Intro: Skip to the second paragraph(not including this one) for the actual review. The first is just personal anecdotes.
I am proud to say that I come from the last generation of TRUE cartoons. I turn the TV on to Nick or the Cartoon Network and I see more live action shows than cartoons. I remember waking up on Saturday mornings, by myself at 6am thank you, and getting my bowl of cereal to sit and watch cartoons. Come 11 or 12, the cartoons were finishing and it was time for lunch, then go out side and wreak some havoc. Now on Saturdays, you get all live action shows. I haven’t even bothered trying to see what’s on. You might get the occasional Dora, or Sponge Bob, but those shows aren’t as good to me. And my opinion on the matter does still count because I still love cartoons. Give me a DVD box set of Thundercats, He-Man, Voltron(mmmm Vooooltron), Robotech, GI Joe, M.A.S.K., Animaniacs, or my personal favorite EVERY Looney Tunes ever. I’ll even sit and watch some My Little Pony or Smurfs over the junk on TV now. So needless to say that when Transformers the live-action movie(because there is a cartoon movie that you HAVE to see) was due to come out, I was ecstatic. And I was still just as hyped for Transformers 2. So let’s dive in:
Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way. The negatives. First off the movie is two hours and thirty minutes. Not necessarily a negative, but you better make sure your bladder is empty, your popcorn and drink are at max, and your butt is “PRIMED”(as in Optimus Pri… nevermind) and ready for a marathon. As for the movie itself, it has it’s flaws. There is a lot of Transformers and it’s sometimes hard to keep track of them all. There are some that should probably have more screen time but don’t. And then there are those that should have less screen time but don’t. The latter reminded me way too much of Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars Episode I. I was hoping for a slow, painful death. There is another character that was put in just to fill the absence of Glen(Anthony Anderson), and also got some of my prayers for their demise. Yet another character is obviously back, but given a lot more lines than last time. This person however, gets their limelight for about the first 20 minutes, so it’s OK I guess but still annoying. They basically took all the parts from 1 that made it popular and added more of each. Not really what I like to see in a sequel. Pay homage to the first, but then move on to new stuff. Just as an example, that won’t give too much away, they bring back Mojo, but give him a sidekick to get more laughs… WHY?
OK, now the good stuff. It’s two and half hours of actiony goodness. Any one that complains that this movie has TOO much action and not enough plot need to take their butts to see My Sister’s Keeper or that horrible excuse for a vampire movie Twinkle II… New Moon, yeah that’s it, New Moon. You get all the plot you need, and enough explanation to keep up with the movie. This is the action movie that TRUE action fans have been waiting for: more action, less talk. You know darn well there wasn’t enough Ironman in Ironman, or Hulk in Hulk, or even Transformers in the first Transformers. They had the opening scene with Blackout(helicopter). The fight between Bumble Bee and Barricade(cop car). And the final 30 minutes with the big battle between all Transformers. This new movie is wall to wall fights. And for the fanboys out there, in my opinion, this movie sets up a sequel that’s begging to show Unicron, Galvatron, and Ultra Magnus. But maye I’m just geeking out.
I was sitting next to a good, old friend(from back in those same Saturday morning cartoon days) and he caught me over analyzing a few times. I have that habit. But over all I have to say I liked this movie. My verdict is as follows: If you truly like action movies, then this should be an enjoyable movie. If you are a casual action fan, or a summer blockbuster follower it may be a bit much for you, but should, still, entertain you. Either way, don’t let the summer end without you seeing it.
–
AC
P.P.(as in Post Post, instead of P.S…. get it…. sorry, that was lame)
I will be seeing My Sister’s Keeper eventually. I was just using it for reference. New Moon however I truly have a disdain for. Death to the Twilight series. My lovely wife read the books, so I know all I need to know about them. And if you flame me for calling Twilight what it is…. crap, I’ll post spoilers for those who are just waiting for the movies and haven’t read the books. TRY ME! MUAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
