amikami

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Film Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction

Posted on 19:41 by john mickal
Regardless of how good or bad the last three Transformers films have been critically received, I can't deny that I've loved the whole lot of them. Even at their dumbest and most stupid moments, these films have always blown me away, leaving me satisfied and excited in a way that all the best summer blockbusters can. I would have been happy if they left it where it was, with the Chicago battle in Dark of the Moon serving as the final climax to the series. With the closing of the first three films, filmmakers decided to kick off a new trilogy with a new cast and new story arc.

It takes a while for the film to build its momentum. Once it does, you can certainly expect the same kind of big-scale spectacle that the last films provided: an onslaught of bullets and rockets, huge explosions, cars flying in all directions, robots bashing each other to scrap, and entire cities being ripped apart. When the action picks up, it becomes a stream of setpieces, one after another, that takes the characters across the US, onboard alien spaceships, and ultimately to China for the final battle. In the midst of it all, a plethora of new Transformer characters pop up, including an all-too-brief and understated appearance by the Dinobots and Grimlock.

As cool as it all is, I can't escape the feeling that something is missing. The film drags at spots, especially in the opening act. A lot of the manic, goofy comedy is gone, and what little remains isn't really all that great. The overall experience is not nearly as enthralling as the film's predecessors; it feels like business as usual, offering little new to the table and offering little that I'd say actually blew me away or made a lasting impression.  Parts of it are a bit daft...moreso than usual.

The story has its moments. Ditching the saga of Sam Witwicky, the film focuses on a Texan dude, his daughter, and her boyfriend, setting up the exact same dynamic that went into the characters of Armageddon. What matters the most is that they all go on the run, hunted by the government while becoming caught up in a new war between Autobots and a mysterious faction of aliens. The Autobot characters had a weird penchant for infighting, and seemed to harbor a lot more angst than before, which made them a lot less endearing. The plot is pretty much just one thing after another, before reaching a lengthy all-out battle at the end. As long as the film is, it feels like a two or three different Transformers films have been shoved into one, and I think parts of it could have been trimmed easily.  For the most part, the plot is rather thinly stitched together, serving as little more than an excuse to blow more stuff up.

The film boasts some really great imagery in some scenes, some horrid camera-shake in a few action scenes, and the rest of it looks a bit plain. Editing seemed pretty cheap, with choppy action scenes and one too many shortcuts. Acting is okay: Mark Wahlberg is pretty much the same kind of dude he always plays, Nicola Peltz is average, Stanley Tucci is fun to watch, and Kelsey Grammer is surprisingly effective in his role. Writing is kinda bad. This production spares no expense on the locales, props, and costumes. Special effects look great in some scenes and weak in others. Music has some interesting moments.

The fourth Transformers film is pretty much more of the same - loud, bloated, excessive - which is fun at times, but I find it's not as consistently energetic or satisfying as its predecessors. I don't think this film is quite as bad as critics make it out to be, but if you hated these films before, you'll certainly hate this installment. If you're a fan, you'll probably enjoy this all the same.

3/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Marginal | Film: Average)
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to Facebook
Posted in action, Age of Extinction, drama, film, movie, review, robot, sci-fi, science fiction, transformers, war | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • "Fight! For immortality!"
    “Immortals” Tarsem Singh has only directed a few films to date, and all have shown impeccably artistic visual flair.  After the grim, surrea...
  • 2012: The Beginning (...of the End?!)
    New Years resolution #1:  blog more.  :p Seriously though, it has indeed been a long time since I bothered to write anything down here.  Nov...
  • Film Review: GI Joe: Retaliation
    "Everybody wants to rule the world." - Jonathan Pryce In 2009, GI Joe hit the big screen with Rise of the Cobra . It would come ...
  • Film Review: Argo (2012)
    "This is the best bad plan we have...by far, sir." - Bryan Cranston November 4th 1979, Iranians violently stormed the American Emb...
  • Video Game Review: Tomb Raider: Legend
    Upon celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Tomb Raider franchise underwent a pretty heavy-duty make-over in Tomb Raider:  Legend .  With a...
  • Film Review: Watchmen: Under the Hood
    "Okay.  There it is.  I've said it.  I dressed up.  As an owl.  And fought crime." - Alan Moore / Dave Gibbons, Watchmen This ...
  • Film Review: Elysium
    This film represents a natural evolution of the rough, intense, deeply sociopolitical textures that Neill Bloomkamp previously worked with...
  • Film Review: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
    "You're not just an analyst anymore, you're operational now." - Kevin Costner Throughout the Cold War era and the aftermat...
  • Film Review: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
    “The quest for the Grail is not archaeology; it's a race against evil!” – Sean Connery In his third film, Indiana Jones continues to hun...
  • Al's Top 10 Favorite James Bond Films
    This year, 2012, marks the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s famed fictitious hero, James Bond, as he appears on film. Chances are you migh...

