Transformers: Dark of the Moon Review

Out of all the movies releasing this summer, Transformers: Dark of the Moon was the one I was most uncertain about. Between the terrible critical reception of Revenge of the Fallen, and no obvious plot points to explore in a third installment, I wasn’t sure whether DOTM would right the many wrongs of the first sequel and become the ultimate adaption of the franchise, or crash and burn and leave us audience wishing Bay had refrained from making Transformers a trilogy. The final result is somewhere in between. While not by any means terrible, Moon also doesn’t do much to mix up the now-aging Transformers formula of Decepticons come up with plan to destroy the world, Autobots fight with humans to stop them. So the question boils down to: is this threequel worth your time (a lengthy two hours thirty-seven minutes, to be exact) and hard-earned money? That depends on where you stand as far as the Transformers series goes. If you disliked both of the first two installments, then DOTM probably won’t change your mind about the quality of the franchise. However, if you’re a loyal Transformers fan, or are looking to bid farewell to your favorite sentient machines on a brighter note than that of Revenge of the Fallen, then by all means give Dark of the Moon a watch.

Shia LaBeouf reprises his role as Sam Witwicky for the third installment. Now, Sam’s got a new girlfriend Carly (played by Rosie Huntington Whitley) and finds himself an Ivy League graduate unable to secure a profession. The first forty-five or so minutes of the film are surprisingly mellow, but this isn’t a criticism. In fact it seems intentional, as most of the second half is an enormous action sequence. Soon Sam’s landed a job in the mail room of a technology manufacturing company, which (surprise, surprise) ties him back into the struggle between Autobots and Decepticons through some amusing exchanges with always-funny Ken Jeong. Soon Sam finds out that the Decepticons are planning to use some new technology to bridge Earth and Cybertron and, revealed in a shocking, unexpected twist, kill everyone. Now it’s up to the nine Autobots, with some help from their human friends to stop the Decepticon onslaught and save the world one more time. As I stated before, there isn’t much differentiation in the basic plot when compared to that of previous installments, but there are some new elements, namely a much more powerful human force and a couple of nifty new Transformers-universe plot points that keep things feeling as fresh as a third iteration of a rather worn-down premise can get. 

One disappointing but unsurprising misstep that Moon takes revolves around the tried and true good versus evil aesthetic. Given that there’s nothing wrong with fairly black-and-white sides in a movie about giant fighting robots, Moon insists on slapping a stamp on the motivations of the Decepticons that basically says “WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS EVIL” in giant neon letters. The context of the bad guys’ motivations (which I won’t give away for those who take their Transformers lore seriously) actually have an astounding potential for depth unlike anything presented in the first two films. The problem is that none of these possibilities are even remotely explored throughout the film’s huge runtime, and it’s therefore disappointing that we’re left with a very bare-bones concept drawn from a batch of villain rationale with so many possible side routes to explore, each full of interesting shades of gray. But we don’t get any of this, so the best we can do is grit our teeth at whoever made the decision and move on.

One thing that’s come to be a guarantee in any Michael Bay production is the insane entertainment factor, and DOTM is not the exception. Though there are sections of sheer sensory overload to be found, the rest of the action is sleek, exciting, adrenaline-fueled and extremely fun to watch. I will never tire of Optimus Prime swooping in to crush some evil robots heads to save the day. Moon also boasts some very impressive Bay-style set-pieces that never fail to impress, and each of these breathtaking moments bring the nonstop action to a halt and just scream at the audience to stare in awe, which I did willingly. The usually brilliant special effects are in place here, and though there were a few moments where some human characters looked a tad two-dimensional standing (or flying through the air) next to their robotic counterparts, most of the effects were done very well, a must for a movie like this one.

Those looking for the perfect combination of Transformers lore and big-budget Hollywood thrills might still be left wanting after this third installment, and anyone who failed to enjoy the first two in the series had best stay away. But after the (admittedly somewhat entertaining) mess that was Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon is a breath of fresh air, and an easy recommendation for anyone on the lookout for a solid popcorn flick. If nothing else, Michael Bay knows how to produce pure entertainment, and Moon is the perfect example of this principle. So turn off your thinking caps and don’t go in with sky-high expectations, because there’s something worthwhile to be found here.

Final Score:

6.5/10
"Fine"