Movie Review: Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

As I have mentioned in the past, I am a big fan of the Transformers films. The first installment is one of my favorite films of all time. It was a near-perfect blockbuster that is pretty much unmatched when it comes to pure entertainment value. The second one wasn't nearly as good, but it still was a solid blockbuster. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon is smack dab in the middle of it's predecessors when it comes to quality.

If you were a fan of the other Transformers films, Dark Of The Moon will be right up your alley. It features the same formula as the other films: explosions, crazy action scenes, some humor, and other eye-candy. Unlike the other Transformers films the action is actually pretty limited until the finale. The storyline at the beginning isn't bad, but it's kind of dragged out for too long. The script is nearly strong enough to have the story go on for that long without any action. What makes the beginning sequences engaging is the humor (which is actually funny here, unlike the godawful jokes in Revenge Of The Fallen). Shia Labeouf, John Turturro, John Malkovich and a scene-stealing appearnce from Ken Jeong keep the laughs coming and make your forget the films shortcomings. The finale really makes it all worth it. It's one of the finest action sequences of the year so far. The level of chaos and destruction during that sequence is astonishing. The last 45 minutes alone are worth the price of admission and seeing the film in 3D (this film is one of the few that is actually worth seeing in 3D, it's very well done and adds to the enjoyment of the film.)

What makes this film not nearly as good as the first one besides the plot line, is the lame villains. Sentinel Prime (voiced by Lenord Nimoy) and Patrick Dempsey are both stupid and pointless villains. It was seriously a lot better when it was just Megatron and Soundwave. These new villains just pissed me off, especially Dempsey, who is completely god awful every second he is on the screen. I can't believe I went this long without mentioning the burning question of this film, is Rose Huntington-Whiteley better than Megan Fox? The answer is... hell no. I mean Megan Fox was bad, but Rose Huntington Whiteley is even worse. It doesn't really effect the film that much because her character is pretty much there just to look at and it's the fucking Transformers not high art, never the less she does a horrible job.

Even with it's flaws, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon is a very good film. It does exactly what it's supposed to, it entertains, it's funny, and the action is top-notch. The film is also visually stunning and the 3D makes a wonderful addition to the franchise. Compared to the other films in the series, it's not nearly as good as the first one, but it is an improvement over the second one. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon is a fine summer blockbuster that entertains and should delight it's target audience.

4/5 Stars