Categories

  • 007
  • 10000 BC
  • 2011
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 300
  • 4th of july
  • A Good Day to Die Hard
  • A New Hope
  • Aaeon Johnson
  • Aaron Eckhart
  • abbey
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • action
  • adjective
  • adventure
  • After Earth
  • Age of Extinction
  • Al Pacino
  • Alcatraz
  • Alexander Skarsgard
  • alien
  • alien invasion
  • All Monsters Attack
  • All You Need Is Kill
  • Alnwick
  • Alnwick Castle
  • Alpine Loop
  • Altered States
  • alternate history
  • Amazing Spiderman
  • ambient
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Ancient Greece
  • Ancient Persia
  • Ancient Rome
  • Andrew Garfield
  • Andrew Leman
  • animation
  • animatrix
  • anime
  • Anna Hutchison
  • Anne Hathaway
  • Antelope State Park
  • apocalypse
  • Apocalypse Now
  • Apollo 18
  • arcade
  • archeology
  • Argo
  • arrietty
  • art
  • Asian
  • astronaut
  • autumn
  • B-movies
  • backstory
  • bad movies
  • Banlieue 13
  • Batman
  • Batman Begins
  • Battle of Wizards
  • Battlefield Earth
  • Battleship
  • Beasts of the Southern Wild
  • Bejeweled
  • Ben Hur
  • Ben Kingsley
  • Benjamin Walker
  • best films
  • best movies
  • best picture
  • bicycling
  • biking
  • Billy Zane
  • biography
  • Bioshock
  • Bioshock 2
  • Birdemic
  • blockbuster
  • blood
  • blood sport
  • BloodRayne
  • boating
  • book
  • Borderlands
  • Borderlands 2
  • box office bomb
  • boxing
  • Brain Slasher
  • Brick
  • Bringing Out the Dead
  • Bruce Willis
  • Bullet Man
  • Bulletstorm
  • Call of Cthulhu
  • camping
  • captain america
  • cartoon
  • castle
  • Catching Fire
  • Cate Blanchett
  • Cell
  • Celldweller
  • CGI
  • character
  • character development
  • characterization
  • Charlize Theron
  • Children of HĆŗrin
  • Chloe Moretz
  • Chris Hemsworth
  • Christ
  • Christian Bale
  • christmas
  • Christmas market
  • Christopher Mintz-Plasse
  • Christopher Nolan
  • Chronicles of Riddick
  • church
  • city
  • civil war
  • civilization
  • CLAMP
  • classic
  • Cleopatra
  • Clifford's Tower
  • Clive Cussler
  • cloning
  • Cloud Atlas
  • Clover
  • clowns
  • Cold War
  • collectable
  • comedy
  • comic
  • comic con
  • Command and Conquer
  • competition
  • composition
  • computer
  • Conan
  • Conan the Barbarian
  • conflict
  • conspiracy theory
  • contest
  • convention
  • cops
  • Cornetto
  • cosplay
  • coulrophobia
  • countryside
  • courtroom
  • Cradle of Life
  • creative writing
  • crime
  • cultism
  • Culzean Castle
  • Cutthroat Island
  • cyberpunk
  • Cyril Raffaelli
  • Dangerous Dimension
  • dark comedy
  • Dark Fury
  • Dark Knight
  • Dark Knight Rises
  • dark of the moon
  • Dark Shadows
  • Dark Void
  • Dark World
  • David Belle
  • David Cronenberg
  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • Days of Future Past
  • Dead Island
  • dead or alive
  • Dead Space
  • death
  • deathly hallows
  • demo
  • Demolition Man
  • description
  • designing
  • Desolation of Smaug
  • Despicable Me 2
  • details
  • deus ex
  • Devil's Advocate
  • dialogue
  • Die Hard
  • Dirk Pitt
  • disaster
  • discipline
  • District 9
  • District B13
  • Django Unchained
  • doa
  • documentary
  • Doom
  • Doom 3
  • Doom II
  • doomsday
  • Doomsday Book
  • Dr Bloodmoney
  • drafting
  • drama
  • drawing
  • dream
  • dream log
  • Drew Goddard
  • driving
  • drum and bass
  • dubstep
  • Dune
