Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

By now you probably already know what you think of director Michael Bay; his reputation for making big, dumb action spectacles that eschew things like storytelling and characterization in favor of a constant series of bombastic, gorgeously photographed (if often incoherently edited) action scenes is well earned. Bay’s films are nothing if not distinctive, and his fetishization of machines, veneration of military might and childish sensibilities when it comes to things like sexuality and humor have found their perfect vehicle in the Transformers series, allowing him to indulge in all of his best and worst instincts as a director. But Transformers: Dark of the Moon arrives as something approaching an official apology, with even the director admitting that the second film (Transformers: The Legend of Curly’s Gold) was an often incoherent mess that was rushed into production without a finished script, or even a story. To that effect, T:DOTM is a vast improvement featuring an understandable (if pointlessly convoluted) plotline and some absolutely phenomenal action, though it does suffer from some familiar weaknesses that crop up in Bay’s films.

The film opens with an astoundingly silly prologue involving the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, which apparently led to the discovery of a lost artifact from the war on the Transformers’ home planet. We’re then reintroduced to Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), our hapless protagonist, currently living in D.C. and looking for a job. Though he has the support of his new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whitely), he’s dissatisfied with the turn his life has taken; after all, how does someone who’s helped to save the world twice adjust to working as a glorified office intern? Meanwhile the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are again working with the government to root out any Decepticon presence on Earth. As the Autobots learn of Apollo 11’s discovery of an alien technology crucial to the survival of their species, Sam’s efforts to keep himself involved (despite the protestations of the Secretary of Defense, played by Francis McDormand) lead him and the Autobots to a conspiracy involving both humans and Decepticons, one that has diabolical intentions for the fate of Planet Earth.

That synopsis actually simplifies things greatly. I didn’t even mention John Malkovich as Sam’s odd new employer, or Ken Jeong as (I think) a human involved with the Decepticons, or even Patrick Dempsey as Carly’s smarmy boss. The plotting for the first 80 minutes of the film is hopelessly convoluted and Bay throws so much of it at you without stopping to catch a breath that my head was spinning trying to keep up with what was going on. This section of the film isn’t helped by the director’s unfortunate tendency to pile on the pointless comic relief characters. Ken Jeong in particular stops the film dead to deliver some shtick, in the process delivering unnecessary exposition that surely could have been handled in a better, less grating manner. Thinking back on it, the film’s plot does mostly make sense (though there are huge leaps in logic endemic to this kind of blockbuster film), but the way that the screenplay is constructed confuses more often than not. Luckily once the film settles into it’s last, long action stretch, the plot untangles itself, giving us clear indications of what everybody’s objective is and what the stakes are for all involved in the final hour.

And what a final hour it is. Here is where Michael Bay steps up to do what he does best: Blow shit up real good. Much has been made about Bay being persuaded to film this installment in 3D, and for the first time since Avatar it feels like it is truly necessary for the experience of the film. While his shots are always well composed, one thing that the 3D forces Bay to do is to dial-down on the quick cut, frantic quality of his other films. The final battle of the last Transformers film is the most infamous example of this, with the action basically rendered incomprehensible by Bay’s seeming inability to hold a shot for any amount of time. Not so here, as the action is fluid and easy to follow, with the longer takes adding greatly to the action inasmuch as the audience can finally see the breathtaking spectacle happening before their eyes. The final battle, which takes place in Chicago refitted as a Decepticon war zone, is nearly an hour long and is filled to the brim with great action moments: soldiers in wing-suits diving out of a crashing helicopters, a gigantic, Dune-like mechanical worm creature burrowing from out of the ground, a sequence in which our protagonists try to escape from within a building as it collapses and many, many others. What keeps all this action from feeling as excessive and pointless as it did in the last one is that there’s a measure of care in the construction of the entire sequence. The action seems to flow logically from one point to the next, always keeping the audience aware of what’s going on and where the characters are in relation to one another. And though the stakes might be ludicrous, they’re handled in such a way to make us care about the action on screen in a way that Bay has rarely mustered before. In short, I think the final hour of T:DOTM is the director’s finest work and one of the best action sequences in years (easily the best of the Summer so far).

As for the actors? They’re functional, but none really stand out. Shia LaBeouf is a likeable leading man as usual and his humorous moments actually provoke laughter from time to time. Rosie Huntington Whitely is not as blank as I had feared; she actually brings more screen presence to the “stock female character” than Megan Fox did in the last two. I wouldn’t call her a “good” actress, but I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing her in a better written role. Out of the comedic relief roles (thankfully Shia’s parents are mostly absent from the proceedings this time) only John Turturro really stands out, once again attacking the role of paranoid agent Simmons with gusto. Francis McDormand? Well, she manages to keep a straight face the whole time, which she should be applauded for. The voice actors all bring the gravitas truly needed to inhabit computer-generated robots that transform into cars. The special effects are, of course, impeccable and the score is fine, if not particularly memorable (though there is at least one cue that seems ripped straight from Hans Zimmer’s Inception score).

 You probably already know if you’re going to like Transformers: Dark of the Moon. It is a Michael Bay film through and through, with the best aspects of his work (gorgeous cinematography, a true skill in constructing an action sequence) rubbing up against his worst instincts (his perfunctory approach to plot, a pretty bad sense of humor). As a fan, I can say that I had a really fun time with the film. I can say that if you’re a fan of the director’s work then you will be treated to an action spectacle to a degree unmatched this, or any other summer (and please, see it in 3D). To paraphrase Frank Miller’s Wolverine, “He’s the best at what he does.” Whether or not you think what he does is very nice will entirely determine your outlook on Transformers: Dark of the Moon.