Movie Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

 

If you're watching the third movie in the Transformers movie franchise for any reason other than to see giant robots smash everything around you into small pieces, you're likely to be disappointed. The plot is even more complicated and melodramatic than its predecessor and the overabundance of characters, both human and mechanical, leaves the story a confusing hodgepodge of borrowed ideas from bad science fiction movies. Michael Bay's infamous love of slow motion and rotating cameras accentuates a jaw-dropping silliness that might not have been so blatant otherwise, and the จักรวาลThe Conjuring to evoke ever bigger and badder Transformers forces the action to head. into the realm of the unfathomably unreal. . At least the state-of-the-art special effects complement the colossal automata, because little else does.

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Although he has twice been Earth's savior from the threat of the evil and advanced alien race Decepticons, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is still unemployed and unable to contribute to the ongoing efforts to keep the planet safe. When an ancient Cybertronian device is discovered on Earth, the Autobot peacekeeping leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) decides to reactivate his previous leader, Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy) to help protect the technology from the intriguing Decepticon. Megatron (Hugo Weaving). . Once the battle returns home, Sam, his former military allies, his new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) and the intrepid Autobots must wage a war against insurmountable odds to free their home from total destruction.

Although Megan Fox was not the main attraction of the first film (admittedly, she was the only thing left in the second film that was worth watching), surprisingly, her replacement will make audiences miss her presence. Model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley adds nothing to the incredibly long project and her role is visually evident with repeated shots of tight clothing, slim legs, and full lips. It's almost as annoying as the characters that were continually left over in history from previous outings: John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, and Josh Duhamel no longer serve a purpose, but return for the sake of a larger, more recognizable cast (and perhaps contractual obligations). .

The new additions are certainly no better. John Malkovich, Alan Tudyk, and Ken Jeong are among the most notable, all inserted purely for comic relief, the one item a Transformers movie couldn't use less. His characters are part of a series of bizarre inclusions that continue to push the boundaries of the weirdness of the Transformers universe, along with childish alterations of presidential imagery, Witwicky screaming incessantly, in overdramatical slow motion, and ridiculous speeches that are meant to wake up. On top of that, there are the abundant cliches: a national intelligence director who insists on preaching chain-of-command lingo and shouting orders to deaf ears, stage poses before and after battles, a destructive chase sequence on a highway, an excessively confident and incredibly wealthy businessman who interferes with Sam's self-esteem, and a final, epic and sustained fight that spans more than 30 minutes.

It's only the third movie and writer Ehren Kruger has completely run out of ideas, while director Michael Bay proves once again that his obsession with slow motion and cameras circling around actors can ruin any moment. The editing remains incredibly annoying while the choreography remains too complex, the robots largely indistinguishable, and the action exhaustive. Transformers are no longer fun.