Review of Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) by Brett C — 15 Mar 2015

Review In A Nutshell:

Transformers: Age of Extinction is about the Autobots being hunted by humans and other beings of their kind. Optimus Prime was found at a local Texas movie theatre by Cade Yeager, and repairs him to a stable condition. The Autobots then have to yet again protect the humans, specifically Cade and his daughter, from multiple threats that include a weapon of mass destruction called the "seed" and also from ignorant human mistakes.

Like with any film, I come into this film hoping to enjoy it, even if I precisely know that it would be the opposite. The film features problems in its plot and characters, which are one of the core bases of my enjoyment in any films aside from a few exceptions, and provides us imagery and music that only in few instances, adds anything positive to my experience with this film.

The film's plot, I wouldn't say is entirely ridiculous, it seems to follow suit with the other blockbuster films that have been released in recent years, the ignorance of humanity. This idea was already used in films like Godzilla and The Avengers, where humans feature a lacking in faith and is obsessed to get ahead of any species in the universe in order to "protect" them. I actually don't mind this being recycled as I still feel that there are some wiggle room in film for that idea to be further fleshed or to be delivered in a unique way, sadly Michael Bay and the film's writer Ehren Kruger failed to bring us that, instead giving us a story that lacks in any sense of power in what it's saying and filling out its lengthy running time with action sequences. I personally believe that the Transformers series wouldn't be too awful if it instead tells a story that is simple and easy for everyone to follow, especially the ones that aren't huge fans of the television series or the original toys.

The film also injects the film with a layer of human drama between Cade and his daughter, Tessa, that never once reach to a position of being interesting or worthy of attention. I actually had more fun watching the shallow problems that was driving Sam Witwicky human storyline. The father and daughter relationship in this film takes the ideas that have exhaustively fleshed out in other films that even tell simpler a story than this, and executes it better. The relationship between Cade and the Autobots was highly disappointing, not establishing a sense of connection that was at least achieved in the first film, can't remember much of the other two films that preceded this.

The film's dialogue was surprisingly not too cheesy, but it was fuelled by unfunny humour that dragged the already limping film. This was found in all of the film's dialogue, like Bay and Kruger were too afraid to take the film in a highly serious direction. There were probably one or two instances during the third act where the character Joshua Joyce provided a funny line or two.

The film's action sequences were definitely an improvement from the previous films, with an increase in ambition and easiness for the audience to remain orientated through it. Though an improvement, it still is not the best I have seen from a modern blockbuster as its purpose leans towards the spectacle rather than its connection with the film's plot. The villains sadly doesn't create that sense of tension that is needed that would make battles feel intense and thrilling. These robots still feel hard and shallow regardless of the film's attempt in humanising them, so when they get hurt, I end up just shrugging it off instead of feeling a sense of empathy toward them. The thing that frustrated me the most though, is its use of violence. The film is rated PG-13, which poses a problem when delivering convincing and effective violence. Bay tries to show us as much as he could without breaching that rating, which means explosions and bullets appearing around humans rather than at them and ammunition constantly being fired but 98% of it actually missing its intended target; this idea might have been acceptable during the years around the first Transformers film, but cinema has moved forward and so did its audience, therefore you have to give us something unique and different in order for us to still feel excited about coming into the film; and honestly the film's introduction to dinobots weren't enough to impress me and make me feel excited about the next film, which is definitely going to happen given the fact that the film has earned roughly around $300 million worldwide, at the time of writing.

The film features abysmal photography that is certainly a step up from the previous film. Bay and his cinematographer try, in a couple of scenes, to inject the film with a sense of substance with stellar, but lifeless, shots in the Texas fields. Once the film leaves this location, it then goes back to the erratic hand held style that dominated the first three films in the franchise. At least this time, Bay allows shots to be further away from the action and give us a clearer picture of what is happening, but still not enough to give us the view that lets us fully appreciate the beauty and intensity in these sequences. The photography also employs low angles, almost in every shot that isn't an establishing wide shot. I was unfortunate in gaining a seat in the middle areas of the theatre, so I had to sit on the right side of the third row, which was a pain in the neck and was further exaggerated with these angles. Its use wouldn't be too irritating if Bay uses them with more balance and interestingly, like emphasising a theme or a character attribute. I think if the action sequences and the photography were better handled, then the film would have actually been a delightful experience and would have been forgiven for not delivering a satisfying story.

The film's score was forgettable. There was not one moment where I even acknowledged its existence as the sound effects and the amplified dialogue drowned out the score. I had to listen to it at home in isolation to gain an idea what exactly was it that I missed, and let me tell you itâ??s not worth even listening to on its own, as nothing about it feels fresh or even remotely interesting. Its purpose is just to fill out the empty moments in the film in order to keep our minds "locked" on to the film's narrative. The film also features songs from Imagine Dragons which felt similar in execution as the ones being used in the previous Transformers film; Paramore's Monster, Linkin Park's New Divide & What I've Done. They didn't add anything positive to the film, and helps the film's final moments feel overly clichà(C) and contrived.

The film's acting is carried by Mark Wahlberg and Nicola Peltz as Cade and Tessa Yeager. They play their roles with very little heart, with every scene being manipulated to satisfy the superficial desires of the director. Their good looks alone carries at least half of the film's "acting", as Bay primarily requires them to look at something and the camera capturing their attractive expressionless faces with the help of "picture-perfect" lighting and angle choices. This is disappointing as the film does have some sort of theme to deliver in its shallow story, and the acting could have at least supported that. The film also features a lazy performance from Kelsey Grammer, who doesnâ??t show much other than an unhappy face and drop in his natural vocal tone. Stanley Tucci does at least give it his all, which was expected as he rarely gives an uncommitted performance. Tucci was able to deliver some humorous lines during a couple of moments but not enough to affect my opinion of the film. Both Grammer and Tucci failed to make me feel threatened during their presence which I think is an essential aspect if one is playing the film's antagonist. I don't expect this film to feature top quality acting, but I do expect something at least serviceable.

Transformers: Age of Extinction is another disappointing entry to the already bloated franchise. I did hope to improve my opinion of the series with its new cast and storyline but sadly it just shows us that Bay has no intentions to deliver anything unique and instead waits until the franchise has lost its ability to bring in viewers and money, before putting the film series to a halt.