THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
I don’t think there is an official rule for heroes to have an ideal look because for generations, there have been various kinds of heroes to prove different is good.
PLOT
Based on the iconic Hasbro toy line, first adapted as an animated series, The live action film Transformers follows the civil war between two robotic factions that are Autobots and Decepticons. Both sides have been fighting over a powerful cube known as the Allspark, which was capable of creating their home planet Cybertron. The war over the cube would cause their planet to be a wasteland and the cube would go missing. Decepticons leader Megatron would crashland on Earth in 1897 in his attempt to retrieve it, getting frozen in the Arctic Circle. 110 years later, more Decepticons would find the planet in hopes to find their leader and the cube, intending to build a new army in the process. One Decepticon named Blackout, who takes the disguise of a helicopter, attacks a military base in Qatar, trying to hack into the US military network to find Megatron. That backfires when the base staff sever the network cable connections. Another decepticon named Scorponok, which resembles a giant scorpion would attack a military group of survivors that have picture proof of their species’ existence, but gets repelled in the process. Another decepticon named Frenzy, who is able to take the disguise of a portable radio, succeeds in hacking into the network on Air Force One, as well as plant a virus online. He finds coordinates of Megatron and the Allspark’s location that appear to be imprinted on the glasses of the late explorer Captain Archibald Witwicky who encountered their leader last. After Blackout’s attack, computer analyst Maggie Madsen would lead a team to narrow down who is responsible and when she alerts the Pentagon of Frenzy’s virus, it causes a panic within. She is even told by Secretary of Defense John Keller to not let her imagination get the best of her. Wanting to figure out an answer as much as they do, she makes a copy of Blackout’s signal and goes to her friend Glen to help crack it, only for them to be arrested. The decepticon Barricade, disguised as a cop car would pursue his descendant Sam who is selling the glasses on eBay for the sake of having his first car. The human would buy his first car, a ‘76 Camaro, unaware it would be an Autobot named Bumblebee who would use to radio to speak. Surprisingly, Bumblebee would help Sam woo his crush Mikaela Banes. By night, he would sneak out to transmit a signal to the other Autbobots but Sam would see him in his robotic form. The following day, he would chased by Barricade who demands the glasses. As he runs away from such a threat, he would encounter Mikaela but both would be protected by Bumblebee. Although Barricade would be defeated, Mikaela would defend Sam from Frenzy by beheading him with a buzzsaw. However, the decepticon would survive and be in disguise as her cellphone. Bumblebee would take them both to the rendezvous and meet the other Autobots: Lieutenant Jazz who takes the disguise of a Pontiac, Weapons Specialist Ironhide who disguises himself as a GMC truck, Medical Officer Ratchet whose disguised as an ambulance Hummer, and the leader Optimus Prime whose disguised as a semi truck. Prime explains that they need the Allspark to rebuild Cybertron and need the glasses to find it, or else Earth will be wiped out by Decepticons. Sam does retrieve the glasses when returning home, but he and Mikaela get apprehended by Sector 7 who know about the Transformers and try to coerce information from them about the robotic species. Prime does free them, but the rescue would be short lived when S7 Agent Simmons alert the military to track down the Autobot. Bumblebee would get apprehended as an attempt to protect Sam & Mikaela, who get taken as well. As all three get taken to S7’s base in the Hoover Dam, Prime finds the glasses Sam dropped and hope to move forward with finding the cube. At the Hoover Dam base, Sam & Mikaela meet Keller, Glen & Maggie, as well as Captain Lennox & Sergeant Epps who encountered Scorponok. They get a tour of the base and discover Megatron to still be frozen. Sam explains to everyone who the robot is and what his plans are if he wakes up. All are then shown the cube which reveals that modern technology was reversed by Megatron’s body and every time they used the Allspark to give technology life, experiments have been proven to only act violently towards organics. With Frenzy sneaking in, he alerts the other Decepticons of the cube’s location. When the second in command Starscream (who dawns the disguise of an F-22 jet) attacks the base, Frenzy would also sabotage the cryo controls that would awaken Megatron. With danger looming higher than ever, Sam & Mikaela are able to leave with Bumblebee who transforms the cube in a portable form. As they reunite with the Autobots, Lennox’s team would