce all of the Autobots at once, it brings the beloved Bumblebee first and keeps the other Autobots, including Optimus Prime, for the middle of the film. Bumblebee is the most entertaining Transformer in this film and the series. He is a fearless warrior with big cannons. However, he is also very childish and has a temper. Due to these contrasting yet intriguing characteristics, he is a lot of fun. He enters the story when Sam is with his father, Ron Witwicky (Kevin Dunn), at a car dealership so Sam can buy his first car. It is a great scene that also features the late Bernie Mac as the fast talking, sleazy used car salesman, Bobby Bolivia. He advises Sam that “A driver don’t pick the cars. Cars pick the driver. It’s a mystical bond between man and machine.” It is an excellent line that embodies the special moment when a person gets their first car. It also foreshadows the friendship between Sam and Bumblebee. Bumblebee’s mission is to protect Sam from the Decepticons. Accordingly, Bolivia is literally correct about the car picking Sam. When Sam sits inside the Camaro who is Bumblebee, he knows it is the car he wants. However, Sam’s dad tries to negotiate a lower price and Bolivia will not relent. Eventually, Bumblebee loses patience and his temper. He unleashes a sound wave that breaks all the windows of the other cars in the lot. Shocked and left with no other cars to sell, Bolivia agrees to the price asked for by Sam’s father.

Since Bumblebee is disguised as a Camaro, Sam has no idea that his car is his personal guardian. At the same time, Bumblebee acts like a friend and Sam’s wingman as he encourages Sam to court Mikaela by playing love songs on his radio. Since his vocal capabilities were damaged in combat, he communicates through the radio. Eventually, Sam realizes that his car is a Transformer. When he sees what appears to be someone stealing and driving away with his car, he pursues. He discovers that his car turns into a robot when Bumblebee transforms to signal to the rest of the Autobots to come to Earth. Naturally, Sam is confused and terrified. When Bumblebee returns home, Sam immediately runs away from him. However, Sam learns to trust Bumblebee when he saves Sam from the Decepticon, Barricade, who is disguised as a police car to chase Sam. Over the course of the film, Bumblebee and Sam become friends. They are both childish and immature. As such, they have a very entertaining love/ hate relationship. They become frustrated with each other and squabble sometimes but they are also great friends that fight for each other when push comes to shove. A testament to this strong relationship occurs later in the film when Bumblebee is pinned down and captured by the secret government organization, Sector 7. As the agents use harpoons to net and hoses to freeze Bumblebee, Sam tries to plead with them that Bumblebee is not fighting back. Eventually, he attempts to push the agents but is quickly subdued. This scene demonstrates the strong friendship between Sam and Bumblebee in this film and throughout the trilogy.

Of course, Bumblebee is the precursor for the arrival of the rest of the Autobots. When they arrive, there is a lot of excitement for the audience due to the accumulated anticipation of waiting till the middle of the movie to see them. As they enter the atmosphere like meteors that crash down to Earth, curious bystanders rush towards the various crash sites to see what hit. Although the Autobots transform into nearby vehicles to avoid detection, the event is a spectacle. The moment is best described by one of the enthusiastic teenagers near one of the crash landings: “Wow! This is t he coolest thing I’ve ever seen! Explosions everywhere! This is easily a hundred times cooler than Armageddon.” Of course, the line is also making reference to and poking fun of one of Michael Bay’s most criticized blockbusters, the 1998 Armageddon. Bumblebee brings Sam to the Autobot rallying point where he meets their leader Optimus Prime. Accompanying Prime are other beloved Autobots: Ironhide (the weapons specialist), Ratchet (the medic), and Jazz (second in command). Prime teaches Sam about the war between the Autobots and Decepticons that was started by the Decepticon leader Megatron. The war destroyed Cybertron and the All Spark was lost in space until it landed on Earth. Megatron crashed landed on Earth trying to find the cube. Sam’s great-great grandfather, Archibald Witwicky, accidentally stumbled upon Megatron’s frozen body. He also activated Megatron’s navigational system which imprinted the coordinates of the All Spark onto his eyeglasses. Since Sam has possession of those glasses, both the Autobots and Decepticons have been racing to get to him. The Decepticons’ goal is to use the cube to transform Earth’s technology into a new army which will lead to the elimination of the human race. Accordingly, there is high urgency for Sam to turn over those glasses to the Autobots immediately to prevent doomsday. Of all the reasons Sam needs to be involved in the story, the first film has the least ridiculous one. During the conversation, Prime also divulges some interest and funny tidbits. First, they knew Sam had the glasses because of his eBay page that featured them. Next, the Autobots learned all of Earth’s languages through the worldwide web.

