My Movie Review on Transformers (2007)

Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?

This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Transformers". The 2007 film directed by Michael Bay, to be precise.

Here's the rundown of it:

In the year 2007, a raging civil war between the heroic Autobots (lead by Optimus Prime) and the devious Decepticons (led by Megatron) finds its way to Earth. Each team is particularly looking for a relic called the Allspark. The Autobots wish to use it in order to restore their home planet, Cybertron, as well as to end the war; the Decepticons want to use it in order to conquer the universe, expand their army, and destroy their enemies for good.

With the war threatening to destroy the planet and cause the extinction of humanity, the Autobots decide to team up with a team of humans in order to put an end to the conflict once and for all. The human team in question consists of two highschool lovers named Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes, U.S. Secretary of Defense John Keller, an army rangers team lead by Captain William Lennox, a former NSA data analyst named Maggie Madsen, and a hacker named Glen Whitmann.

Will the Autobots and their human friends find the Allspark before the Decepticons do? Or will Earth's fate be to become that of a mere dustball just like Cybertron did?

In all honesty, this movie was something I had in mind to review for quite a while, particularly out of an interest in seeing more Transformers-based content. That, and I was requested to review both this movie and its four sequels by a friend of mine on FiMFiction.net: TheClownPrinceofCrime, who is a big fan of the Transformers franchise.

The one trouble I had was that in the time I was interested in seeing the movie, it wasn't available to watch on any streaming service for free. Everywhere I went, it was only available to either rent or buy. The best I could do in order to watch the film was rent it on Apple TV, which was connected to iTunes. Conveniently, I was able to sign my account on the Apple TV service on my Roku, so I didn't have to watch "Transformers" on any small screens. Through there, I watched the film two times in a row in preparation for reviewing it.

So, what do I think of this movie after finally seeing it for myself?

Well, admittedly I didn't think this movie was perfect.

The prime nitpick I have is that the camera shots hardly kept still during the action sequences. The camera would get shaky, and the shots often didn't focus on the characters on a frontal point. An example is that there was this one moment where the camera was upside down during the demise of Blackout before rolling right side up, which was honestly dizzying to watch. Overall, the camera shootings needed much more firm planting for the action sequences to be absorbing.

Other than that element, though...I really must say that this movie turned out to be a blast in more ways than I expected!

For instance, the direction by Michael Bay, the story by John Rogers, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman, and the screenplay by Orci and Kurtzman, were surprisingly fun and well-worked.

One of the biggest things I've noted was that despite the movie's overabundance in characters, everything managed to tie together and come full-circle in the long run. The characters drove the story like they were the beating heart of it all, and I can't recall there being any details that weren't without purpose. The movie also had tons of comedic and witty moments that were unexpectedly entertaining; and despite how action-oriented the movie was, there was a great amount of friendship, romance, and family bonds to give the story emotion. Having previously read a few times that Steven Spielberg was involved as an executive producer, I can definitely tell that he was all-into this movie and didn't restrain himself from lending his own creativity.

The special effects were spectacular, if I may add.

Next to the Autobots' and Decepticons' appearances in "Bumblebee", the robot characters looked so real that it was like there were actual robots on the camera. Their overall designs were very appealing, although I will admit that I felt critical of the facial design of Optimus Prime whenever he deactivated his cowl. The transformations of both the Autobots and Decepticons were entertaining too, and whenever the movie was at a scene taking place in space it literally looked as though the camera crew were actually up there.

The music by Steve Jablonsky was marvelous as well.

Coming from a guy who doesn't recall seeing many movies that Jablonsky composed for before, I thought the film provided a great introduction to his work. His music carried a resonance that helped the movie be instantly cinematic and full of emotion, and the melodies greatly reflected the overall tone splendidly. The usage and incorporations of songs like James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)" were entertaining too.

Finally, the acting, casting, characters, and character development were fabulous.

Along with both the Autobots and Decepticons looking like real robots that can transform into vehicles, the performers voicing them portrayed their parts wonderfully. They gave their characters awesome personality, emotion, and sense of power with just their voices alone. In my opinion, the people who gave the best vocal performances were Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, Robert Foxworth as Ratchet, and Hugo Weaving as Megatron (despite the character himself not having much screen time).

Additionally, the human-visible cast members each provided the film with an enjoyable presence. They looked like they were having all-the-fun in the world being part of the movie, and they each portrayed their characters with excellent personality, accurate emotion, wonderful commitment, and a great sense of humor. The ones who instantly stole the show for me were Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann and Bernie Mac as Bobby Bolivia (despite his character only being featured in one scene); and the performers that I believe gave the most powerful of performances were Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, Josh Duhamel as William Lennox, and Jon Voight as John Keller.

The character development in articulation was excellent too. No matter how small a character's role was or how little screen time they had, the film featured characters that weren't without growth. The Autobots, Decepticons, and leading-human characters were the ones that developed the most, of course.

In conclusion, "Transformers (2007)" isn't what I'd classify as a flawless endeavor. But, it nevertheless manages to accomplish being something that's entertaining and enjoyable. Next to the 2018 "Bumblebee" film, it's also a great place for newcomers of the Transformers franchise to start with.

So, I rate "Transformers (2007)" 4½ out of 5 stars.