Escape to the Movies: Transformers: Age of Extinction - Better Than The First Three

[Baresark]

Is it me, or does this review feel a bit underhanded. He didn't hate any of it, but he still had to find something he didn't like. The whole concept that every movie has to have some kind of underlying message is just stupid. If I see a movie about giant robots that transform, I'm not looking for any message and any message that may appear is really just a little more icing on the cake.

I'm definitely interested if for no other reason I really like Wahlberg as an actor and wouldn't mind seeing what he brings to the movie. Now if only I could convince my girlfriend to go see it with me.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Well that was a let down. I was hoping for a complete beating. I mean come on, its an American blockbuster that talks up the CHINESE GOVERNMENT! because they paid for it. How awful is that.

I don't think that it's the Chinese paying and more the ministry of culture having guidelines that make it so that criticism of China is restricted.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

Interesting.

I'm a bit disappointed because so much of the marketing seemed to hint quite heavily that Unicron might be in the works in some form. (The reveal of Galvatron, a fleet of earth eating ships, the "age of extinction" tag line)

Doubly so because I prefer the Primus/Galvatron, creator/destroyer retconned origin myth for the Transformers much more than anything the Quintesson's managed to bring to the table.

I haven't seen the film yet myself so I'll reserve judgment, but I've heard from friends pretty much the same as what was provided here. It's still a big, dumb, bloated, Michael Bay film but the simple act of swapping out Sam and his family for a much less slapstick heavy group of humans and a significant reduction in "balls deep military pandering" makes the movie much more watchable.

Lastly, it's good to see that Bay has at least one other story in him for these movies that doesn't rely on the "The Transformers were here all along!" story line that the original trilogy recycled for each film (though I imagine he goes back to that well for the Dinobots.)

 

[brazuca]

Just gimme a Gundam Wing film already. Transformers should be old news. Also I tend to believe Movie Bob more than Rotten Tomatoes. I've seen a bunch o films they said were not good and turn out they were ok.

 

[Skeleon]

"...which doesn't mean much."
That was my first thought regarding the title of this review.

Also, no more Sam Witwicky? Less/no pathetically obvious pandering employing young women's bodies that only makes me think "I have plenty of porn for that"? A grown man with a family as the protagonist instead, thin as those characters may be? No stereotypical black guy yelling at his "mammy" or whatever? Good.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

I'm still not sure wheather or not to watch it but I do got one question about the Dionbots (I read the film summary)-

Spoiler

Where they were on Earth the entire time or they somewhere for Optimus Prime to release them? If so where?

Plot spoiler here, read at your own risk:

Spoiler

It's slightly unclear, but it seems like the Dinobots were ORIGINALLY from Earth, and were actual Dinosaurs that were turned into robots by the Seed (the movie will explain what the Seed is). Somehow, they ended up on Lockdown's ship (don't ask me how that makes sense), and Optimus frees and tames them for the final battle. I don't believe they were on Earth the whole time.

I'll be honest, the movie doesn't really explain the Dinobots very well.

Okay, this raises a few questions

Spoiler

One, if the Seed was previously used on Earth around 65 Million years ago or older, shouldn't the scientists have found deposits of silicon, carbon, and various metals used in the construction of advanced electronics. This isn't some far off distant place, if the dinobots came from China, evidence would have been present since China is a major archaeology area.

Two, While the T-rex and triceratops are from the Cretaceous period (around 66-68 million years ago), the Apatosarus shown in the image Bob used is from the Jurassic period (154-150 million years ago). This would mean that the Transformers have visited at least twice in earth's history and no evidence was found.

Three, if they have visited earth in the past, why didn't the transformers use the sun destroyer back during the Jurassic and Cretaceous period instead of the time period shown at the start of Revenge of the Fallen when humans were around

This movie is giving me a headache and I haven't even watched it.

 

[LazyAza]

I'm genuinely shocked, I expected this to be the worst of the four by far. Thank goodness I won't have to suffer as much seeing this one. The other three I was literally peer-pressured in to seeing by either friends or family so its nice to know I'll feel better about it this time around.

 

[Rad Party God]

Hmmmm... A Bayformers movie that doesn't suck... or at least it's alright at best. I'll need to check this out, ironically, I can stand the first two films (thank goodness for good spanish dub), but the third film, even with the same dub cast... I just can't stand it, it's a complete chore to watch.

But dem dinobots... even if for a little glimpse... I'm yearning for some good ol' fashined dino-thingy destruction and Godzilla just scratched that itch slithgly. I think this is the first time I'm cosindering to watch a Bayformers film on theatres instead of TV/Netflix.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

Meh. I wouldn't consider "it's not godawful" to be stirring praise and while that seems to be the status quo I'm not sure it's something we should just come to accept.

I'm much more interested in the War for/Fall of Cybertron series playing out in the video games right now. Hasbro says they're trying to merge them all into one big single narrative (which is probably why we got the new Dark Spark game that no one in their right mind ever asked for) but the game itself plays like the video games and is written by a team that really enjoys Transformers. I'll stick to that.

 

[SadakoMoose]

I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of the PRC being portrayed as "the good guys" in any sense. It's not that I don't respect the Chinese people and their many languages and cultures, but from an objective stand point there's not much nice to say about the mainland government. They have a state run arms company that sells guns in places like Darfur, they brought back the mobile execution van (an invention of the NKVD, later used by the Nazis), they overproduce cars and houses that no one will ever buy to inflate their economy, do not have protections for free speech, and no environmental protections whatsoever.

