Transformers: Age of Extinction

• Released Internationally on 25/06/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 06/07/14

Review (05/07/14)

3-word review: Very slight improvements. 

They’re back for another assault on earth and on our summer box-office. After the Decepticons were defeated in the rather disruptive battle of Chicago in the third film, earth had had enough of the Transformers. The last remaining few are being hunted down and used for scrap and research. But an inevitable comeback is taking shape.

What’s new?

Shia LaBeouf is gone, and his main role is now taken over by a garage mechanic and single dad portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. His unconvincing family consists of his daughter (newcomer Nicola Peltz), together with her boyfriend (Jack Reynor). They end up helping Optimus Prime and his Autobots, despite a worldwide mission by black ops to hunt down and destroy them, aided by an other-worldly Transformer named Lockdown. Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) heads the covert CIA mission, and Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games) is the head or a research corporation who is using the scrapped parts to build earth’s own Transformers. From a nostalgia, childhood-toy point of view, the main new addition is the Dinobots, whom I fondly remember, but who are practically unrecognisable here after the usual Michael Bay ‘upgrade’.

In the end

Michael Bay had given the impression that he was done with the Transformers after the third film, which was even worse than the second one. Something changed his mind, and he decided to take a slightly new direction. But apart from a new human cast and a hardly noticeable new design for the titular robots, nothing much has changed. The action is still disorderly and messy, and the plot and characters are still very weak. Hong Kong offers a slightly more interesting backdrop for destruction, but there’s very little here to recommend, especially if you hated the previous instalments.

Trailer:

Pain & Gain

• Released Internationally on 24/04/13
• Released in Malta by KRS on 04/09/13

Review (03/09/13)

3-word review: Entertaining Bay display.

The unmistakable Michael Bay

Whether Michael Bay’s films feature asteroids, giant robots or weapons of mass destruction, or even if they do away with all the sci-fi and gadgetry and just focus on present day crime, they are all easily identifiable as larger-than-life Bay spectacles. Not one to go for subtlety, Bay has often divided opinions with his over the top style. Everything must be drenched in sweaty, unforgiving sun, everything must be bursting with colour, and lots of action needs to happen in slow-motion and accompanied by wailing electric guitars. You also need at least one shot encircling the character from below, and one with a massive plane flying directly overhead, if possible. 

But while the end result is often a big hot mess (the Transformers films, especially the two sequels), or not worthy of the subject matter (Pearl Harbour), it does occasionally result in wide-eyed cheesy entertainment that is a joy to watch (The Rock, Armageddon). Those instances, however, where Bay does away with all the extras and stamps his style onto a crime film, are in my humble opinion the instances where his controversial talents are best displayed. Which is why this film works, just as the two Bad Boys films worked. When your subject matter resembles something out of an MTV reality show, what better way to present it than looking like a big budget music video?

“My name is Daniel Lugo, and I believe in fitness.”

Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights, The Fighter), stars as the gym-obsessed ex-convict Daniel, who dreams of a life beyond his mundane personal trainer job and realises he can’t obtain that life through strictly legal means. He singles out a wealthy, seemingly helpless client of his (Tony Shalhoub - The Man Who Wasn’t There, Monk) and after getting fired up by a motivational speaker (Ken Jeong - The Hangover trilogy) he decides to go for broke and try to skim every last penny off the unsuspecting Jewish businessman. The trio he assembles for the job include his colleague and fellow fitness-fanatic Adrian (Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker) and built-like-a-bus Paul (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson - Fast & Furious 6). 

Fargo, on steroids

Between the three of them they have enough brawn to intimidate anyone, but not enough brain to pull their ridiculous scheme off. And thus ensues a regular winning formula in literature and cinema - the convoluted scheme which goes impressively wrong, partly due to misfortune, and partly due to sheer stupidity. Fargo remains one of the most nuanced and engrossing examples of this, with A Simple Plan trying to repeat the formula a couple of years later. This is nowhere as subtle or high-brow, but it is very entertaining nonetheless, although admittedly in a similar way to watching disastrous reality TV or other instances where you can shake your head and feel hugely superior to the protagonists. Wahlberg anchors the trio well, with his trademark puzzled expression perfectly suited for the enthusiastic but clueless gang leader he portrays. Dwayne Johnson is the most entertaining, however, managing to shift between highly-string cocaine fiend and his character’s recently discovered happy-clappy religious side. 

This is still a true story

By the time a private detective (the ever-bankable Ed Harris - A Beautiful Mind) is brought in to try and uncover the fraudulent scheme, and by the time our anti-heroes have spent all their money and are itching for a second hit, Bay does well to remind us, during one particularly insane scene, that “this is still a true story”. It takes some convincing, but we are shown the real-life protagonists during the end credits, and the events in the film did in fact happen in the mid-90s. Which is why the film is also a wonderfully cheesy collection of 90s styles and music, which cements the comparison with Bad Boys even further.

