Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The Transformers franchise is something that impresses me greatly. It’s a trilogy based on a cartoon, which in turn was based on a line of action figures. The events of the movies cause irreparable damage and are constantly panned for an emphasis on “mindless action.” This obviously can’t be true because there are a number of moments in the latest installment, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, where the audience feels a profound admiration and connection to the Autobots, a team of alien robots, who are allegedly intended to only perform these feats of “mindless action.” And in the meantime, all the movies make a lot of money.

Dark of the Moon brings the war between the Autobots and Decepticons to a head as the villains hatch a plan over 50 years in the making, to revive their deserted planet, Cybertron, at the expense of Earth. The plot is focused on the one detailed storyline providing twists, turns and unexpected betrayals. There is more of a mystery element than in the other two films, which adds significance to the many battle scenes. But I have to admit the final fight goes on for too long. I can’t point out a particular scene that could have been cut, but surely some could have.

With so many trailers depicting the tough and embattled Shia LeBeouf, it’s easy to forget that his character is funny in these movies. Sure enough, third time around he gives his most well rounded performance balancing the jokes with the serious moments. Model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley gives an adequate performance as the love interest. She even factors into the plot, opposite another new face, Patrick Dempsey. That’s more than can be said of Megan Fox’s character in the other films. The change in actresses ends up being a lateral move with no negative impact on the franchise. For consistency’s sake Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro all reprise their roles as the film’s role players.

There’s no arguing that the movie is quite lengthy. It’s fast paced with new developments and speed bumps at every turn. But each of these films would be well suited for an extended cut DVD so as to appease the short attention spans of the casual moviegoer and please the die-hards. But there is hardly a boring moment from start to finish. If you’re a Transformers aficionado be prepared to see Dark of the Moon multiple times to try and locate every tidbit that pays homage to the cartoon. Director Michael Bay was never going to please all the critics, but his trilogy ends with a mammoth battle fitting for such a massive concept. (7.9 out of 10)