Transformers – Dark of the Moon 3D – Movie Review

Transformers- Dark of the Moon

Being a fan of Michael Bay movies is like being blasphemous in Vatican while you are in the presence of the Pope. You’ll always be reminded by those who are into serious cinema on Bay’s sense of film-making which is all about style over substance. The checklist includes blinding and deafening explosions, hi-octane chases on the streets and in the skies, heavy-duty action set pieces, lightning fast editing, physics, gravity and logic-defying stunt sequences, application of path-breaking filming/post production techniques and a complete disregard for scripting, acting and dialogues. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D happens to have a tick mark against all the aforementioned checkpoints and that’s what makes it extremely difficult to rate this movie.

Dark of the Moon follows up the critically panned Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a movie which is often referred to as the worst $400 million blockbuster ever. Despite its record-breaking number of bloopers and fatal flaws, the 2009 release became a global box-office hit with collections exceeding $800 million. Transformers 3 has been claimed by many to be Bay’s final shot at redemption. As you must have already read elsewhere, Bay won’t be returning to direct the series and has concluded the trilogy.

Bumblebee gets beefier in Transformers 3

The third installment is based on a rather interesting premise. Ehren Kruger’s script depicts the space race of the 1960’s as a response to the crash landing of an Autobot spaceship on the Moon. Russia and the US send in their teams to gather details on the crash and return with their share of findings. However, aboard the ship away from the eyes of the explorers, rested the lifeless body of Sentinel Prime, the Autobot army Commander who escaped from Cybertron as the civil war consumed the planet.

Hidden with him is a Cybertronian technology which could have changed the course of the civil war and the history of two races. Optimus and team come across this piece of information from NEST and lead an expedition to the Moon to bring back their mentor. Once they do, all hell breaks loose as loyalties are questioned and the Decepticon invasion that Earth feared and evaded twice returns with a force which the Autobots and the humans never even anticipated in their worst nightmares.

Sam Witwicky (Shia La Beouf) who is dealing with a more earthly woe of being jobless, jumps into the middle of the action, only to find himself torn between his companionship with the Autobots and his love for his new girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington Whiteley). Our heroes clash with a major Decepticon wave in an epic showdown in Chicago which becomes Earth’s last stand.

NEST Recruitment Drive is going to be a lot tougher, even with Optimus as the poster boy.

Though at first glance it appears to be rehash of the disastrous Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon has a couple of weapons in its arsenal which will silence even those critics who give Bay sleepless nights. To start off it’s shot in 3D and that’s like the weapon that you’ll have to use once in conquering the international market. Unlike the recent crop of releases which boast of post-production 3D, Dark of the Moon’s scenes possess the lucidity which is close to that of James Cameron’s Avatar. No surprises there, as Cameron himself was involved with the project and the same team which worked on Avatar was drafted into the crew of Dark of the Moon. Be it depth or projection, the format shines at its best in delivering an unmatched and immersive movie experience.

Next up is the plotline, and we are taking about the basic storyline here. Historical events have been tied into the plot and we even get to see Buzz Aldrin in a pleasing cameo to make it all look authentic. The pre-title card scene is a brilliant concept which has been exceptionally executed. There is a certain extent of unpredictability as the storyline progresses, which is a good sign. We are well aware that this is the concluding episode and if someone dies, they are not going to return and trust me, if you are a Transformers loyalist, be prepared for the tragic deaths of some of the characters who have actually made the franchise so much endearing.

Shockwave doesn't believe in "An eye for an eye" line of thought. Now you know why.

Then there is the adrenaline-pumping action which reminds everyone as to why Bay is still in the top of his league. Bayos and Bayhem prevails. This guy knows action like the back of his hand and is an ace in merging old-school, gritty action with incredibly imaginative visual effects. A skillfully crafted freeway chase where Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Dino battle the Decepticon strike team Dreads is a perfect example of the statement above. The chase concludes in a Mexican standoff among Ironhide, Sideswipe and two of the Dreads. The trail of destruction left behind by Shockwave’s minion Driller and the one-hour marathon climax shout blockbuster action from rooftops. The transformation scenes and the body language of each robot has take a giant leap from the near-perfect versions of the same in the first movie. To skip the mention of the wing-suit sequences is a mortal sin as the stunt was pulled off with skydivers jumping off skyscrapers. In a world where even the slightly risky stunts are drawn in a studio than on location, this is a feat which earns respect.

"Can we have more CGI over there, there and there?". Michael Bay wields the megaphone.