join them in the fight against the Decepticons in Mission City. As that happens, Simmons & Keller would take cover in a storage room and kill Frenzy, allowing Glen & Maggie send a Morse code to Air Force for back up. At Mission City, many casualties would occur between both robotic fashions. Megatron would kill Jazz, Prime would kill the Decepticon Bonecrusher (disguised as a Buffalo Mine Sweeper), Bumblebee would kill the Decepticon Devastator Brawl (disguised as a tank) after getting his legs shot off by Starscream, and the human reinforcements would kill Blackout. When Bumblebee gets injured, he chooses Sam to protect the cube. Despite being protected by the Autobots, Prime insists for Sam to insert the AllSpark into his chest spark to prevent Megatron from getting it, knowing it’ll sacrifice his life to destroy it. Rather than sacrificing an ally, he goes to Megatron and inserts it in his chest instead which kills him and ends the conflict. After a triumphant victory, the government of Sector 7 would be decommissioned and the remains of the deceased Decepticons would be dumped into the Laurentian Abyss. As Sam & Mikaela begin an intimate relationship, the film would end with Prime sending a message to other Autobots, directing them to Earth.
THOUGHTS
I was a big fan of the very first animated series from the 1980s, so it's clear how hyped I was upon hearing this film would become a reality. And as the years have gone by since first seeing it, it hasn't disappointed. Director Michael Bay had big expectations to fulfill at the time: a sci fi adventure that was entertaining yet had a story to invest in. While the latter wasn't always the case with hit or miss sequels, it is a relief this one succeeds. The visual effects have held up very well since first release, as every transformer is so lifelike from every shot possible. Going from Blackout's opening base attack, to Scorponok's desert attack, to the climactic battle at Mission City, my eyes are always glued in. And to come with it, Steve Jablonksy's epic score fits in so well it became for him to not compose the sequels. As those things go hand in hand, I think this film has held up the best because in a crazy way, it is able to share how goodness of others will always beat the bad no matter how rough it gets. Good will always find a way to overcome bad because there is no gain to achieve when choosing to put others at risk. The Autobots are those kind of heroes because they don't any casualties for their mistakes. Ever since the 80s, Peter Cullen has been the ideal voice of Optimus Prime for good reason, he's a compassionate leader who cares about everyone and acts as wise as possible. Every day he fights with honor and inspires the others to do the same. He's even willing to sacrifice himself to prevent the cube from being in the wrong hands, which i identify as infinite selflessness. Knowing how valuable of allies he made out of humans like Sam, he is reminded that every life around him is worth making. Prime is known to be the face of the franchise, but he is not the sole hero as many other Autobots stood out n their own distinctive way. Bumblebee may have lost his original voice, he stood out here like he would for the rest of the series for coming off gentle towards the harmless unless provoked. Seeing him interact with Sam before revealing with himself proves that he'd rather try to gain his trust before over-focusing on the stakes. Robert Foxworth made Ratchet stand out for always ensuring devotion to the cause. The character would then prove it with action. Jess Harnell made Ironhide cool for making him a loyal brethren who can't help letting his power get the best of him, threatening whoever crosses him. In all honesty, I'd be upset if a dog peed on my foot because it's awkward. Darius McCrary definitely made Jazz memorable by acting good natured and doesn't know the meaning of the word 'coward'. He died fighting Megatron, which is pretty damn brave of him. Speaking of which, you know there was no way this movie would happen without the villain who is just identifiable as Prime. Although Frank Welker has also been the ideal voice of Megatron since the 80s, and got to briefly play the ambitious Starscream, Hugo Weaving surprised me big time in making him just as ferocious as he's known to be. Although he always found a way back in the sequels, it's a relief his reign of terror got halted for the first of multiple times. While the Transformers are the reasons we're hooked, it was interesting things shook up with a round of human characters, which paid off big time here. Shia LaBeouf definitely carried this film and two sequels for making Sam a relatable character. He starts out socially awkward, but it slowly vanishes when his time around the Autobots would spark his bravery. Without encountering them, he would never appreciate the legacy his ancestor left behind. 