Transformers 3 - 3D 2011

Transformers 3 – 3D 2011

Transformers 3 will be the blockbuster of the season, like it was made to be. There is no denying the pull that battle-crazy robots trying to save earth has on the general populous. Both previous films have grossed an amazing amount of cash in ticket sales and merchandising, that the third outing is a sure fire definite to make people hand over their hard earned cash. Epecially now since the film is in glorious 3D!

There are things that are amazingly fantastic about this film, but as with many of the films by director Michael Bay, there are some bad things (but not very bad!)

There are certain things we know about Michael Bay.

1.       He loves women
2.       He loves cars
3.       He loves big things
4.       He loves explosions
5.       He loves it loud, and
6.       He is a pubescent teenager stuck in a 40 year old body!

Michael Bay came out earlier in the year and admitted that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was not the film he wanted to make and that he made some mistakes. Really? He blamed the writers strike of 2008 in Hollywood which brought almost every film and TV show production to a standstill and promised a better film with a better story. I think we got a much better film and I would even go as far as saying that this could have functioned very well as the first film in the franchise, but I don't think we got a better story.

It's no secret that summer blockbusters are the bread-and-butter of any production company. Most blockbusters are void of storylines and have plot holes you can drive a semi through. TF3 is no different, and there are times you are left wanting just a bit more; just a bit more development, a bit more sense and a bit more continuity.

Yet, again what the film lacks is a sense of substance, although I concede that it must be difficult to find “substance” in a story about children’s toys that transform from robots to cars and trucks. The cartoon was simply a tool that Hasbro used to sell toys, specifically in Japan, yet the film version of that cartoon, released in 1986, did a really good job in finding substance in the mythos of Transformers. In that film, there were two human characters, a father and a son, which in its simplicity, was where the cartoons heart lay. They were a manifestation of Prime’s heart of humanity, a thread that these films so desperately need and is so jarringly absent.

It's just not enough to save the world, we want to care about it.

TF3 is missing that substance. Where we want to see robots, the story focuses too much on Sam Witwicky (Shia Lebeouf) who is at the next crossroads of his life: getting a job. We had his teenager angst in getting his first car, then the young adult angst of going to university, and now we have his adult angst of making his mark on the world, but, hasn’t he already done that? He saved the world from near destruction yet, he can’t get a job?

The exposition which sets up the story rests on the shoulders of another government secret. Much to Primes dismay, there is a spacecraft just sitting there on the moon waiting for some transformer to find it. It seems that it is the Ark (a nice reference to the cartoon) which was sent at the height of the Cybertronian war with a device on board that would create a new Cybertron. How it works with the Cube, I’m not sure, but the ark crash landed on the moon which caused the space race of the 60’s between Russia and the US.

For any “fan” or movie buff, the enormous plot hole that exists here is not worthy of bothering about and many may simply gloss over it, but as a story, the three films don’t fit together well, but when you think about it, very few series of films do.

But where this film lacks in story, it succeeds in attacking the audience with an astounding shock and awe campaign to numb your senses. As with the first two films, there are some insane action sequences that show off Bay’s style, flair and ego and gratefully, Bay has slowed down some of the action and sequences so that the audience gets to see more. However there are still times you really wish you could differentiate between the robots when they are clashing.  Bay knows how to shoot war and fighting and cars (especially cars!) and he pushed TF3 the the extreme. He really does lift the bar for action.

It is mind-boggling to see some of the scenes take place; especially in 3D. The scene of the skyscraper falling down which featured heavily in the trailer can only be seen on the big screen! The enormity of clashing robots and speeding cars that transform while driving to catch falling humans leaves you aghast. There is even a freeway sequence that gives “The Matrix: Reloaded” a run for its money.

The robots look fantastic. If they could look more real than from what we have previously seen, this is the film that does it. They blend in with the earthly surrounds and interact with human characters in a far more believable way.

There are some darker moments too where the film takes on a “Black Hawk Down” feel and there is  much more violence, which surprised me. Robots gush blood, have their spines ripped out and humans are vicerated by Decepticon weapons similar to that of the aliens from “War of the Worlds”.

There is much more robot time which will please the masses and you get the feeling that the film is trying really hard to cater to the fans this time although die-hards will be very disappointed that certain Autobots don’t have the names they are supposed to, but there is plenty to be happy about. The inclusion of Primes trailer is a welcome addition and when it transforms, OMG! Megatron is the real let down. Again, Bay and Kruger have no idea what to do with him nor do they understand is role in the Transformers world.  This villain is underused and pointless which is disappointing.

The transfer to 3D is astounding; groundbreakingly so. 60% of the film was filmed in 3D and unlike films that have the transfer added for the sake of it, this movie is meant to be enjoyed as a 3D experience. It has raised the bar since Avatar.

There is a lot of potential left in the Tranformer world. It’s doubtful this will be the end and it would not be surprising if the fans really get their own way and we see the introduction of the famed Unicron.

This could have been a 5 popcorn rating, but it gets a 3.5. There was plenty of moments I had goosebumps, even a moment I almost shed a tear (gotta love me some Bumblebee) and a few moments I was silently pounding the air with my fist.

Oh, and do yourself a favour, see this in 3D.

This is not for kids under 13! The violence is very strong.