FILM: TRANSFORMERS 3: DARK OF THE MOON
Review By Duncan McLeod
Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen, Tyrese Gibson
Synopsis: Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.
Review: “it’s total anarchy here..” – Bruce Brazos (Malcovich)
This film asks the question “what if?” What follows is an impressive 3D action adventure epic. The AVATAR technology is evident. The opening space sequences and that of the other planet are breathtaking. This level of cinematic greatness continues throughout the film and Director of Photography Amir M. Mokri presents a rich vision of a world in which robots and humans co-exist. Mokri’s work on films such as the visually stunning LORD of WAR and entertaining NATIONAL TREASURE are a testament to his ability with creating engaging visuals.
DARK OF THE MOON is funnier than you might expect; sometimes quite by accident, when humorous becomes cheesy. The casting of John Malcovich and Frances McDormand brings a level of odd-ball excitement to the mix that is cleverly executed. Although not sharing the screen, their inclusion re-affirms why they were so good together alongside Brad Pitt in BURN AFTER READING.
The originals are all back together here save for Megan Fox after her famous firing. Fox’s absence is unfortunately glossed over, but the new love interest and token hottie is equally as woeful and one-dimensional, so there’s no love lost there. The relationship that LaBeouf’s Sam has with her is void of emotion and heaped in schtick such that the audience doesn’t feel anything for them, and doesn’t care if they end up together and save the world or not.
Patrick Dempsey has traded on his good looks for some time. Here he does that a little. What audiences have yet to see, is his mean streak. In DARK SIDE he is afforded the opportunity to exercise a little brut force. It is apparent that Dempsey is both relishing the opportunity and thoroughly enjoying doing so. This is a new side to him that this reviewer would like to see more of, so hopefully this role opens the door for more of the same.
Sam’s parents are also back in the fold, this time with matching tracksuits. There is less of them here than in the first two films and that’s great. Sam’s mother is more likeable than before, but that’s possibly due to the fact that she has the least amount of screen time. High five to scribe Ehren Kruger!
Talking of cameos, Ken Jeong of ‘Mr. Chow’ fame appears here. His character in this is less gross than Mr. Chow but equally as ridiculous and unlikeable. This reviewer is of the opinion that his casting was purely to appeal to a new fan base, and was otherwise superfluous.
Primate enjoyed this film the most out of the trilogy. Bay did make the mistake for the third time though, of taking 150 minutes to tell a story that could have been told in under two hours. Despite that, there were few moments that this reviewer was not engaged and anticipating the next move. This is an epic battle that is out of this world …and back again. The Autobots have spoken.
Well on this review I will go and see it. I had already made up my mind not to as the first one was “ok” and the second one confusing and boring, but Primate makes this one sound like a must see! Hope I wont be wasting my money. LOL.
Thanks.
Kelly
No problem Kelly. Glad I had some influence. I did really enjoy this one. These types of movies really aren’t my scene in general so it was good to see some actors I do enjoy play entertaining parts and some nice action that wasn’t too yawn-worthy
Yeah, it’s worth a look see. I was quite burnt after seeing the second one at the cinema. from all reports its a better film and personally, i don’t think it’ll lack anything with megan fox no longer in the picture. frankly, i don’t see what the big deal is.
Short summary, i liked it! thuroughly enjoyed it! number 1 was a great fanboy flick for all 80′s children and power geeks. number 2 was michael bay raping our childhood by taking ownership of it, hence the bad reaction from fanboys. 3 is a good mixture of… fanboy 80′s cartoon and the new saga but i agree i think this could have been 15-20minutes shorter. of course there are small things which i personally would have done different but all round its a movie for people who want to see giant robots fight and michael bay does not disapoint!
* BTW, I am a self confessed Transformers fanboy, so No offense’s intended.
No worries Hullken! Cheers for the comment.