  • dystopia
  • Earth
  • Easter
  • Ebirah
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • electronica
  • Elysium
  • Emma Stone
  • Empire Strikes Back
  • end of the world
  • Ender's Game
  • England
  • environment
  • epic
  • Escape From Butcher Bay
  • Escape From New York
  • espionage
  • essay
  • estate
  • excerpt
  • exercise
  • experimental
  • extraterrestrial
  • fairy tale
  • Falkland
  • family
  • fantasy
  • far cry
  • Fargo
  • Fast and Furious
  • favorite films
  • favorite movies
  • fear
  • Fellowship of the Ring
  • Festival of Blood
  • fiction
  • fight
  • Fight Club
  • film
  • film list
  • film noir
  • film review
  • Final Frontier
  • Final Wars
  • fireworks
  • First Class
  • FLCL
  • flight simulator
  • flow
  • flower
  • Fort Augustus
  • Fort William
  • FPS
  • Fran Kranz
  • Frank Darabont
  • Frank Herbert
  • Frank Langella
  • fun run
  • Furious 6
  • future
  • game
  • gangster
  • garden
  • Gary Oldman
  • Geena Davis
  • Geilston Gardens
  • genetic engineering
  • genre
  • George Lucas
  • Germany
  • ghost
  • Ghost in the Shell
  • GI Joe
  • God of War
  • Godfather
  • Godzilla
  • Godzilla 2000
  • Godzilla vs the Sea Monster
  • Godzilla's Revenge
  • Gojira
  • gore
  • gothic
  • grammar
  • grapes of wrath
  • graphic novel
  • Gravity
  • Great and Powerful
  • Green Bank Gardens
  • green hornet
  • Gregory Peck
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • guide
  • guilty pleasure
  • hack and slash
  • Hadrian's Wall
  • Haley Joel Osment
  • Halloween
  • Hannibal
  • Hannibal Lecter
  • Harrison Ford
  • harry potter
  • haunted house
  • haunting
  • Heath Ledger
  • heavy metal
  • heist
  • Helensburgh
  • help
  • Henry Fonda
  • Hessen
  • high-school
  • hiking
  • Hill House
  • Hirokin
  • history
  • hobbit
  • HoHH
  • holiday
  • Hong Kong
  • horror
  • horseback riding
  • house
  • House on Haunted Hill
  • how-to
  • HP Lovecraft
  • HR Giger
  • human
  • human revolution
  • humor
  • Hunger Games
  • I Am Legend
  • Ian Holm
  • imagination
  • independence day
  • Indiana Jones
  • industrial
  • infamous
  • inglourious basterds
  • inspiration
  • instrumental
  • interview
  • Into Darkness
  • Inverlochy
  • Inverness
  • Iron Man
  • Iron Man 3
  • Iron Sky
  • Jack Reacher
  • Jack Ryan
  • Jake Gyllenhaal
  • James Bond
  • Jesse Williams
  • jester
  • Jesus
  • jogging
  • John Carradine
  • John Ford
  • John Leguizamo
  • John Steinbeck
  • Jorvik
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt
  • Joss Wheadon
  • journal
  • journey
  • JRPG
  • JRR Tolkein
  • Judy Davis
  • kaiju
  • Karen Allen
  • Kate Capshaw
  • Katie Holmes
  • Keanu Reeves
  • Ken Russell
  • Kick-Ass
  • Kill Bill
  • Killer Klowns From Outer Space
  • Killer's Kiss
  • King Kong
  • King Kong vs Godzilla
  • Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
  • Klayton
  • Korean cinema
  • Koyaanisqatsi
  • Kristanna Lokken
  • Kristen Connolly
  • Kristen Stewart
  • kung-fu
  • Kurt Vonnegut
  • L Ron Hubbard
  • Lara Croft
  • Last Crusade
  • Last of Us
  • Last Samurai
  • law
  • Lego
  • Liam Neeson
  • Lincoln
  • list
  • literature
  • live
  • living dead
  • loch
  • Loch Achray
  • Loch Lochy
  • Loch Ness
  • Lone Ranger
  • looper
  • Lord of the Rings
  • Love Exposure
  • Luc Besson
  • Lucy
  • M Night Shyamalan
  • mafia
  • magic
  • Mainz
  • Maleficent
  • Man of Steel
  • Manborg
  • manga
  • marathon
