THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The fan base of Transformers felt divided because while everyone had their favorite animated series to pick from and were on the same page of Michael Bay’s first directorial outing in 2007, everyone saw what a mess Revenge of the Fallen was. With a sequel not so good, you have to worry of the potential. Luckily, things were able to shake up again with another entry.
PLOT
The threequel Dark of the Moon takes place two years after Autobots protected Earth's sun from being destroyed. Apart from the likes of Ironhide (Jess Harnell), Ratchet (Robert Foxworth) & Sideswipe (James Remar), the other Autobots now include: Dino (Francesco Quin) who transforms into a Ferrari, inventor Que (George Coe) who transforms into a Mercedes-Benz E550 and a trio called the Wreckers who transform into Chevrolet Impala stock cars. During a NEST mission in Ukraine, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Captain Lennox discover an engine part in Chernobyl that belonged to an Autobot ship. The former recognizes the part to particularly belong to a spacecraft dubbed 'The Ark' that was last seen leaving Cybertron during the war against Decepticons. They learn from astronaut Buzz Aldrin and two NASA mission directors that in '61, NASA first detected The Ark landing on the moon and swore to secrecy after investigating it during the Apollo 11 mission. When Optimus goes to the moon with Ratchet with their own investigation, they find a weakened body of their original leader Sentinel Prime who was locked away with metal pillars. When returning to Earth, Optimus uses the Matrix of Leadership to awaken Sentinel from his comatose state. When he wakes up, he explains to National Intelligence Director Charlotte Mearing that the pillars are capable of forming a space bridge, teleporting matter between two points. As for Sam Witwicky, he now lives in Washington DC with his new girlfriend Carly Spencer. Their roommates include Wheelie (Tom Kenny) and another Autobot named Brains (Reno Wilson). Unable to work with NEST to be involved in working with Autobots and despite being given a Medal of Honor by President Obama, he instead gets his first job within the technology firm Accuretta Systems, ran by an eccentric boss named Bruce Bezos. He was able to land a position there due to Carly's boss Dylan Gould (CEO of Hotchkiss Gould Investments) recommending him to the company. During the first day at work, he gets accosted by coworker Jerry Wang who warns him the Autobots are in danger before being assassinated by a bird like Decepticon named Laserbeak (Keith Szarabajka). Sam survives the following attack, leading to him reaching out to NEST of what happened. Rather than getting involved like he used to, Mearing gives him Autobot security, escorted home by his original guardian Bumblebee. Still wanting to make a difference, he reaches out to Seymour Simmons to help him with his own investigation. Based on the notes Jerry gave him before dying, the two deduce that were a small group humans coerced by Decepticons to hide information about the Ark. When they contact two Russian cosmonauts about scrapped missions of going to the moon, they share secret photographs of hundreds of pillars. Seeing them, Simmons further deduces that the Decepticons took the rest to Earth before the Apollo missions began. Realizing that Sentinel is the one thing needed due to having sole access of the control pillar, Sam confirms that another invasion will begin. As he and the Autobots return him to base, they get attacked by Decepticons in hopes to apprehend him for their plan. However, Sentinel would shockingly reveal he made a deal with Megatron in advance before he crashed on the moon, proving his betrayal by killing Ironhide and taking his pillars with him. He would open the bridge at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (joined by Megatron & Starscream who have been hiding in Africa), which would bring Decepticons from the moon to Earth. When Optimus confronts his mentor for his actions, the latter confirms it is for the sake of their race. When Sam picks up Carly from a party hosted by Dylan, her boss reveals that his father was an accountant for NASA and was coerced by Decepticons to fix the books that would prevent further moon landings. He further proves his allegiance by allowing to be held captive by Soundwave (Frank Welker), disguised as a Mercedes SLS-AMG. He then attaches a Decepticon to Sam's wrist, demanding him to find out how Optimus intends to fight back. When returning to NEST, Sam would discover that the United Nations have voted to exile the Autobots from Earth, as demanded by Sentinel from an encoded message. It is proven possible to happen thanks to the Autobot ship the Xantium, which brought the second wave of Autobots and Optimus used it to bring Sentinel to Earth in the first place. As Sam says goodbye to his friends, he gets an answer that there isn't a plan to fight back. When it takes off into orbit, the ship gets shot down by Starscream (Charlie Adler). When the Decepticon watch slithers away from his wrist as promised, Sam gets help to track Dylan down. Thanks to Simmon's assistant Dutch, he's pinpointed to be with Carly at the Trump Tower in Chicago. He chooses to go save her with the help of retired NEST soldiers led by Epps. On the way there, Chicago becomes mostly destroyed by surges of Decepticon ships. This is part of the original plan to call the entire planet of Cybertron through the space bridge, intending to strip-mine Earth for resources and slave labor. Upon arrival, Sam's group is quickly aided by the remaining Autobots, who revealed to have hid in a booster rocket that first separated from Xantium. Once Sam rescues Carly from Dylan and kills Laserbeak, they use a drone to warn NEST of Sentinel's plan. As they wait for more backup, Sam & Carly go with Epps' group to find a tower tall enough to aim at the control pillar and destroy it with a rocket. When they