by Autobot032 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:14 pm
- Weapon: Switch Blade Tail
I just got back from seeing it. I was completely overwhelmed.
Now, to be fair, so I don't seem like a hypocrite, like I did on the first movie, where I went on and on about how wonderful it is, and now I can barely stand it... I will go see it at least one more time, to confirm how I feel now.
So, without further ado...
Words such as epic, thrilling, big, adventure, awesome and eye popping have been thrown about quite easily lately. Those have been tossed around like you and I breathe air.
Here's the two words that come to mind:
Genuinely excellent. (And it is.)
Epic? In terms of size? Yes.
Thrilling? Constantly.
Big? Like you wouldn't believe. The scale is massive.
Adventure? Not quite. ROTF was more the adventure film. Awesome? Yes. Most definitely.
Eye popping? Absolutely. I went to 2D, but I'd imagine 3D should knock your socks off.
This was more or less a straightforward conspiracy theory turned reality, "OMG who will save us?" kind of flick. And to be honest, we've seen them before. They're a dime a dozen. What makes the difference here, and it does help tremendously, is that it's that kinda of story with a TransFormers spin to it.
...and it works. Well.
Here are my pros:
- You wanted more robot screen time? Well...you damn sure got it. I swear they're in nearly every scene, save for a handful. (No, I'm not kidding.)
- Brotherhood/camaraderie? They finally nailed it. This was the first time in the Bayverse where I felt as though the humans and the Autobots truly had a connection. Some scenes were even sweet. Some even made you choke up a bit. This was the TransFormers I grew up with and knew all along. They finally got it this time.
- Better writing? Ehren Kruger did just as I hoped he would. Delivered a SOLID story, one that makes sense. It actually had a plot! And it was actually interesting!
- Faster pace without much downtime? You got it. The movie is fast, fast, fast. You and the characters literally have moments to catch your breath before the next big thing comes along. And it works so well.
- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley? No one is being fair to this poor girl. She really IS pretty. She really CAN act. No, she won't win an Oscar for her performance, but for her first time out, she's actually quite fantastic. With a bit of training, she could actually be a movie star. She has the potential, she has the talent, she just need someone to help her refine it and learn to work it like she does on the catwalk. There's a lot of bias against this woman, but she doesn't deserve it. She's actually quite good. She really is.
- Laserbeak? One creepy and lethal SOB. But very smart, one of the better Decepticons in this 'verse. He was an excellent character.
The cons:
- The aforementioned pace? Yes, it's also a negative. On the one hand, it's great because the 2.5 hours rushes right by and you don't even really notice it.
The only reason I checked the time on my phone was because of "Wait. This happened much later in the novel. What the heck? I better check." and to my surprise it was already 3/4's over and my jaw dropped. Now, one would think this would be a positive, and it is, but it also doesn't give the story enough time to really find it's footing and become more solid.
Fortunately, the story is so good, that it works even with it's limitations. One other problem with the pace? Editing. You can tell where they cut the twins out of the film (yes, they were going to be in it, and it stares you right in the face), plus there's just a bunch of rough cuts and hyperspeed jumps between intertwining storylines. It can be a little confusing. (I do recommend that perhaps you read the novel or graphic novel beforehand, you'll understand the movie much easier, like I did.)
- Cuts/changes. Like I said above, the editing is a bit rough, and they cut the twins out with the mentality of a hatchet instead of a scalpel with precision. For example, Sentinel's betrayal? You can see pieces of them laying about. Plus they're seen in vehicle mode, so they were there, they were hacked out, and the film actually suffers for it. The fans will regret this, because the way the twins went out, would've made for fantastic visuals. And for the characters. People might've even found respect for them.
The film jumps around, A LOT. If you read the novel and have an idea of what's coming, you'll quickly adapt. If you haven't, then you're quite possibly gonna feel boned.
- John Malkovich, Ken Jeong are both criminally underused. They could've added so much to the film. Their performances were fantastic, but they have minimal screen time.
Other thoughts:
Ironhide's death, even though I knew it was coming, was still a jaw dropper. And no, he did not die like a bitch. His reaction and death were highly reasonable, given what was going on. See, he wasn't given a chance to fight. He was shot in the back, execution style. He was murdered in cold blood. That's the death of a VICTIM, not going out like a punk bitch. His death was hard to watch because of how cold and cruel it was.
The ending change, where Optimus kills both Sentinel and Megatron, instead of the truce in the book? I have to say, the movie's ending is actually better, and makes far more sense. But, you have to understand...Prime and Megatron teamed up to take down Sentinel in the novel, and that doesn't happen here.
Sentinel cuts off Prime's right arm, and then savagely beats him while he's trying to crawl away to grab a weapon for defense.