In regards to Shia Labeouf playing the protagonist, Sam Witwicky; I actually like his performance in Transformers. I am generally not a fan of Labeouf. I found him annoying as a young actor on the Disney Channel television series Even Stevens. He is the same over the top, immature character he was on that television series. From my perspective, he also ruined some classic film franchises with his roles in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Wall Street. However, his ridiculousness and screaming at the top of his lungs actually works in Transformers. It is the reaction I assume one would have when being chased by killer alien robots that are able to transform into any type of vehicle. For this reason, Labeouf actually fits in well in the initial film that introduces the Transformers for the first time. Of course, I could live without him in the sequels as he wears out his welcome. Sam Witwicky also has a very interesting story in the first film. He is an immature teenager who wants what most boys want at that age: a car and the most gorgeous girl at school. Obtaining the first car for a teenage boy serves dual purposes. It is his first taste of freedom in gaining independence from his parents. It is also useful for impressing girls.

The “It” girl in Sam’s school is Mikaela Banes, who is played by Megan Fox. The Transformers film franchise made Fox a household name. She is stunningly beautiful in the two films she appears in. There is a scene at the beginning of the movie when Bumblebee, as a Camaro, pretends to breakdown in order to set up a romantic opportunity for Sam with Mikaela. Since she has experience working on cars with her father, she looks under the hood of the Camaro. As she is leaned over checking out the engine, Sam checks out her amazing curves. He turns his head and mouths “Oh my god”. Those words re perfect in describing every warm blooded male’s impression of Megan Fox in the movie. She is mesmerizing with a tan in the Transformers films. It is definitely her best look since I do not find her as attractive in her pale looks in other movies. Moreover, she is a very good character playing a strong, young woman in the movie. She often takes charge and remains calm in difficult situations while Sam freaks out. For fans of the Transformers films, she will always be the best Transformer girl and there will never be a better one. Of course, Fox allowed the fame get to her head and got herself kicked off the third film by criticizing Michael Bay like an ungrateful brat. However, she has learned to appreciate what Bay did for her career since she has not come close to the success she had when she was in Transformers. Accordingly, she has reconciled with Bay and teamed up with him on the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles playing April O’Neill.

Sam’s awkward pursuit of Mikaela are some of the most ridiculous and funny moments in the film. When he gets the chance to give Mikaela a ride home from a park, he completely stumbles over his words and makes a fool of himself in attempts to impress her. When Mikaela states that she is a sucker for big arms and muscles, Sam decides to flex his not so muscular arms which definitely hurts his cause rather than help it. Next, she asks him whether he is new to school.  Realizing that he has been practically invisible to her over the years, he comically answers that they have been in the same school since the 1st grade and currently in three of the same classes. Of course, it can be nerve racking trying to speak to a beautiful woman and Sam continues to say a lot of stupid things on the way to Mikaela’s home. When they arrive, Mikaela asks Sam if he thinks she is shallow. Again, he struggles to find the proper words and replies “There’s a lot more than meets the eyes… with you.” It is funny because it is not a smooth line at all. However, it is a clever line in the film since it is a tagline for the Transformers franchise. As their relationship continues to grow, Sam keeps on getting put in awkward and embarrassing situations that are very funny to watch. When the Autobots arrive to Earth, Mikaela is with Sam when the Autobots explain the situation. In the scene, Ratchet also gives a very memorable side comment about Sam’s attraction to Mikaela: “The boy’s pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female.” Of course, Sam and Mikaela feel totally awkward and try to look away from each other to pretend the comment never occurred.

Another memorable moment is when Sam and Mikaela are in his room trying to find the glasses with the coordinates to the All Spark. The Autobots are impatiently waiting outside and causing the house to shake by transforming and moving around. Believing that it is an earthquake; Sam’s concerned parents, Ron and Judy (Julie White) Witwicky, are at his door checking to see if he is fine. Sam is obviously stressed trying to find the glasses and prevent his parents from seeing the Autobots. Accordingly, he talks fast in an attempt to get his parents to go away. However, his mother interprets his response as defensive. Furthermore, she provides the most hysterically funny moment in the movie by asking him “Were you masturbating?” She makes it worse by trying to use other words to describe it such as “Sam’s happy time”. Sam is clearly shocked and embarrassed by his mother’s words, especially with Mikaela hiding in his room. It also makes his father very uncomfortable as he begs his wife to stop talking about it. Of course, it is one of those things in life where people “Don’t ask, don’t tell”. Eventually, Mikaela reveals herself to imply that Sam was hiding her in his room. His parents embarrass him a little more when his mom giggles like a kid and tells Mikaela “Gosh, you’re gorgeous” while his dad gives him a fist pump. In regards to Sam’s parents, they are very dopey in the trilogy but are also very entertaining as they provide comic relief. Nevertheless, they do have some substance. For example, his father is trying to teach Sam some valuable lessons in life such as the Witwicky family motto of “No sacrifice, no victory”. It is a fitting slogan for the coming battle Sam is involved in later in the film.

