Sunday, July 03, 2011

Film Review: Transformers 3

.:But First, A Gig Update!:.

On Monday, I'll be performing in Manila Pen, where I'll be hosting and doing my magic and mentalism, and it will be in conjunction with the comedy of the inimitable Mike Unson.

On Tuesday, as always, it's open mic night in Tomato Kick, from 9:30 onwards, where I will perform alongside some great comics from the Comedy Cartel, particularly birthday boy GB Labrador himself.

Ahh, it's such a good time to be a magician in the Philippines right now. Or a mentalist, for that matter.

.:Film Review: Transformers 3:.


This picture. So relevant to the movie!

Transformers 3: The Dark Of The Moon
Things went boom. Were you expecting high art?

Epitomizing popcorn blockbuster flicks everywhere, Transformers 3 was, without a doubt, a tour-de-force of all things awesome and bad about Michael Bay, all at the same time.

Big explosions? Check. Big action scenes? Check. Big-chested women? Check, check, check. Bad story? Check. Insipid dialogue? Check. Bad acting? Check, check, check.

But you know what? I enjoyed the Hades out of the movie, regardless.
This review will be relatively spoiler-free, so don’t worry about it.

Last Wednesday, I actually had the opportunity to watch this film because Nuffnang screened it for the members. As usual, I hosted the proceedings, and it was pretty enjoyable to do that, considering the Ozawa references I got away with, among other things. Still, it’s always extra delectable to watch a movie that the Nuffnang team actually worked on themselves.

The third Transformers film pulls out all the stops by explaining how the war on Cybertron was meant to be ended had a previous prime, Sentinel, not gotten shipwrecked on the moon en route to helping the Autobots turn the tide. When all of this is uncovered as of the NASA moon landings, its impact carries over to the present day, as the Autobots and the Decepticons are on a race to access whatever technology Sentinel Prime had that would turn the tide of battle for either side, once and for all.

For the most part, this film really felt like a fitting way to close off a trilogy. The conventional rules of thumb to trilogy enders apply here, particularly the fact that there are no more rules when the series is intended to end after the third film. While the new girl who replaced Megan Fox was less distracting, she was also just as skilled as Megan Fox at this whole acting business, which is to say, not at all. It becomes no surprise why people who like this movie tend to just gloss over her or most of the actors in the film, for that matter, except perhaps John Torturro, who really steals the scenes with his lines and inane character.

Would I recommend you to watch the film? Definitely. This is a movie that does so well on eye candy, light, comedic moments, and action. It won’t be making you contemplate the deeper meaning of life, but nobody can deny that Transformers 3 is definitely a strong film when it focuses on the things it does well, and it does these things very, very well.

Quite honestly, I don’t get why there’s so much hatred going Michael Bay’s way. His movies are generally entertaining, and while they may seem to appeal mostly to pre-pubescent fanboys when it comes to the smattering of sex and violence overall, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the sex and violence isn’t enjoyable at all. Nobody will ever expect a heart-wrenching film from the man, so it’s good that he sticks to his strengths and produces the best work within his skillset rather than overextending himself into areas where he wouldn’t be nearly as competent.

This flick is definitely worth a watch if you want some awesome visuals and high-octane action. It’s a bit on the long side, though, so ironically, you might find the film a bit dragging at certain points, which is quite a shame.


As you can tell, the Nuffies love photo booths.

Fun Evaluation: A+
Critical Evaluation: C-

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