robots in the skies…finally
Posted on 07. Jul, 2011 by Carrie in op-ed
words > CHRIS CONNOR
Quite possibly, I haven’t seen many films that contain as epic of fight scenes as Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Honestly. I’m not exaggerating about this. And that statement isn’t just because I’m a fan of robots destroying each other into a million pieces. A lot of people were sorely disappointed with Michael Bay’s second outing of gigantic robots battling each other. I am one of only a few who liked the second one (for reasons of my own that I won‘t go into here). Yet, I will admit that the second film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, could have been a lot better. It doesn’t help when the entire cast and crew all speak out against the second movie (including the director). So, a lot of people are probably wondering, “Should I give the third film a chance? I hated the second one, so why even bother”? Well, rest assured. You can safely take a chance on Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
First off, Dark of the Moon gets it right by having a more mature and fascinating storyline than the first two films. Following the secret behind the 1960s space race and secrets behind a few other events, the first ten minutes of the movie was downright impressive. Actually, the story loosely follows the old 1980s TV series three-part series, “The Ultimate Doom”, which might be a spoiler for some. The funny part is that it’s only one of the few episodes that I have seen. Just my luck.
While the Transformers series has never been one to tell a complex, in-depth story, Dark of the Moon does just that. It brings this new element to the table. I have no doubt that you’ll think “That was clever” when the film begins to mix science fiction into historical events. Although, the story attempts to throw several surprises into the film, you can literally see most of them coming from miles away. It is a bit of a let down, but doesn’t prove to be a detriment to the movie.
As I said earlier, the storyline has a more mature feel to it. Case in point, the comic relief has been EXTREMELY toned down. Granted, it is still present in the film but it’s not as obnoxious as in the first and second films. The grown up feel of the movie also opens it up to adults. While kids will always be able to go see Transformers on the big screen, it was very apparent that Dark of the Moon is aimed more towards adults. One example is that various characters die in the film. I won’t spoil any farther. There are also hundreds of bystanders who bite the dust. And the combat in the movie is more brutal than previous films.
Before I continue on, I must give this movie additional points for removing the annoying, useless roommate from Revenge of the Fallen. Thank goodness he is gone. Another plus to viewers out there is that the infamous “Twins” characters are gone, however, they were replaced by two new twins. Fortunately they were barely in the movie. Like I said, the series really has grown up.
As I said earlier, the best part of the movie was the impressive, larger-than-life fight scenes. It is quite possible Transformers: Dark of the Moon contains the most epic fight scenes you will ever see. I know that’s a big statement to be claiming but, I would be extremely surprised if another movie came out this year or even next, that will have better fight scenes than this. Any flaw you may find with this movie can be outweighed by these battles that grace the screen. What improved the action sequences even more was the amazing musical score by Steve Jablonsky who returned from the first two films. The score is reminiscent of what would be playing during Armageddon or some massive battle to the death. Simply put, the musical score is possibly just as epic as the fight scenes were.
What also enhanced the fight scenes was seeing the film in IMAX and 3D. 3D has been getting a lot of criticism lately. While no one has officially said it (they need to sell those TVs), quite a few people have repeatedly called the new 3D a gimmick. Many have complained about the technology in Pirates of the Caribbean and especially with Green Lantern due to several scenes that didn’t capitalize on the 3D effects. However, with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, they finally got someone who knew what they were doing with the format. In fact, there were so many impressive effects that I was having trouble remembering all of them. Granted, there were still scenes when it was barely in use. But all the right scenes that showed 3D potential were capitalized upon, making the movie worth the higher admission price. In my opinion, the technology was more impressive than Avatar. It wasn’t surprising to me that the special effect worked. This is one of those few movies that should have been in this format from the beginning. So many movies now are coming out in 3D just so they can get people interested, not because they should. I’m still trying to figure out why Pirates of the Caribbean, Drive Angry or Saw 27/ the Final Cut were optioned with this effect. The IMAX was also a fun factor with the higher resolution and nice surround sound. And while it was unintentional, if you are seeing it in the only IMAX theater around (the Warren IMAX), the two space launch mini-features shown before the movie will really get you into the space mood of the movie. The C.G.I. was obviously great and much improved over the previous movies. The fight scenes combined with the great C.G.I., IMAX, 3D and musical score really immerses the viewer into the movie.
Now to point out the flaws with this movie; first they decided to change the main character’s girlfriend and their explanation for this was that the previous one dumped him. That was it. I mean you could have given us a little more than that. Second, there was little or no character development with the secondary characters in the movie. Granted, there are a lot of humans and robots to try and remember but we still only get details from the main robots and humans. And another problem I had with the movie (which will stump some of you also) is that the main villain of the entire series, Megatron, was barely in the movie. What exacerbates this even more is that the production team gave him a new re-design that actually makes him look like a bad ass. He has a gigantic gun on his back, his legs and torso have chains wrapped around them…oh, yeah, his face is half gone and disfigured. The updates really make him look cool, yet, they barely used him. And last, the pace of the movie, especially with the last five minutes, could have been better. I didn’t mind this as much as other reviewers but it was still present in the film, nonetheless.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon, doesn’t have a catchy title, but, the movie was outstanding. Far better than the second one and surprisingly the best one in the series. Not many movie franchises have success like that with a third film. Yes, it has a few flaws but they’re so minor, compared to all of the pros of the film. While the story was actually good, do yourself a favor and go see the movie in 3D (if possible, IMAX3D) for the fight scenes. Did I mention that the movie is almost three hours long? That’s Michael Bay for you! But at least now the series official catch phrase “Robots in Disguise” can also include “Robots in the skies”. You know, because of the whole moon thing.
The Good
*Fascinating plot & better storyline
*Quite possibly the most epic fight scenes you will ever see
*Comic relief has been toned WAY DOWN
*They got rid of the annoying college room mate from last movie
*The C.G.I. was spectacular
*The 3D was more impressive than Avatar
*The musical Score is possibly as epic as the fight scenes
*The movie is aimed more at adults than kids
The Bad
*You can see most of the surprises coming from miles away
*A little more explanation of the new girlfriend was needed
*Megatron is barely in the movie
*Character development of secondary characters would have gone a long way
The Ugly
*Megatron is the ultimate bad ass with the new deformed face, the loss of limbs in combat was fun and some of the other robots throughout the movie have strange creepy faces, but not in a good way. Also, JFK could have looked better.
Overall: 10 out of 10