If you wanted to tell a story where normal Chinese PEOPLE are shown in a positive light, that's just fine and if anything we should encourage that kind of story. It's nice to have Non-white, non American protagonists. But making the Chinese GOVERNMENT look good completely ignores history. It's one thing to have escapist fantasy, but imagine an action movie set in the forties where the Nazis helped America defeat a giant monster. Sure, we can think about how great it is that people can "put aside their differences", but at the end of the day you're still talking about the people that murdered millions of Jews, Gypsies, and the differently abled.

I'm not arguing that you can never show complicated international relations, or that every movie that features the Chinese government has to be an anti Communist propaganda, but you can't divorce reality from fiction if your story involves a very real thing.

 

[Seracen]

Kinda funny how he says in this review he has no problem with people just going to see big robots and explosions on-screen here, whereas in previous Transformers films he's stated that he thinks people who do that are complete morons. And that's not me going over the top, if I remember rightly in either his T2 or T3 review, or maybe one of his Big Pictures, he said something like: "at least these people are in a cinema and not in a car or voting booth where they could do a lot of damage."

I think that the film broke him, in a more subtle way than Amazing Spiderman 2 did... like some perverse abusive relationship. On the other hand, if he went in expected utter dreck, and it turned out to be merely barely edible dreck...well, that's an improvement I suppose.

I realized a while ago that Moviebob and I rarely agree on things, but that's okay, and I value his opinions. Besides, opinions change. So, while I think he's sort of taking the piss on this one, it is still an amusing enough review, and food for thought.

 

[Leemaster777]

I'm still not sure wheather or not to watch it but I do got one question about the Dionbots (I read the film summary)-

Spoiler

Where they were on Earth the entire time or they somewhere for Optimus Prime to release them? If so where?

Plot spoiler here, read at your own risk:

Spoiler

It's slightly unclear, but it seems like the Dinobots were ORIGINALLY from Earth, and were actual Dinosaurs that were turned into robots by the Seed (the movie will explain what the Seed is). Somehow, they ended up on Lockdown's ship (don't ask me how that makes sense), and Optimus frees and tames them for the final battle. I don't believe they were on Earth the whole time.

I'll be honest, the movie doesn't really explain the Dinobots very well.

Okay, this raises a few questions

Spoiler

One, if the Seed was previously used on Earth around 65 Million years ago or older, shouldn't the scientists have found deposits of silicon, carbon, and various metals used in the construction of advanced electronics. This isn't some far off distant place, if the dinobots came from China, evidence would have been present since China is a major archaeology area.

Two, While the T-rex and triceratops are from the Cretaceous period (around 66-68 million years ago), the Apatosarus shown in the image Bob used is from the Jurassic period (154-150 million years ago). This would mean that the Transformers have visited at least twice in earth's history and no evidence was found.

Three, if they have visited earth in the past, why didn't the transformers use the sun destroyer back during the Jurassic and Cretaceous period instead of the time period shown at the start of Revenge of the Fallen when humans were around

This movie is giving me a headache and I haven't even watched it.

Believe me, that isn't even the beginning of the story when it comes to all the massive plot-holes this movie is basically made of.

If you try to actually THINK about this movie, all you're going to get for your trouble is smoke coming out of your ears.

 

[PainInTheAssInternet]

Keep in mind that Bob's opinion differing from the masses has been consistent throughout the franchise, so it makes sense it would differ here. At least the vitriol is practically disappeared in this one.

 

[Double A]

Bob, what exactly are you looking for in a Transformers movie? Is it a crossover with Pacific Rim and Godzilla at the same time? Because I am so on board with that.

I kind of get the feeling that a few more sequels down the line and Bay will actually deliver something competent. He seems like he's actually growing as a filmmaker, but I haven't actually seen the third TF movie so I don't feel as vitriolic as most other nerds probably do.

 

[V4Viewtiful]

I hope I don't get roped into seeing this one.
The First, I was young.
The Second, I went "F*** DAT racist Sh!t" and swore never to go see the next one.
The Third, my friends made me go, it was still crap but better than the second (not like that was hard or anything)

I really don't want to see this one, I really don't.

 

[Trishbot]

Bob, how you feel about what Sony did to Amazing Spider-man 2 is how Transformers fans feel about the Michael Bay films...

Oh well. We'll always have the 80's one with Orson Welles.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

Do the fight scenes still look like two scrap yards having sex? Also I'll skip this until it hits the movie channels though i expect I'll still hate it.

 

[KazeAizen]

Ok I have one question.

Who are you and what have you done with Moviebob?

 

[daxterx2005]

A New trilogy of Transformers movies AND Pacific Rim 2?
My body is going to go into giant robot over drive.

 

[KazeAizen]

Bob, how you feel about what Sony did to Amazing Spider-man 2 is how Transformers fans feel about the Michael Bay films...

Oh well. We'll always have the 80's one with Orson Welles.

Thing is though he is a very professed fan of Transformers and a lot of the 80s nostalgia cartoons. With each Transformers movie he made it perfectly clear that they pissed him off. I'm not sure if his edge was dulled because of TASM 2 which reminded everyone of just how bad these kind of genre movies can actually be, but for whatever reason if he says this one is ok I can't wait to see it. Besides, and this is going to sound really shallow, the prospect of seeing robo Jesus with a sword and shield on the back of a robot T-rex is too inherently awesome of an image for me to just skip this.

If this new trilogy of films does continue to get better though I do hope we have a great Transformers movie by the end of it and we will finally get to see what Unicron looks like on the big screen. Come on. You know you want to see that.