Transformers: Age of Extinction

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

Alright, alright, this is not the best movie ever made, but it's way better than some people give it credit for. But genre-wise it's a weird movie. There's action, drama, sci-fi, an occasional bit of comedy and a truckload of product placement, notice all the supercars. Of course it's supercars and not regular everyday cars, which in my opinion would make much more sense. Also keep an eye out for the 2001 Cadillac Cien concept car, it makes a very brief appearance. It still looks brand new, though it were 13 years old at the time.

I don't know if you'll like this movie or not, I guess it depends on what you compare it with.

But if you have two and 2 hours and 45 minutes then you could watch this movie. Just be prepared for a lot of GCI.

Transformers: Age of Extinction attempts to breathe new life into the franchise with a new cast led by Mark Wahlberg and an ambitious storyline that revolves around humanity's evolving relationship with Transformers. While the film boasts impressive visuals and action sequences that are signature to Michael Bay's direction, it falls short in terms of narrative cohesion and character development.

The film picks up five years after the events of Dark of the Moon, featuring a world that is fearful and distrustful of Transformers. Wahlberg plays Cade Yeager, a struggling inventor who discovers Optimus Prime, setting off a chain of events that leads to an epic battle against a new threat. While the dynamic between Cade and Optimus has the potential for intrigue, it often gets overshadowed by the excessive action and explosions that dominate the runtime.

One of the film's strengths is its breathtaking special effects and set pieces, which showcase the transformations and battles in a way that is visually enticing. However, at nearly three hours, the film's pacing suffers from long stretches of exposition and unneeded subplots that detract from the main storyline.

Character development is another significant drawback, with many of the supporting characters feeling underwritten and lacking depth. The film introduces new characters who fail to leave a lasting impression, making it hard for audiences to connect with their arcs.

Ultimately, Transformers: Age of Extinction delivers on visual spectacle but struggles to provide a compelling narrative. Fans of the franchise will likely enjoy the action-packed sequences, but those seeking a well-rounded story may find it lacking.

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.

Age of Extinction holds a dismal 18% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.6 on IMDB and whilst there are better blockbusters out there these scores are a bit harsh. Most criticisms focus on the subplot between Shane and Tessa (i.e. the Romeo and Juliet law scene), the catering to the Chinese market, and the product placement. These weren't unwarranted but there were some improvements, like reducing the number of Autobots down to five and giving them some characteristics. I would be lying if a scene where Optimus Prime fights a robot dinosaur appeals to my inner 10-year-old. I personally think the bulk of the plot where Transformers are getting hunted and an company experiments on them would have fitted better as the first sequel.