Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor
A struggling inventor purchases a truck that he thinks will help solve his family’s financial problems only to find out he has acquired Optimus Prime which provides a whole new set of problems for him and his daughter.
The fourth and latest installment in the Transformers franchise wisely ditches Shia Lebeouf to focus on Cade Yeager (Mark Whalberg) and his daughter Tessa (the ultra hot and leggy if not overly teary eyed Nicola Peltz). Together with Tessa’s boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) who adds some great back and forth tension with Walhberg . Thankfully Peter Cullen is back as the iconic voice of Optimus Prime to keep some consistency. To make sure the cast is well rounded the great John Goodman voices the very round and always ready to throw down ‘Hound’.
It’s a given in any Transformers movie that the main star needs to accidentally acquire an Autobot putting their friends and family in peril and this is no exception. This time rather than The Decipticons the enemy is a black Opps team that is systematically hunting down the remaining Autobots with orders given by Harold Attinger (played with perfect smarm by the ever pompous Kelsey Grammer). Attinger flexes his grotesque abuse of power under the guise of keeping the world safe. Grammer not only utilizes his Black Opps team commanded by the instantly detestable James Savoy (Titus Welliver). When Savoy ransacks the Yeager property and states “My face is my warrant” he quickly ascends to the top of the list of most punchable villains in the film. Grammer also utilizes his Asset the Galactic bounty hunter ‘Lockdown’.
As with every Transformers movie there is the comic sidekick the first half duties are handled by T.J Miller as Lucas (his best part since his brief role in ‘Get Him To The Greek’), Yeagers employee/assistant with Stanly Tucci as billionaire inventor Joshua Joyce picking up the slack in the second half. Joyce has found the alloy that the transformers are made of and has found a way for his company to create improved versions of the Transformers with the ability to be controlled by the military. The need for two is essentially due to the fact that Age of Extinction is long it could just as easily be films 4 and 5 or vol 1 and 2 respectively in the series rather than one almost three hour action epic. The first half is the more enjoyable and restrained portion all about introducing the Yeagers and the reuniting of the Autobots, all in the American Southwest. The second half of the film which is the more traditional action spectacle you would expect from Bay takes place in China and Hong Kong.
As with any Bay film anything worth doing is worth overdoing, he gives you all the staples of a Bay film the low angle camera shots, the framing of the characters in action poses, the soundtrack that makes you think you are watching a music video and some of the best product placement known to Hollywood. Who else could make a gratuitous and blatant bud light commercial in the middle of his film and pull it off.
Are there issues with the film of course there are. There is a semi that is clearly an Autobot who by scanning a light at Optimus Prime is able to repair him. The next scene we meet all of the remaining Autobots yet that one is not to be found. Galvatron is able to break up and recombine thus eliminating damage yet the second half all of the man made transformers have this ability yet never use it and are able to be killed in any typical death inducing manner. Not to mention just as in the first three films we get the constant utilization of referring to Bumble Bee as B. For the most part he is the only one they have to state his name before they address him, it is an annoying crutch.
What would have been nice is if the toned down nature of the first half was utilized in the second, did I think Michael Bay would exercise anything close to resembling restraint not a chance. At least Bay gave us the consolation prize of a better cast and the Dinobots. It’s a new experience seeing one of these films and wanting the lead actors to survive. It almost makes up for the “Action Vomit” spewed all over the screen.
Given the gross unintelligible spectacle the first three films were its nice to see the Transformers franchise attempt a comeback. Clearly what was leading the franchise to extinction wasn’t ‘Lockdown’ but the guy who helped ruin not only the first three films but the last Indiana Jones film Shia Lebeouf.
Overly Long with the first half better than the second, it’s still easily the best of the franchise. If you even remotely liked the first three 4 is an upgrade
Grade – 75
