Finally got the chance to watch it yesterday on a double date with the missus and a couple friend of ours. I've only read a smattering of the comments here, so please excuse me if much of what I saw may be repeated stuff. So... after a day of thinking the movie through and jotting down some thoughts, here's my present view:
Overall, I liked it! I'm not sure if this is a minority opinion - the latter half of the comments here sure seem rather more negative, so perhaps most of the voters who put positive answers haven't posted comments. Like many, I think it is above ROTF (although that's like saying it's better than something you've fished out of your sewage tank) and I also reckon it's above DOTM.
When comparing to the first movie it seems like it's always gonna be behind the 8 ball as the historic impact of the first instalment (establishing TFs in the psyche of countless non-fans in the world) will not be repeated in this generation. I think the technical aspects are at least as good and the effects are better (but we ARE 7 years on). Acting is debatable... but I do favour Mark over Shia as the leading man, and I appreciated the work from the bigger names (Tucci and Grammer).
That's the preamble. To avoid lengthy prose, much of the rest will be in point form.
I liked many of the themes touched upon:
- Autobot faith/trust/respect in humanity
- The central Human and Cybertronian relationship
- Technology getting out of control / biting off more than you can chew
- Xenophobia
- Blind courage
Some highlights:
- Prime - I've read quite a few negative comments about Prime in this movie, but this was one of the things I liked most. Prime has more characterisation in AoE than any of the others (and arguably more than the first 3 put together), and this has worked to endear me to this movie Prime where I never felt like that for the others. He is a different persona here, and one I felt I can relate to more. The only scene in the whole movie that raised goosebumps for me was when he faced off Grimlock... I found it simply awe-inspiring. The line 'makes you wanna die for him' tries to sum it up rather clumsily, but it gets the essence.
- Humour - Much of it was very poorly timed I think, but a few lines were memorable and stuck up above the previous offerings. "What's Chinese for get the f*** outta the way?" comes to mind. And "I was expecting a giant CAR!!" strikes me as rather MtMtE James Roberts :)
- Characters - Many were stereotyped and some were very weak, but I felt they were much less the caricatures that almost exclusively populated the first 3 movies. So, not really highlight, more an improvement.
- Slug - Stuck out to me among the Dinobots, mainly coz I found him cute!! :) The scenes where he scrambles to run in the opposite direction when the giant magnet is pulling him upwards makes me think they motion captured a puppy!
Some lowlights:
- Humour - Again, much was poorly timed/placed. Li Bingbing's "Shiiit!" comes to mind... got a chuckle from me for its badness. Tucci's hiding in a glass box comment was also poor... theatre was dead silent for that.
- Li Bingbing - I am Chinese and all for Chinese getting cast in big dollar productions, but she was (to quote) "Shiiit!". Won't elaborate.
- Plot holes galore... some of the ones that stick to my mind:
-- Prime's scan & renew/heal. I think us fans can rationalise that (he found an energy source to recharge off screen) but my companions were like WTF?
-- Autobots forgetting the reason they stormed KSI just because Tucci interrupts them
-- Lack of surveillance on Lockdown's ship
-- Prime being stuck on a blade for minutes, which then gets pulled out immediately by... a pickup truck!
-- Molecular transformation... makes you invincible (e.g. Galvatron's first battle) or... not.
-- Letting building sized robot dinosaurs run loose!!! What!?!?
-- Prime can fly!! This one was just plain stupid IMO.
So there it is, my preliminary thoughts. In all I think it deserves to be closer to RottenTomatoes audience rating about circa 55% rather than the critic rating in the teens. I will watch it again some day.