'No sacrifice, no victory' speaks volumes the more I hear it because it defines the selflessness that must be done to keep fighting. He proved so by refusing to surrender the cube to Megatron and would die protecting it. That is enough to respect this guy. If that didn't help him get the girl, I don't know what the hell would. Apart from being a sex symbol, Megan Fox made her own impact when playing Mikaela because she was a humble lady who had her valiance down. She proved the latter when helping a crippled Bumblebee aid the fight. She ended up falling for Sam because he saw how respectful he was deep down. He ended up falling for her in return because after looking past the beauty, even he saw how big of a heart she had and how smart of a woman she is. Their relationship didn't last too long as the franchise progressed, but it was good while it did. Moving on, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese made one hell of a pair in playing Lennox and Epps respectively for making them both as soldiers who catch up real quick with their surroundings and prove their capabilities at every turn. It even felt bittersweet for Lennox to see his firstborn for the first time after the war because it reminded us we'll always have something to fight for. He would always return to action because his family motivates him to keep fighting. I definitely agree with others when I say Simmons was a jerk in his line of work, but John Turturro makes it clear he's a guy who cares about his country and the world overall. He acts with caution and that's the best he could do in his predicament. Once Bumblebee was free, he accepted that cautiousness ain't always going to lead to success, hence standing up to Frenzy. It always surprises me when franchises go through one-off characters and it was no exception here when seeing Maggie and Glen. Rachael Taylor showed Maggie as one who wasn't as tactful as she should be, but that didn't mean it would stop her from discovering the truth. You easily want to relate to Anthony Anderson for making him laid back, but then he would pull an 180 by putting his skills to use. If it wasn't either of these two, I don't think Autobots would've succeeded the way they did. Having said that, it's weird we don't know what happened to them after Frenzy died. Last but not least, you know you hit jackpot when casting the iconic Jon Voight in a supporting role for a blockbuster. In his given time, he ensures that John Keller is a man committed to protecting his country and although he anticipated in protecting the world, it sure as hell did not stop him trying to take a stand either. Considering that he and others succeeded against Frenzy, that only proves you don't know what you're in for until you take it head on. I do not blame him for covering up what happened at Mission City because the rest of the world would not be prepared for alien robots existing. And although S7 was never corrupted, it was smart to have that government decommissioned in order to prevent that scenario. If this character was still around in later films, the alliance between Autobots and humans would've lasted longer. This movie is always gonna be a blast, but even a fan like myself will admit it’s not perfect because there’s a handful of moments that have bothered me as I’ve gotten older. For instance, it makes sense for Bumblebee to go be Sam’s guardian, but what would be the alternative if he didn’t want to buy a car? I mean there has to be an excuse for the two to meet and it’s crazy this appears to be the only way. Moving on, how come Epps was the only one to have proof of what happened at Qatar? It makes no sense for the base to not have cameras beforehand. It would’ve been less of a mystery of the transformers had there been cameras. I have said before how continuity errors bother me deeply, so consider me feeling that way again when Bumblebee’s right door is left open in one shot only for it to be closed by the next. If that implies Bee did it himself, it wouldn’t hurt showing him do that since he did so at the car shop. If you’re not pissed about that, let me top that when Agent Banacheck (Michael O’Neill) shows two pictures to Keller that are supposed to be different but are honestly the same. Another thing, why was Glen allowed to change clothes when being sent to the police station? He may be semi-innocent but if you’re accused of a crime, it ain’t gonna matter if you’re pajamas while being interrogated. I respect Prime for protecting Sam & Mikaela when being chased by S7, but everyone knows driving away is better than on foot. Had he done that after splitting up, Bee and the teens would’ve not been apprehended. Other than that, this is still a blast. In short, 2007’s Transformers is a sci-fi classic for its solid plot, incredible action sequences and arguably the most memorable cast the franchise ever provided. Whatever kind of fan you are with Transformers, this movie is a must-watch for you.
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