In my opinion, the supporting characters are very strong in the first film. My favorite performance is Jon Voight as the Secretary of Defense John Keller. He is very decisive and charismatic. Whenever he is on screen, he has presence. After the Soccent Base in Qatar is destroyed at the beginning of the film, Keller delivers a poised and powerful speech to rally his team of experts to decipher the signal used by the attackers. After Frenzy attacks Air Force One, Keller is steadfast in quickly making sure the military and secret service secure the President and escort him into a safe bunker. Overall, he is true leader of the government. He also leads and coordinates the military effort. It is an explicit dig at President George W. Bush by Michael Bay. When he is with the group under attack by Frenzy at the end of the film, Keller handles a shotgun and bravely fights the Decepticon. For all these reasons, Keller is a great leader that helps the Autobots. In contrast, his successors in the sequels are annoying and impede the efforts of the military and Autobots.  While Keller is the face of the government and military leadership, Captain Lennox and Sergeant Epps are the faces of the troops on the front line battling the Decepticons. As a result, the first film features a strong and competent group of human leaders to combat the unprecedented threat of alien invasion.

The film also has some supporting characters solely for the purposes of entertainment and comic relief. One of the characters is Maggie Madsen (Rachel Taylor). She is a young signals analyst that works on the unknown signal used by the Decepticons. She is a go getter and not afraid to speak up to anyone, which includes Keller. She leads the team that detected Frenzy’s hack into Air Force One. Of course, the real reasons she is in the film are because she is a gorgeous Australian blonde with a sexy, foreign accent. She is also given some technical gibberish lines such as “You need to move past Fourier transforms and start thinking quantum mechanics”. If you are an engineer or a friend of an engineer, you know that statement is complete nonsense. When she is unable to decipher the signal, she steals the data by putting it on a thumb drive to bring to her friend Glen Whitmann (Anthony Andersen). In between playing video games all day, he is a genius hacker. Naturally, it is ridiculous. However, this film is targeted towards a younger crowd. Consequently, it has young people doing extraordinary things to appeal to that key demographic.  Nevertheless, Glen is part of one of the funniest moments in the movie with Maggie. When the authorities detain them in an interrogation room because Maggie stole the data, a plate of donuts are laid out in front of Maggie and Glen. While Maggie is not interested in eating, Glen calmly eats the whole thing and notes “See, they put the plate of donut s out here to test your guilt. If you don’t touch it, you’re guilty! I ate the whole plate. The WHOLE plate.” Although Glen appears tough, he ironically cracks as soon as the interrogators enter the room. Amplified by the sugar rush from eating the donuts, Glen frantically tries to throw Maggie under the bus, confesses to the crime of downloading music illegally, and begs the authorities to let him go because he is still a virgin who needs to experience the outside world. They are pointless characters in terms of the greater plot. Regardless, they are still very entertaining in sharp contrast with the supporting characters in the sequels that are not good characters and annoying.

A key supporting character throughout the trilogy is Agent Simmons (John Turturro). He works for a secret government agency known as Sector 7. Although he is dedicated to his job and country, he is also very power hungry and enjoys letting people know he is in charge. It is ironic because he flashes a badge that should give him ultimate authority but it actually means nothing since no one knows that his organization even exists. Since Simmons is responsible for dealing with the aliens, his paths cross with Sam and Mikaela who have had direct contact with the Autobots. Naturally, he trades a lot of verbal barbs with the two teenagers who do not respect authority. The contentiousness is amplified after Sector 7 captures and imprisons Bumblebee. Ultimately, they realize they are all on the same side and learn to work with each other. The love/ hate relationship is very funny throughout the trilogy. While I like Turturro a lot as an actor, his performance of Agent Simmons is over the top. He is entertaining but the character becomes more and more ridiculous throughout the trilogy. On the other hand, the character fits in perfectly with the rest of the film franchise.

