Transformers: Age of Extinction

I've been playing with Transformer toys since the beginning, loved the cartoon series and animated movie, but have mostly loathed what Michael Bay has done to my beloved franchise. His first movie was decent, the second appalling, the third passable, and when I left the movie theater after watching this fourth installment, my general feeling was, "Whatever." Being a little hard of hearing, I couldn't hear much of the dialog and was seriously confused about what was going on (not that Mr. Bay seems to worry much about telling a coherent story). I had been meaning to get back around to seeing it again at home where I could watch it with subtitles, and I was finally able to do just that. This time, I paid very close attention to try to understand the story and was rather surprised to discover that there was a very nice story that played out in a relatively orderly and logical manner, but with enough unanswered questions to leave you wondering where they might take the story in subsequent installments. Being all too familiar with Michael Bay's brand of humor and obsession with never-ending battle sequences, I had adjusted my expectation and found myself, overall, quite enjoying the film. I liked (or at least, didn't hate) many of the characters, including the main actors. There were also some very cool transformations and special effects. My main gripe with the movie (and I still have many of them) is that Michael Bay just doesn't know when to quit - this movie is entirely too long. He's made the same mistake before. The action sequences are so frequent and so long that I end up getting simultaneously bored and traumatized (never imagined that would be possible). If he could just scale back on the incessant action and ridiculous humor, I might start to actually form a moderately positive opinion of him - but I continue to hope that they'll hand the directing reins to someone (pretty much anyone) else.

Review: Epic! Epic! Epic! This was one extremely epic movie with brilliant graphics and a decent storyline. I much preferred Wahlberg in the lead than LaBeouf but his child looked more like his girlfriend than his daughter. Anyway, you can definitely see were the whole budget went because the movie is full of impressive action which had excellent attention to detail. It does take some time to get going because the director wanted to give the new characters some depth, so I can't blame him for that. The problem that I had with some or the earlier movies in this franchise was that the fighting scenes were quite confusing because there was so just going on, but in this movie the director cleared up the action scenes which made it easier to watch. I was a bit sceptical when I saw the length of the film but it really doesn't seem that long when your watching it. Anyway, it's definitely one to watch and I'm kicking myself for not watching it on the big screen. Enjoyable!

Round-Up: After reading some of the reviews for this movie, I really wasn't expecting that much but I can't see why people are complaining about the wit and the length. Personally I liked the added wit throughout the movie but it could have done without his daughter and the pointless boyfriend who was only good behind the wheel. On the downside, it does get a bit manic when they go to Hong Kong and the storyline does start to get a bit crazy, but the action scenes save the day. I wasn't a big fan of the previous movies, except for the first one, but this has to be the second best in the franchise. With such a massive profit made, I'm sure we're going to see more from the Transformers, even though some people really didn't like this one.

Budget: $210million Worldwide Gross: $1Billion (WOW!)

I recommend this movie to people who are into the Transformers franchise and want to see a movie full of action with the usual robots and "save the world" concept. 7/10

First off, I want to say that by now people should know that a Michael Bay movie is not going to be a mind-blowing story. You're here for amazing action sequences. If you've seen or at the very least even heard about the past movies you should know this by now, so stop comparing him to James Cameron and quit complaining about the story because you already know whats in store.

That being said, this movie is on par with the first one back in 2007, and way better than Revenge of the Fallen and may even surpass Dark of The Moon. The CGI is incredible. It has come a long way even from the 3rd movie. The action is great, just what you would expect from a MB film. What everybody is complaining about is that the story lacks. Yes it does. But people need to stop being pessimists and start seeing the glass half full. The story is a lot more intricate than any of the other movies.I can't go into detail, but the plot really flows and fits together, albeit after a little thought is put into it. Forget the fact that it's Michael Bay or what's his name Ehren Kruger. The story is good. They really went all out. The funny moments don't feel as forced as they previously did, and let me just stress how much better the father-daughter idea fits than the boyfriend-girlfriend. Everyone plays an important role and has something to contribute to the plot. There were plenty moments where I thought, wow that makes sense. Especially with the dinobots. I love how they are delving more into the world of the Transformers, finally addressing ideas that a person would have. I must say as well Age of Extinction was definitely more emotional than the past three films, but in a good way. And, this time they really set it up for future installments quite beautifully.My absolute favorite part is how this time, every robot gets the proper amount of screen time,with the exception of a few, and they all actually have meaningful dialogue. The transformers are finally getting some character development.The few bots that don't have much screen time I'm completely OK with.As I said before, they did a great job setting up for the next film and those few characters who needed a bit more of the spotlight will definitely be back. The one thing I do see wrong with this film is that despite being nearly three hours, the plot is so much more involved that everything happens really fast and it does get a bit hard to follow. If you're a true fan however, putting in some thought won't kill you.

I said it before, and I'll say it again. You're not here for the plot, you're here for some amazing eye candy and a plot that is barely there. Boy does it deliver, not just in what you see, but the plot is an improvement. You would be making a mistake by not seeing this movie. You don't have to agree with me, but despite its flaws, Transformers Age of Extinction just may be the best in the series.

The fourth entry into the franchise is a misstep that squanders the will of the preceding entries.

Good, enjoyable action flick!

Mark Wahlberg looking tough, saving his daughter and the world.

Totally not necessary to be almost three hours long though!?

A sequel movie that is not afraid to make fun of itself though. One of the best lines, "Man, I hate sequels they always suck and never do as good as the first." Bonus points for self deprecation!

Worth a rental - but forewarning it's a three hour tour.