Transformers 3: Almost, but Not Quite There…
Grab your seats, class is in session.
So I was going to skip Transformers this weekend and go next, but I got too many people saying that I should go now because the movie was really good. I can’t say they were right, but I also can’t say they were entirely wrong.
Let’s get this out of the way: I liked the movie. Liked, not loved. A couple of the people I know who saw it said they loved it, best one ever, etc. I’m not so sure about that. I think I may still like the first one the best, but this one was definitely better than 2.
We’ll start with the good stuff:
The effects – As always, as with all 3 movies, the CGI is ridiculous. It’s so good that sometimes it’s actually hard to see what’s happening because so much is moving so fast. It’s not a huge jump from the previous movies, but it definitely has some touches here and there that stand out.
The action – The action this time around is a huge increase over the other two. This one does what a movie should do: it moves. There really isn’t any long period of lull and the longest part without any kind of action is the very beginning, so that shouldn’t bother you. Don’t get me wrong, there are slow down sections, but they are pretty short.
The content – This right here was the biggest upgrade from the other movies for me. This time around, we actually get some “adult” type content. What I mean by that is what you actually get to see happen. For example, people die and you see it. You see people zapped by lasers and end up a small pile of bones. In a movie where robots are trying to take over the world, people should die and you should show it. It’s bring that small bit of realism to your movie and while they may not like seeing it, it pulls your audience in even further. Oh, and starting the movie with what may be the sexiest wedgie ever didn’t hurt either.
Now, I’m a ying/yang type of guy, so obviously, there has to be the bad. Ok, so there doesn’t have to be bad, but sadly, there was some for me. Not a ton, but still.
So, on with the bad stuff:
The “other” content – Now, I realize to sell toys you have to bring the kids to the movie and to bring the kids, you have to have “kid” content. I get it. Unfortunately, for my taste, there is too much in this movie and it distracts from it. For one, the parents. The parents have been in all 3 movies, which is fine, but I think they have had way too much screen time. Yeah, they needed that much in 1, that made sense, but in 2 and 3, we really don’t need them. We especially don’t need Mom making a reference to her son having a large…yeah. You know where that ends. It’s also time to lose the mini-transformers, like the one that humped Megan Fox’s leg in the last movie. All they are is annoying. I also think the blatant attempts to toss some expletives around was pretty hack. Look, I curse like a sailor, but when I do, it’s natural, it’s conversational, it’s pretty normal. Having Mom say “shit” 4-5 times isn’t normal, it’s not shocking, it’s stupid. And the worst part for me: poor John Turturro. I love John Turturro, he is one of my favorite actors, but someone has pictures of him somewhere to get him to keep redoing this character.
The story – Yeah, I wasn’t a big fan of the story. I’m not going to get in to the story other than to say one word that kept coming to mind: “Why?” See the movie, you’ll probably get it.
So overall, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was far from bad also. It’s enjoyable and worth seeing in the theater. I also went for 3D and it looked absolutely incredible in 3D. Worth the extra couple bucks to me.
Next review probably won’t be until the new Harry Potter, but I’ll be away for that one. Probably won’t get a review til the weekend after, which will fall right on top of Captain America, which I am very much looking forward to.
That’s all for now.
Class dismissed.