  • Marc Webb
  • Marco Brambilla
  • Mark Strong
  • martial arts
  • Martin Sheen
  • marvel
  • Mass Effect
  • Mass Effect 2
  • Mass Effect 3
  • matrix
  • matrix reloaded
  • matrix revolutions
  • Matthew Modine
  • Mayan
  • Meat Loaf
  • Mechagodzilla
  • megamind
  • Men Who Stare At Goats
  • mental institution
  • Metal Gear
  • Metal Gear Rising
  • Michael Crichton
  • Michael Fassbender
  • Michael Jai White
  • Michael Madsen
  • Michael Pare
  • Michelle Rodriguez
  • Middle Earth
  • military
  • Mindwarp
  • Mist
  • Miyazaki
  • mockumentary
  • monster
  • moon
  • moon landing
  • moon landing conspiracy
  • mortal kombat
  • Mothra
  • motivation
  • Mount Timpanogos
  • mountain
  • movie
  • movie list
  • movie review
  • museum
  • music
  • musical
  • mystery
  • mythology
  • Naked Lunch
  • name
  • NaNoWriMo
  • narrative
  • NASA
  • national forest
  • National Novel Writing Month
  • nature
  • Naushika
  • Nausicaa
  • NausicaƤ
  • Nazis
  • negative
  • neo noir
  • new year
  • Ni No Kuni
  • Nicol Williamson
  • Nicolas Cage
  • Noah
  • non-fiction
  • Noomi Rapace
  • Norse
  • Northumbria
  • noun
  • novel
  • novelette
  • Now You See Me
  • nu metal
  • Oblivion
  • occult
  • Olympus Has Fallen
  • Omen
  • Only God Forgives
  • open world
  • open-world
  • Oz
  • Pacific Rim
  • pain and gain
  • paranormal
  • parkour
  • PC
  • personality
  • perspective
  • Peter Berg
  • Peter Weller
  • Philip K Dick
  • photography
  • picnic
  • Pierre Morel
  • pirates
  • Pitch Black
  • PKD
  • Planet of the Apes
  • platformer
  • plot
  • poetry
  • point of view
  • political thriller
  • politics
  • Pollock House
  • Pompeii
  • Portal
  • positive
  • post-apocalypse
  • Prince of Persia
  • priory
  • prison break
  • Prisoners
  • Professor Was a Thief
  • prometheus
  • prompt
  • prophecy
  • prose
  • PS2
  • PS3
  • PS4
  • psychological
  • pulp
  • Pulp Fiction
  • Purge
  • puzzle
  • qatsi
  • Quest for Peace
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • rail
  • Red Alert 3
  • relaxation
  • religion
  • Renny Harlin
  • research
  • Retaliation
  • Return of the Jedi
  • Return of the King
  • Return to House on Haunted Hill
  • revenge
  • revenge of the fallen
  • Revengeance
  • review
  • Rhine
  • RHoHH
  • Richard Donner
  • Richard Jenkins
  • Richard Kelly
  • Riddick
  • Ridley Scott
  • RiffTrax
  • Rihanna
  • RIPD
  • Rise of an Empire
  • rise of the machines
  • river
  • Road
  • road trip
  • RoboCop
  • RoboCop 2
  • RoboCop 3
  • robot
  • Rock
  • rock climbing
  • Rocky
  • romance
  • Room 237
  • Rory's Story Cubes
  • Route 92
  • Roy Scheider
  • RPG
  • RTS
  • Rudesheim
  • Rupert Sanders
  • Sam Niell
  • Samsara
  • sandbox
  • Sandra Bullock
  • satire
  • saving private ryan
  • scary
  • sceince
  • scene
  • schindler's list
  • sci-fi
  • science
  • science fiction
  • science ficton
  • Scotland
  • scrabble
  • screenwriting
  • Sean Connery
  • Search for Spock
  • Second Son
  • Seconds
  • Secret of the Unicorn
  • Seth Grahame-Smith
  • setting
  • Shadow Recruit
  • Sharknado
  • sherlock holmes
  • Shia LaBeouf
  • Shining
  • shooter
  • short story
  • sightseeing
  • Sigourney Weaver
  • Singularity
  • Sixth Sense
  • sketch
  • Skyfall
  • slasher
  • Slaughter-House Five
  • Sleeping Dogs
  • Snow White
  • Solveig Dommartin
  • Son of God
  • soundtrack
  • space
  • space opera
  • Sparta
  • Spawn
  • Spiderman
