FatalityPitt's Review/Impression of Transformers AoE
I watched Transformers 4 for the first time last night.
While channel-surfing last night, I managed to chance upon Transformers: AOE on channel 99 (GO!) about 30 minutes into the film. I never thought I’d ever watch it, but given that it’s on and I had free time; I gave it a chance.
I was pleasantly surprised, it wasn’t as bad as I expected, but my expectations weren’t high to begin with.
It still contained hallmarks of a typical Bayformers film; over-the-top destruction porn, sub-intelligent humans who have an ability to fall from great heights and land on broken glass without harm, and the occasional cultural stereotype, etc, etc. But unlike the previous 2 films, it wasn’t a complete torture session. It had some (only SOME!) redeeming features.
Firstly, it was visually beautiful; especially the last act of the film that was shot in China. The scenery was nicely presented (until it got destroyed by big dumb robots!). The Transformers themselves (namely Drift, Crosshairs and Stinger) had beautiful animation models. They had vibrant metallic colours and a smooth fluid-like quality to their movements (not sarcasm!). I think if you’re a GeeWun crowd member like me; to appreciate the visual beauty of the robots, you need to discard any preconceived ideas about how Transformers should look. Basically, just pretend they’re not Transformers. Some of the transformations were nice to look at, like Galvatron’s T1000-ish transformation (I can’t think of a proper description). From a toy designer / fan perspective, it’s a nightmare because it’s physically impossible to replicate that transformation in a plastic toy. But who cares?? It’s not a toy ad, it’s a movie!
Secondly, the other improvements were in the human characters. They were certainly not Oscar material, but they were a step-up from those of the previous 2 films. For me, some of the things that made ROTF and DOTM almost unwatchable were the sheer amounts of unsophisticated humour, embarrassing sexual innuendo, and outrageously dumb characters that make Mr. Bean look like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes!
(Side note: I now understand why Shia LeBouff had his public meltdown. What happens when you take a dedicated method actor and make him play Sam Witwicky in ROTF? The best possible response: This).
Sure, the humans in AoE were also outrageously dumb at times, but I didn’t experience as much cringe-worthiness from them as I did from previous movies. They were just OK. Besides, a little bit of dumbness is excusable in this case, given that it’s supposed to be a fun Sci-Fi Adventure Comedy.
I thought they used Fan Bingbing quite well. It wasn’t an Oscar-worthy performance, but her role was a lot more impressive than the one she had in X-Men DOFP (which I think is the 2nd best movie after Deadpool in Fox’s X-Men Film franchise. FYI – I’ve still not seen Logan yet, but my expectations are high). As far as human characters were concerned, I thought Fan Bingbing did a decent job.
I think to enjoy this film, you got to put away your common sense (and preconceived notions about Transformers). It’s not Oscar material, but it’s a fun ride if you don’t take it too seriously.
I can see Michael Bay’s attempt at making a “respectable-enough” Transformers film, but fundamentally; he’s not the director/producer you’d want for a serious movie with a deep intelligent plot. If you want to experience such a story that involves Transformers, best bet would be to read some of the IDW comics like Sins of the Wreckers, etc… Actually, that wouldn’t be a bad story to adapt into a film..
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Oh yeah, and if you think this is Mark Walberg's worst performance, then I challenge you to watch these 3 clips in a row without laughing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2r_qjEHf7c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuus2oOseXw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhmEo-46vUQ
(FYI - They're not from a comedy!)