Sector 7 is also where all the characters and story arcs converge in the first film. With the Decepticons attacking Earth, Secretary of Defense John Keller is now on a need to know basis and informed about Sector 7. He is brought to its base under the Hoover Dam. Keller brings Maggie and Glen with him since she was the only one that theorized that a “DNA-based computer” was attacking the United States and Glen deciphered the signal. Moreover, he calls in Captain Lennox’s Special Operations team since they are the only group that has fought the aliens firsthand. Of course, Sam and Mikaela are there because Simmons has detained them. At Sector 7, we get more of our questions answered. The organization was formed by President Herbert Hoover after Archibald Witwicky discovered Megatron in the Arctic Circle and the United States government found the All Spark. The Hoover Dam was built on top of the cube to shield the radiation. Megatron was also moved and been kept frozen at the same location. Sector 7 has run experiments on the cube and realized that its radiation transforms Earth’s technology into killer robots. This fact is demonstrated to the group by exposing Glen’s phone to the radiation to turn it into a mini killer robot. In addition, most of the advances in technology were made by studying Megatron. I am a fan of historical fiction so I enjoyed hearing these explanations. Of course, they naively kept Megatron right next to the All Spark. Unbeknownst to them, he is “pretty much the harbinger of death”. At the same time, Frenzy infiltrated the group disguised as Mikaela’s cell phone. As such, he signals the location of the All Spark and Megatron to the rest of the Decepticons. Accordingly, all the Decepticons set course for the Hoover Dam.

While the Decepticons are united in their goal to obtain the power of the All Spark and destroy mankind, the Autobots are divided about whether to help the humans. There is dissent and anger about allowing Bumblebee to be captured by Sector 7 and subjected to experimentation. The Autobots could have easily defeated them and prevented it. However, Optimus is their leader and issued a decree to not harm any humans even if it means sacrificing one of his own. Nevertheless, Ironhide is fair in questioning why the Autobots should help humans. He notes that we are “a primitive and violent race”. However, Optimus has a great response when he answers “Were we so different? They’re a young species. They have much to learn. But I’ve seen goodness in them. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.” He also adds that “We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes.” I really like this scene because I agree with the commentary about our world. Human beings have done terrible things over our time on Earth. However, we also accomplished a lot of good too. We also have the capacity to learn and do better. It is the basis for the hope that fuels society to move forward for a better world. This scene also highlights the wisdom and morality of Optimus Prime. He takes responsibility for the sins of his race and does not want to saddle human beings with that burden. He also leads by example by doing as he says.

The climax of the end of the film is thrilling and exciting. Once the group at the Hoover Dam realizes that they need to get the All Spark away from Megatron and the coming Decepticons, Lennox comes up with the plan to flee and make a stand at Mission City, which is really Los Angeles. Although the Autobots will meet them in the city to help, they also need air support from the United States Air Force. As such, Keller, Simmons, Maggie, and Glen stay behind to try to send a message to the military to deploy fighter jets to the battle. Of course, it is made more difficult since Frenzy lurks in the building and will attack them. Eventually, Megatron awakens. In a manner fitting to his reputation, he declares “I am… MEGATRON!” We wait most of the film to see Megatron and he does not disappoint as the big, bad villain. He is voiced by the great Hugo Weaving. Immediately, he lashes out at Starscream for allowing the humans to escape with the cube. Of course, they bicker since it is a signature aspect of their relationship. The battle in Los Angeles has great action sequences and is a fitting end to the film. It starts with Starscream shooting at the heroes under the disguise of an F-22 Raptor providing air support. After his missiles hit, the heroes are disoriented and Bumblebee loses his legs. There is an excellent slow motion scene of the despair after the initial carnage that foreshadows the coming epic fight. Of course, the slow motion feature also allows us to fully admire Megan Fox’s beauty as time appears to stop as she slowly gets up. The battle gets bigger and bigger as the Decepticons arrive to the city one by one. The scene reaches a crescendo when Megatron then Optimus join the battle and eventually duke it out one on one at the end. Killer alien robots engaged in a death match with the military shooting at the evil aliens are a great formula for some excellent action sequences. I also love seeing fighter jets in movies. As such, the fleet of F-22s that join the battle makes the final battle ten times better for me.

The first film gets it correct by building a story then rewarding us with a grand fight at the end. Although the sequels are entertaining, they make the mistake of having pointless action from start to end with meaningless stories and poor character development. After watching the first film for the first time, I remember leaving the theater pumped about how awesome it is. I also recall telling my friend that I hope there would not be any sequels because I had a feeling they would be bad. Unfortunately, I was correct. Regardless, I stand by my opinion that the first film is a very good movie. Even though the sequels are bad films, I cannot stop myself from watching them.

Pat Wong

About Pat Wong

Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.

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