Film Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction

Regardless of how good or bad the last three Transformers films have been critically received, I can't deny that I've loved the whole lot of them. Even at their dumbest and most stupid moments, these films have always blown me away, leaving me satisfied and excited in a way that all the best summer blockbusters can. I would have been happy if they left it where it was, with the Chicago battle in Dark of the Moon serving as the final climax to the series. With the closing of the first three films, filmmakers decided to kick off a new trilogy with a new cast and new story arc.

It takes a while for the film to build its momentum. Once it does, you can certainly expect the same kind of big-scale spectacle that the last films provided: an onslaught of bullets and rockets, huge explosions, cars flying in all directions, robots bashing each other to scrap, and entire cities being ripped apart. When the action picks up, it becomes a stream of setpieces, one after another, that takes the characters across the US, onboard alien spaceships, and ultimately to China for the final battle. In the midst of it all, a plethora of new Transformer characters pop up, including an all-too-brief and understated appearance by the Dinobots and Grimlock.

As cool as it all is, I can't escape the feeling that something is missing. The film drags at spots, especially in the opening act. A lot of the manic, goofy comedy is gone, and what little remains isn't really all that great. The overall experience is not nearly as enthralling as the film's predecessors; it feels like business as usual, offering little new to the table and offering little that I'd say actually blew me away or made a lasting impression.  Parts of it are a bit daft...moreso than usual.

The story has its moments. Ditching the saga of Sam Witwicky, the film focuses on a Texan dude, his daughter, and her boyfriend, setting up the exact same dynamic that went into the characters of Armageddon. What matters the most is that they all go on the run, hunted by the government while becoming caught up in a new war between Autobots and a mysterious faction of aliens. The Autobot characters had a weird penchant for infighting, and seemed to harbor a lot more angst than before, which made them a lot less endearing. The plot is pretty much just one thing after another, before reaching a lengthy all-out battle at the end. As long as the film is, it feels like a two or three different Transformers films have been shoved into one, and I think parts of it could have been trimmed easily.  For the most part, the plot is rather thinly stitched together, serving as little more than an excuse to blow more stuff up.

The film boasts some really great imagery in some scenes, some horrid camera-shake in a few action scenes, and the rest of it looks a bit plain. Editing seemed pretty cheap, with choppy action scenes and one too many shortcuts. Acting is okay: Mark Wahlberg is pretty much the same kind of dude he always plays, Nicola Peltz is average, Stanley Tucci is fun to watch, and Kelsey Grammer is surprisingly effective in his role. Writing is kinda bad. This production spares no expense on the locales, props, and costumes. Special effects look great in some scenes and weak in others. Music has some interesting moments.

The fourth Transformers film is pretty much more of the same - loud, bloated, excessive - which is fun at times, but I find it's not as consistently energetic or satisfying as its predecessors. I don't think this film is quite as bad as critics make it out to be, but if you hated these films before, you'll certainly hate this installment. If you're a fan, you'll probably enjoy this all the same.

3/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Marginal | Film: Average)