get there, they get chased by Decepticon Shockwave (Welker) and his pet Driller. The latter would cause the building to collapse, but the humans would avoid death thanks to Optimus destroying it. Shockwave would retaliate by shooting at him, resulting in the Autobot leader getting trapped in crane wires. As the humans now hope to get closer to the main pillar, Sam & Carly get separated thanks to an attack by Starscream. Sam would decide to stand up for himself by using weapons made by Que which kills the Decepticon. As the Wreckers untangle Optimus, the rest of the Autobots get captured by Soundwave. As he executes Que and tries to do the same to Bumblebee, he and the others are saved when Wheelie and Brains causes multiple ships to crash around them. Soundwave and his group get killed in the process. With Lennox's group plus NAVY Seals arriving midway, they aid Epps and the Autobots for the rest of the fight. When Optimus gets untangled, he kills Shockwave and uses his weapon to shoot down the control pillar. This successfully disengages the space bridge, which shows only half of Cybertron to Earth. As both Primes fight each other. Dylan would contact the control pillar to reactivate the space bridge. This would only lead to him getting killed by Sam who vowed to do so. Bumblebee also tackles the control pillar, in which the damage sucks Cybertron into a vortex. Carly on the other hand, is able to convince Megatron to attack Sentinel, making him believe he is stealing the glory as Decepticon leader. Surprisingly, his decision leads to him rebelling against Sentinel who almost kills Optimus after removing his right arm. However, the Autobot ends the fight by ripping Megatron's head from his spine and shoots down his mentor. As Sam & Carly reunite and the Autobots staying on Earth, the film ends with Optimus vowing to never forsake the planet no matter what.
THOUGHTS
As I was becoming a teenager, all I wanted was to have fun and boy did I ever when this movie came out. Would I call this the best sci film? Definitely not, but it didn’t have to be if you know what you’re in for. Knowing what was done before, like random comedic check marks, they somehow became more tolerable this time around. I know Ken Jeong’s Jerry and John Malkovich’s Bruce don’t need to be funny to drive the plot, but they sure lightened the mood between the insanity. Things are hand in hand again with another epic score by Steve Jablonsky and enhanced visuals that create incredible action scenes. The Highway fight was already one dope scene, but the entire climactic battle in Chicago is goddamn thrilling. Looking away felt impossible because at that point, it didn’t feel like anything was guaranteed to happen. If you can’t predict the story, you know you’ll cherish more than ever, even if you spot noticeable cliches. I think this film has lived on to be an underrated entry because Director Michael Bay is able to craft another smart theme to follow: No matter how many setbacks you take and whatever obstacle comes your way, don't go back on your beliefs. If you do that, you will only lose your way. That was carefully explored thanks to the array of old and new characters. Optimus went through his own ringer of emotions because he was betrayed by his own mentor. Despite the disappointment, his will and honor remained intact and fought on until the threat was dealt with. The only thing he chose to go back was honoring the request to leave. The last thing he ever wanted was to fight Sentinel, but he knew no one else was gonna stop him if not him. Even when losing his weaponry and losing an arm, he kept on fighting and he did it in glorious fashion. Shia LaBeouf showed Sam going through his own pickle. He grew up proud of saving the world twice with the Autobots and wanted to keep making a difference, which would make him feel held back when working elsewhere. He did get what he want and continued being a helping hand, but it sadly be done in a 'careful what you wish for' fashion. Even when the Autobots were presumed dead and the resources felt minimum, he was still willing to save the love of his life by entering the most dangerous battlefield. And he may proved to be a messenger, but also proved they're the most valuable kind of heroes. Even though I prefer Mikaela, I got nothing against Carly. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley had us adore her for the majority of her screen time for wanting the best for Sam. She fell for him in the first place as he would for her when they first met grows from how they match each other's charm and it goes from there with them. Considering how she wasn't there when he put his life on the line to save the world twice, it takes a while for her to understand how much his relationship with the Autobots means to him. It did bother her originally because since she lost military brother in action, the last thing she wants is to lose her boyfriend too. Even though she didn't show certainty that Sam would rescue her, she was sure she would get out of trouble. If she wasn't confident about that, she would've not convinced Megatron to rebel against Megatron. Since this is the last movie we get to see Sam, I hope he gets to figure out how to live peacefully amongst the chaos that would continue afterwards. I still dig Josh Duhamel for keeping Lennox a good leader to the soldiers around him, but I have definitely given a lot more appreciation towards Tyrese as Epps lately. He may have tried to act a little bit realistic about the situation, but it didn't change his heart on wanting to help. I also didn't mind seeing John Turturro return as Simmons since he always acts with patriotism, but the bonus was having Alan Tudyk in the mix. I have had a soft spot for his character Dutch because he was very helpful during the climax with his knowledge. Whatever his origin led to him meeting Simmons, I like to believe they were meant to meet. I would've not expected Frances McDormand to appear in a blockbuster like