First off I would like to say that this review does not contain spoilers.
As many of my friends know, I am a movie addict. I love going out to see them, and will often make plans way in advance.
This was the case for the Transformers movie. Months ago I started planning carefully. Who to go with, and what theatre to see it in (unfortunately it was not being shown on the Imax screen).
Well the fourth of July came, and a few adopted family members and myself set out to see the new Transformers movie.
For me this was one of the two must-see movies of the summer. The other being "Harry Potter #5". Sorry to all of you "Pirates of the Caribbean" fans. I loved the first movie, but the second one sucked, and the third one.. well it did not suck as much as #2, and was a lot of fun, but I truly hated the ending of #3.
But, I digress. Back to the Transformers. While this movie is one that I was greatly looking forward to, I have to admit that I questioned if it would live up to all of the hype from the year plus of ads and promos.
I had my checklist going:
1) See movie with good friends (the non drama-impaired kind): Check!
2) Get there early: Check!
3) Get good seats: Semi-check! We had good seats, though not in the center, but still good seats.
The lights dimmed, the music started, and the race was on! Would this movie live up to the hype, or would it be overtaken by the sucky-movie mobile?
Two and a half hours later I had my answer.
THE MOVIE ROCKED! I just wish that it had been shown on the Imax screen.
Transformers had everything that it advertised. Action, comedy, and (surprisingly) a really good plot and storyline. And the actors could ACT! No "Mannequin-Skywalkers" in this bunch! The performances were kept to believable levels, and not *too* over the top. A couple of times it came close, but still the actors managed to pull it off.
It was obvious that the storyline and concepts had been updated to fit the times. Great relief for me, since some of the '80's remakes lately still seem too dated. For instance, Bumblebee was changed from a classic VW bug, to a Camaro. While I missed the original Bumblebee, the new one still retained all of the fun and style of the original.
Colors changed a bit, with Optimus Prime gaining a new detailed paint job. However, like Bumblebee, all of the characters I grew up with still remained true to the 'feel' of the original. At least most of the time, but more on that later....
The storyline had changed a bit from the original, but I think the changes were good. Characters got a little more depth to them, and seemed more realistic and 3-dimensional. I just liked the characters more, and that was something I did not think would happen.
And the soundtrack... I have to admit I really enjoy a good soundtrack with my movie. The common concensus among those who went, about the soundtrack, was "must-own."
There were a few problems I did have with the movie though.
The language also got updated, and while it did, usually, increase the comedy level of the movie, seeing a favorite character use the term "bitch" kind of pinged with me. So, I guess, not all of the updating was a good thing.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind strong language at all, but it does have it's place. And I have to say that the place is not in a remake of a *kids cartoon*. For the most part, the language was usually appropriate for the original feel of the Transformers, and this movie did not hit the foul-language-keep-the-kids-away-at-all-cost meter, but maybe some of the language used could have been left out or modified.
The only other problem that I could see was a few continuity errors. Such as during a black out, all of the lights along the street are out, the people in the house are using flashlights to navigate... and an external shot of the house shows a dark neighborhood, but various lights still obviously working both outside the house, on the patio, and inside... windows lit, etc.
Ok, for the final verdict: This movie is a must-see on the big screen. It's even worth an evening ticket price (and for me that is saying something).
If you do go see it, I hope you have a wonderful time. The production company, directors, and actors have done a fine job of creating a movie that will help carry you away to somewhere else, and show you a fun ride getting there.
As many of my friends know, I am a movie addict. I love going out to see them, and will often make plans way in advance.
This was the case for the Transformers movie. Months ago I started planning carefully. Who to go with, and what theatre to see it in (unfortunately it was not being shown on the Imax screen).
Well the fourth of July came, and a few adopted family members and myself set out to see the new Transformers movie.
For me this was one of the two must-see movies of the summer. The other being "Harry Potter #5". Sorry to all of you "Pirates of the Caribbean" fans. I loved the first movie, but the second one sucked, and the third one.. well it did not suck as much as #2, and was a lot of fun, but I truly hated the ending of #3.
But, I digress. Back to the Transformers. While this movie is one that I was greatly looking forward to, I have to admit that I questioned if it would live up to all of the hype from the year plus of ads and promos.
I had my checklist going:
1) See movie with good friends (the non drama-impaired kind): Check!
2) Get there early: Check!
3) Get good seats: Semi-check! We had good seats, though not in the center, but still good seats.
The lights dimmed, the music started, and the race was on! Would this movie live up to the hype, or would it be overtaken by the sucky-movie mobile?
Two and a half hours later I had my answer.
THE MOVIE ROCKED! I just wish that it had been shown on the Imax screen.
Transformers had everything that it advertised. Action, comedy, and (surprisingly) a really good plot and storyline. And the actors could ACT! No "Mannequin-Skywalkers" in this bunch! The performances were kept to believable levels, and not *too* over the top. A couple of times it came close, but still the actors managed to pull it off.
It was obvious that the storyline and concepts had been updated to fit the times. Great relief for me, since some of the '80's remakes lately still seem too dated. For instance, Bumblebee was changed from a classic VW bug, to a Camaro. While I missed the original Bumblebee, the new one still retained all of the fun and style of the original.
Colors changed a bit, with Optimus Prime gaining a new detailed paint job. However, like Bumblebee, all of the characters I grew up with still remained true to the 'feel' of the original. At least most of the time, but more on that later....
The storyline had changed a bit from the original, but I think the changes were good. Characters got a little more depth to them, and seemed more realistic and 3-dimensional. I just liked the characters more, and that was something I did not think would happen.
And the soundtrack... I have to admit I really enjoy a good soundtrack with my movie. The common concensus among those who went, about the soundtrack, was "must-own."
There were a few problems I did have with the movie though.
The language also got updated, and while it did, usually, increase the comedy level of the movie, seeing a favorite character use the term "bitch" kind of pinged with me. So, I guess, not all of the updating was a good thing.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind strong language at all, but it does have it's place. And I have to say that the place is not in a remake of a *kids cartoon*. For the most part, the language was usually appropriate for the original feel of the Transformers, and this movie did not hit the foul-language-keep-the-kids-away-at-all-cost meter, but maybe some of the language used could have been left out or modified.
The only other problem that I could see was a few continuity errors. Such as during a black out, all of the lights along the street are out, the people in the house are using flashlights to navigate... and an external shot of the house shows a dark neighborhood, but various lights still obviously working both outside the house, on the patio, and inside... windows lit, etc.
Ok, for the final verdict: This movie is a must-see on the big screen. It's even worth an evening ticket price (and for me that is saying something).
If you do go see it, I hope you have a wonderful time. The production company, directors, and actors have done a fine job of creating a movie that will help carry you away to somewhere else, and show you a fun ride getting there.
As the tag-line says, Transformers: More than meets the eye.
Posts
2 comments:
Heh-heh, well QoD, I have to admit, I thought I would never get a blog of my own. Sorry about not telling you I had one :) What can I say? You how us dorky librarians are..
I like it sweets!
( and don't grovel down to QoD-it'll just make things worse!!) LOL
Smooches
Post a Comment