Transformers: Dark of the Moon – There was a second movie?

Transformers: Dark of the Moon hits theaters this week … with a bang! I’m not really into the whole mythos of the toys and cartoons and can’t really tell a Decepticon from a Jumbotron (the Autobots are very helpfully color coded), so I won’t go into too many plot details and character studies. In a pretty awesome prologue set in the 1960s, we learn that the Apollo program came about because of an alien ship crashing on the moon (Kennedy has been a very busy guy this year with mutants, the Cuban Missile Crisis and now alien spaceships to deal with). In the present, the Autobots have been working for the government, helping snuff out our enemies around the world (and in some cases without the authority to do so which causes some problems). While the program is in jeopardy and Sam is feeling left out, the evil Decepticons have been plotting to bring their homeworld to earth after resurrecting Sentinel Prime, the occupant of said spaceship that the Autobots retrieved when this top secret mission to the moon was revealed to them.

The movie is full of twists and turns so I won’t go into too much detail about the rest of the plot. Suffice it to say that the third time is definitely the charm, and Dark of the Moon is spectacular entertainment! I loved the first movie because it was new and different and it took the CGI effects process to a completely new level. The second movie just plain sucked. Too many robots were introduced and all of the bad ones looked exactly alike, so I had no idea who was fighting who in most of the action scenes. Even Michael Bay famously apologized for the craptasticness of the movie.

But … Bay and his writing team took every bit of criticism to heart and have crafted a crazily over-the-top action film that pulls out every stop imaginable and even manages to add some real emotion to the story at times (you know, like when things aren’t blowing up). The first half of the movie is really well-crafted — and funny — as it brings back all of the familiar faces from the previous movies as well as introducing us to Sam’s new girlfriend, played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. I didn’t know how a model taking on her first acting role would do, but I found her to be absolutely charming and she easily erased Megan Fox from memory. Besides Rosie, the film also brings in a surprising cast of characters that had my jaw dropping with each new arrival. I knew Frances McDormand was in the cast, but not Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Malkovich, Bill O’Reilly, Alan Tudyk, Glenn Morshower, Scott Krinsky (in a very brief, one-line cameo) and … Buzz Aldrin! Yes, original Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin! And the movie nerd in me loved that one of the Russian cosmonauts was played by Elya Baskin, who also played a cosmonaut in 2010: The Year We Make Contact. Coincidence? And let’s not forget Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Sentinel Prime (the robot even resembles Nimoy), and not one, but three Star Trek references! The geek in me loved all of these little touches.

The second part of the movie, when the Decepticon plan is reveled, takes a darker, much more dramatic turn full of action, drama and emotion (I actually got teary a couple of times). The one thing that struck me was how patriotic the movie is. There’s not a lot of flag waving and chest-thumping, but I felt it and the notion that this band of (American) people and robots fighting to save the world might not play well in other countries, but it certainly is the definition of the American spirit … and just in time for July 4th!

The 3D process is very well done with a lot of explosions throwing things off the screen. There’s also a great shot with Ken Jeong pointing two guns at the audience that are pretty much right in your face. I have to caution those prone to motion sickness that the 3D effects and the very fast camera movements may cause a little dizziness, and the 2-hour and 45-minute running time is a bit long to wear those glasses. I didn’t feel any adverse effects during the movie, but afterwards I did have a little eye strain and dizziness but it passed quickly (someone else wasn’t so lucky judging from what I saw outside of the theater). Parents should also keep in mind that the movie is rated PG-13 and younger children may find it to be a bit intense. I was really surprised by the number of on-screen human deaths at the hands of the Decepticons. No blood, but at one point people were being shot and they kind of exploded leaving just some clothing and bones. Plan accordingly.

I went in to this movie with the absolute lowest of expectations because I felt there was no way they could redeem the franchise after the last movie. I am pleased to say that I was wrong and consider this the best of the trilogy. My only issue is with some of the geography, especially when they are supposed to be in D.C. or driving around D.C. with road signs going to Aurora and a skyline that does not exist in D.C. A minor quibble and probably only those familiar with the D.C. and Chicago areas would notice. If you’ve got three hours to kill, I can say with confidence that it is time well-spent. This is definitely one of those movies that I would watch again.

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on Jun 29, 2011 @ 02:12 EST5EDT