Megatron shoots Sentinel in the back and knocks off his helmet, not to save Optimus, but to assert his own force and his own agenda, after Sentinel treated him like a bitch for all to see. Sentinel was brutal towards Megatron.
Megatron clearly said "together", but Sentinel said "I will never work FOR you", before trying to cave his head in. Thus showing how power mad and untrustworthy Sentinel really is.
Megatron knew Sentinel would crush him if given a chance, so he used this chance to get the upper hand. In doing so, he inadvertently saved Optimus, and ever the opportunist, Megatron clearly says "A truce. You and I rebuild Cybertron and I will lead you all." And in that moment, it all became clear that Megatron would once again be a dictator, he would be a danger to anyone who would dare oppose him.
So, when he asks Prime "Where would you be without me?" Prime says "Let's find out" and slaughters him with his good arm. It was a reasonable and fully understandable killing. A righteous kill.
As for killing Sentinel who was begging for mercy? What about the mercy he didn't give countless human beings that were vaporized at his command? What about the rest of the human race he planned on using as slave labor?
What about his thirst for power and his untrustworthy ways? He was a danger, plain and simple. If were allowed to live, he would just bide his time and strike again.
Oh, and let's not forget, he murdered Ironhide and the twins in cold blood, and tried to kill Bumblebee as well. Plus, he tried to kill Optimus, and his Decepticon forces killed humans. Prime did the right thing by killing him. Sentinel deserved no mercy. None. His death was too good, I thought. He deserved a much more painful execution. He's a bastard.
As for Q begging for mercy? It wasn't about being a coward. It was about being scared. Being scared and begging for mercy doesn't make you a coward. You'd have to see the scene to understand what I'm saying, but he's a scientist, not a soldier. He had no reason to die other than to be made an example out of. When Bumblebee stands over him and mutters "I tried, old friend" (or maybe it was goodbye, old friend), it sticks with you. It wasn't cowardice, it was cold blooded murder, and anyone in the victim's place would beg too.
As far as we can tell, yes, Wheelie & Brains bought the farm, sadly. They were terrific, and they had a LOT of heart. A lot of it. Two little robots, fought with the inner strength of two Optimus Primes.
This is one movie you definitely need to see twice, because you can't take it all in in one sitting. It is well worth a second viewing.
And, guess what? It's a film you could actually take your kids to see. Other than the vaporizing humans, there's really nothing that would frighten your child. There's still some foul language, but nothing like ROTF. This one is finally the film that's accessible to everyone. There's no smut, there's no outlandish language, and the violence and frightening images are nothing compared to what you see on TV on a daily basis. In fact, kids were in the showing I went to, and the vaporized humans didn't even bother them. And no one, not one single person walked out.
I had a terrific time watching this. It really was a great deal of fun, and the pros heavily outweigh the cons. The story was solid, the special effects were amazing, and the entire experience was amazing.
I'm so glad I went. I really am.
TransFormers ('07) sits around a C-/D+ for me. It was boring, convoluted, truly had no plot, it was loaded with crap humor, had shaky cam that prevented you from seeing what was going on with any clarity and there was no human to robot connection. The wow factor and some, only some, of the humor are what saves it.
Revenge Of The Fallen sits around B/B- for me. It was a tad too long, it was incredibly loud, it had convoluted fight scenes because the robots did kinda blend into one another, more or less. On the flipside, it did have a plot, the humor was still gross, but somewhat funnier because it was so goofy. The wow factor is gone, but the action sequences were impressive. The forest battle alone, is worth the price of admission.
Dark Of The Moon sits (currently) around A-/B+ for me. It had wow factor come back, the humor worked, the action was incredible, the visuals more so, it has a genuinely good plot and finally...the human to robot connection. For the first time, it actually felt like Sam and the Autobots truly were friends. Especially Bumblebee. The "so so" moment gives you a smile. A genuine, cute moment that makes you chuckle a bit. It actually felt like the entire cast (human and robot) were finally one. It was an incredible feeling. Heartbreaking, if this is to be the last one... I mean, Bumblebee was training NEST soldiers, like he was one of the team. It was a nice scene.
The first movie? Alien strangers that no one knows if they can be trusted. Understandable, but lacks the human element.
The second movie? The NEST team feels as though the Autobots are their brothers, but the movie's so frantic that it doesn't get a chance to gel like it should. Human element is there, but not enough to sell it.
This movie? The human element is present, and a good portion of it comes from the Autobots. Even Sam tells Optimus he's being human for once, and it works SO well. The Autobots are finally Earthlings like the rest of us. And this can be felt throughout the entire film. It works so well.
They truly did save the best for last. And it was well worth the wait.
NOTE: Realize that I am not a perfect Christian, nor do I profess to be. I apologize if anyone's ever offended by me, I'm not perfect. Don't hold my posts and opinions against other Christians.
A look can be deceiving,a touch can be lethal.
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