this, but I think she fit right in as Mearing. Here, she does a interesting take in making her a highly competent and overbearing figure of authority who didn't seem to appreciate the resources until they're gone. She was another person who chose to act with caution because she never takes the time to understand the array of things that are going in motion. I don't know how she and Simmons became a pair, but it would've been funny to see them continue to be one during The Last Knight. We definitely had a fair share of villains and I did not think they would pack a punch like this. Since Patrick Dempsey was so lovable in Greys Anatomy, it threw me off how good it was to see him go bad as Dylan. He is an ideal shady villain because every time he chooses to do something as long as he gets something for himself in return. So for him, he chose to aid with the Decepticons as long as he survives by the end of the war. He probably wasn't sure if he was going to, but he had to have been relieved to do so as long as he did. It was ironic for him to die in Sam's hands because he got the message that he was a traitor. It was definitely crazy to see Megatron in a vulnerable state because the character has been known for being a tyrannical leader. Hugo Weaving showed him as a guy who lost his mojo due to making a deal with one stronger than him. The guy dreamt of the glory and was losing it for not being the leader he used to be. The only way he would try to get it back is by getting rid of Sentinel. Little would we expect that decision to inadvertently save Optimus. While this wouldn't be the last time we'd see this character, there is no argument when saying he died in glorious fashion. Megatron may be the franchise's most iconic, but Sentinel will always topple him as one of the most intimidating. Getting him to be voiced by Leonard Nimoy was a blessing for sci fi fans. Although the actor is known for playing Spock in Star Trek, which is referenced throughout, this was his return to the Transformers franchise after originally voicing Galvatron in the '86 animated film. The big difference Sentinel has from other villains this series has shown us is he is one with a relatable motive. Megatron may have wanted to live on as a dictator, Sentinel was only concerned with having his race survive. His selfishness is not having a compromise on how to make that a reality. He broke my heart when he killed Ironhide and from there, I knew had Optimus regretted trusting him. He wasn't wrong saying he betrayed himself because he chose to be against what he was standing for, and he deserved to be told that before meeting a demise. Knowing this makes him one-of-a-kind as a villain. I don’t exaggerate when I call this film hella fun, but hella fun never excuses I caught onto upon re-watching. Going back to the top, while I thought Brains was funnier than Wheelie, the guy needed boundaries for snooping in Carly's underwear drawer. That is asking to get kicked out. I know camera off camera reasons led to Megan Fox not returning as Mikaela and being replaced by Carly, but why does Sam have her dog? That dog looks like the same breed she had in the last film. Someone please clarify if this is a different dog. No answer to that leads to me complaining than not giving a proper reason for the characters to break up. I'm then wondering if Sam got a background check he was briefly wanted by the FBI, why didn't it explain the reason? We know he's innocent and it was related to the Fallen revealing the existence to transformers, but the interviewer doesn't come off like he knows that. If he's trying to make it a trick question to test if Sam were to lie about it, I would prefer that to be clear as well. Energon detectors sound like a good weapon but how come nowhere in the States detected Laserbeak? If he has a shield to block his energy being detected, that should be acknowledged too. Also, why does Laserbeak give up when chasing Sam at work? He's the one who helped the Autobots win twice, so he should've dealt with immediately. Going back to the Energon detectors, did they get destroyed when Sentnel began the invasion in Chicago? i have to ask because it's pretty crazy no one found out sooner the Autobots survived the ambush. And exactly why were Sentinel and Optimus separated around the time Sam finds out the Decepticons need the former to complete the original mission? I mean even if the planet knows Transformers exist, I don't understand how Sentinel was able to separate himself from his protege just to build up this tension. And let's be honest, Sentinel was not wise to spare Optimus at first. He may have respect for him but if he really wanted the plan to be a success, he should've saved himself trouble by killing him. The same goes when Soundwave stupidly waits for Dylan to tell him to execute the Autobots he captured. Had he done it sooner without being told, he'd be living a little longer. It is a bold plan anyway to merge Cybertron with Earth, but isn't it easier to just build your slave labor by shipping the humans to Cybertron? It's less of a hassle if you ask me. And it was crazy for the Decepticons to shoot at the collapsing building to kill the humans, but not shooting at the exact floor Sam's group was at. I don't want to root for the villains, but they could make smarter decisions than this. It was even that the Decepticons around the world launched the rest of the world simultaneously, but how come they didn't wreak havoc around the cities they were at? Obviously they didn't have to if they were winning, but it feels out of character for them to not do so. To wrap up, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is indeed a better sequel for being aware of its concept and better embraces it with solid acting and the best action sequences of the franchise to day. If you’re still a Transformers fan that was disappointed with Revenge of the Fallen, consider this follow up an apology.
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