In the end

By the time the explosions have died down and everyone has come down from their steroid rage or cocaine high, there isn’t all too much substance to take home, apart from the very obvious moral lesson that crime doesn’t pay and that the elusive ‘American Dream’ needs to be attained through hard, honest work. But who cares? It’s an entertaining two hours, and despite being Michael Bay’s second least expensive film to date, I think it’s one of his best.

Trailers:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/paingain/

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

 

• Released Internationally on 19/06/09
• Released in Malta by KRS on 24/06/09

 

In a nutshell

Two summers ago a much-loved cartoon series made the jump to the big screen, managing to meet most fan expectations as well as introduce the franchise to a whole new audience. It helped that the film also made truck-loads of money. With an open-ended conclusion to the film, and numerous popular characters still waiting in the wings to make their live-action debut, a sequel was announced only two months after release.

By way of introduction

After a very brief prologue which offers a chilling glimpse of how the Transformers have been around for far longer than we imagine, the film quickly shifts into top gear for a never-ending action sequence in the Far East. Over the next half-hour or so we are introduced to a host of new characters in rapid succession, as the increasingly convoluted plot starts to unfold.

Bits and pieces

My major gripe with the initial film was the design of the Transformers themselves, possibly stemming from my infatuation with the cartoons as a child. The chunky, solid forms of the cartoon characters have been replaced with piecemeal metallic structures with way too much clutter. The look and design were obviously kept for this second film. Whilst working wonders in the style and streamlining departments, this look often makes it harder to distinguish between characters, and makes the action sequences incredibly difficult to follow.  As we see Autobots (the goodies) take on Decepticons (the baddies) in tussles and high-speed chases, the result is often a mass of metal without much definition. I sometimes felt relieved when they changed back to their other form (truck, car, whatever), because they took on a solid form again and were clearly identifiable.

Revenge of the Fallen

The subtitle can be interpreted in two ways, but I won't go into details so as not to spoil the plot. Suffice to say that Megatron (Decepticon-in-chief), left for dead at the bottom of the ocean last time around, is back and in a foul mood. The Autobots have also fallen out of favour with the US president (shown to be Obama in a brief news clip - his first film appearance?), and their assistance is no longer needed. The tables turn when the Decepticons enlist the help of the Constructicons - a group of construction vehicles (with full extras) which I remember vividly from the cartoon series, and which are a welcome addition. They also have a neat party trick which adds greatly to the film's climactic action sequence. Less welcome are the intensely annoying Autobot 'Twins' who plague a number of scenes with their witty banter, and ultimately add little to the plot. After visiting Shanghai and Paris, most of the second half takes place in Egypt and Jordan, offering lots of spectacular scenes of huge robots mingling with the pyramids.

Who's in it?

Director Michael Bay, the man who has become synonymous with large-scale summer blockbusters (Armageddon, The Rock, Bad Boys, Pearl Harbour), returns to direct the sequel in his usual over-the-top style. Despite regularly drawing fire from critics for choosing style over substance, his focus on scale was very suitable for the first film. Sitting somewhere in the shadows with a cheque-book and a few choice tips is Steven Spielberg, who is credited as executive producer for both films. His recent pet actor Shia LaBeouf (Eagle Eye, Indiana Jones) returns as Sam Witwicky, the energetic young only son who first makes contact with the Autobots and continues to serve as the link between them and humans. His heroics in the first film landed him the love of the smouldering Michaela Banes, played by up-and-coming Megan Fox (How To Lose Friends & Alienate People), who stands around looking ridiculously hot but not doing much else. John Turturro (Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski) returns as the eccentric but helpful Transformers expert, and Rainn Wilson (The Office's Dwight) has a brief but amusing cameo as Sam's lecturer. Numerous voice actors return to voice the metallic heroes and villains, most notably Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings) as Megatron, and Peter Cullen (who voiced the character in the cartoon series) as Optimus Prime. Steve Jablonsky's simplistic score adds some gravitas to the more sombre moments, and adds noise to the action sequences, but is ultimately forgettable.

More than meets the eye?

Not really, no. The action sequences are often messy, and we're introduced to so many new characters that it's hard to get involved or interested. The plot seems built around a few spectacular locations, and is mostly fluff. Many scenes are still a sight to behold, so if all you're after this summer is loud noise and lots of glitz, this might be just your cup of tea. If, however, you like your summer blockbusters to be based on good filmmaking and a great story, look elsewhere.

 

 

Trailer:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/transformersrevengeofthefallen/ (High-res QuickTime)