Then comes the stars – the cars. GM has left some space for other automakers to show up for the party. So along with the Chevrolet Camaro SS as the beefier version of Bumblebee, the GMC Topkick as the bad-ass Ironhide, the Hummer H2 as Ratchet and the Corvette Centennial concept as Sideswipe there is a couple of three pointed stars and a prancing horse.

An SLS AMG takes on the role of the Decepticon Soundwave, an E550 sedan is Que, an Autobot scientist and a 458 Italia gets to be Dino with a Italian accent – nice touch there. The Peterbilt 379 returns to play the lead role of Optimus Prime and this time there is a trailer in tow which houses the Autobot leader’s advanced weapons system and war gear.

Donning the avatar of the Sentinel Prime is a Rosenbauer Panther fire truck. GM continues its domination with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet Impala stock cars as the elite Autobot commando unit – Wreckers – and with Chevy Suburbans as Dreads – the Decepticon elite strike force. The robot mode of the Decepticon scout Barricade makes a brief cameo in the final battle.

"Nice paint job there, Optimus. May be I should try something similar."

The voice actors do complete justice to their roles and the big names lead from the front. Leonard Nimoy (Sentinel Prime), Hugo Weaving (Megatron) and Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) breathe life into Michael Bay’s CGI juggernauts. When it comes to the earthlings, except for Frances McDormand, John Turturro and John Malkovich, no one makes an impression. Shia La Beouf looks lost and confirms the theory that his dialogue sheet is populated with lines which read “Scream, shout, run and call out for Optimus and Bumblebee”.

Megan Fox’s replacement, Rosie Huntington Whiteley isn’t any better than her predecessor and should strictly confine herself to the job which she does best – being a lingerie model. Her first scene puts it up on the wall and the following ones cement it in place. To make matters worse, the character written for her isn’t that rosy after all, leaving us with an image of a mistress than of a girlfriend. Not that Fox was any good in her emoting skills, but Michaela stood by the confused Sam all along and that’s something which the Carly seldom does.

Now comes the damage which gravely cripples Dark of the Moon. Shockingly the editing has fizzled, which is quite rare in a Michael Bay movie. It’s so catastrophic that there are instances where you just can’t connect the adjoining scenes as a part of coherent event. Bay’s habit of using clips from his previous movies continues. If you happen to be someone who follows his works, you’ll also note the avoidable use of chase scene footage from the director’s lone box office flop – The Island.

Next up in the firing line is the background score which used to be the forte of the first and second movies. The score turns out to be weaker and a sounds more like a rework of the original than anything else. Steve Jablonsky’s composition glimmers in a handful of scenes, but often you’ll be treated to the same score which you’ve heard before. Those of you who keep track of original soundtracks will also find the striking similarities that the score of Transformers 3 share with that of Hans Zimmer’s compositions for The Dark Knight and Inception.

"Who is better? Me or the Fox chick? Say my name...say my name!"

The utilization of the much-talked about one-hour climax is where the movie completely breaks apart. Instead of using the critical hour to create a proper setting in premise and action for the conclusion of the trilogy, Bay stuffs it with more robots and explosions. Indeed, that’s what he usually does. But the graceful ending of the first Transformers is still fresh in our minds and that was an equally explosive pyro-fest.

The near-fatal blow comes in the final 5 minutes which will for sure make anyone say “WTF just happened?” That’s something which has has to be seen and heard while at the movies than to be read here. Ripping it further apart is that before you are given the moment to seep in the events which transpired, Optimus makes the weakest concluding speech he has ever delivered and the Linkin Park track kicks in to drop the curtain.

"Now that's one for the Facebook wall...Say grease...er...cheese"

So what’s the final take? There is no denying the fact that Transformers: Dark of the Moon is one among THE BIGGEST SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS that you must watch this year. It’s got more brawn, more muscle, more spectacular stunts and quite an engaging plotline to sink your teeth into. This is most probably the best 3D experience 2011 will offer and the best since Avatar. To some extent Michael Bay has managed to rectify the issues plaguing the franchise too. But if you are walking into the multiplex with the high hopes of witnessing the befitting and immaculate conclusion to the trilogy and the best Transformers movie in the series, be prepared for a frown of disappointment. None can be blamed outright, because our hopes were set so high.

It’s better than Revenge of the Fallen, but the original still remains on top as the best.

Text: Sanjoy Alexander

Image Courtesy: Boxofficemojo, Empireonline

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