  • sports
  • spy
  • Square Enix
  • Stanley Kubrick
  • Star Trek
  • Star Wars
  • state park
  • stealth
  • steampunk
  • Stephen Chiodo
  • Stephen King
  • Steven Spielberg
  • Stoker
  • story
  • strange noises
  • strange sounds
  • strategy
  • Sucker Punch
  • Sun Gym gang
  • Supergirl
  • superhero
  • Superman
  • Superman II
  • Superman III
  • Superman IV
  • Superman Returns
  • supernatural
  • surreal
  • survivalist
  • Sylvester Stallone
  • T2
  • tactics
  • Tales of the Black Freighter
  • Tank Girl
  • Taylor Hackford
  • Taylor Kitsch
  • TDK
  • TDKR
  • technology
  • Temple of Doom
  • terminator
  • Terminator
  • Terror of Mechagodzilla
  • Tetsuo
  • thatgamecompany
  • The Bible
  • The Fly
  • The Fly 2
  • The Great Train Robbery
  • The Heat
  • The Last Stand
  • The Passion
  • The Place Beyond the Pines
  • theme
  • theology
  • Thief of Bagdad
  • This Girl is Badass
  • Thomas Harris
  • Thomas Jane
  • Thomas Was Alone
  • thor
  • thought
  • thriller
  • Tim Burton
  • time management
  • time travel
  • Timur Bekmanbetov
  • Tintin
  • tips
  • Tom Hardy
  • Tomb Raider
  • Tomb Raider Legend
  • top 10
  • top 100
  • top 50
  • Total Recall
  • tours
  • town
  • toy
  • train
  • traits
  • trance
  • transformers
  • travel
  • Triad
  • trickster
  • trophy
  • troubleshooting
  • UFO
  • Uinta
  • Unbreakable
  • undead
  • Under the Hood
  • Undiscovered Country
  • unexpected journey
  • Until the End of the World
  • Upstream Color
  • Utah
  • utopia
  • Uwe Boll
  • Valley of the Wind
  • Vampire Hunter
  • vampires
  • verb
  • Victorian
  • video
  • video game
  • viking festival
  • violence
  • Voyage Home
  • war
  • Wasatch Mountains
  • Watchmen
  • Weihnachtsmarkt
  • weird
  • Wesley Snipes
  • western
  • What Dreams May Come
  • White House Down
  • Wiesbaden
  • William Hurt
  • William S Burroughs
  • Wim Wenders
  • Wing Commander
  • Winter Soldier
  • Wizard of Oz
  • Wolf of Wall Street
  • Wolverine
  • word
  • World Jones Made
  • world war II
  • World War Z
  • World's End
  • worst movies
  • Wrath of Khan
  • Wrath of the White Witch
  • wreck-it ralph
  • Writer's Digest
  • writing
  • wuxia
  • WWII
  • X-Men
  • X-Men Origins
  • X-Men United
  • X2
  • X3
  • Xbox
  • York
  • York Minster
  • Your Story
  • zero dark thirty
  • Zion National Park
  • zombie
  • zombie-pocalypse
  • Zugspitze

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2014 (72)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ▼  July (9)
      • Film Review: Lucy (2014)
      • Book Review: Hannibal (Thomas Harris)
      • Film Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
      • Film Review: Kill Bill Volume 2
      • Film Review: Kill Bill Volume 1
      • Video Game Review: Thomas Was Alone
      • Video Game Review: Prince of Persia (2008)
      • Film Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction
      • Video Game Review: Borderlands 2
    • ►  June (11)
    • ►  May (5)
    • ►  April (10)
    • ►  March (15)
    • ►  February (12)
    • ►  January (9)
  • ►  2013 (205)
    • ►  December (10)
    • ►  November (12)
    • ►  October (19)
    • ►  September (17)
    • ►  August (15)
    • ►  July (25)
    • ►  June (19)
    • ►  May (25)
    • ►  April (21)
    • ►  March (15)
    • ►  February (14)
    • ►  January (13)
  • ►  2012 (96)
    • ►  December (10)
    • ►  November (6)
    • ►  October (19)
    • ►  September (18)
    • ►  August (16)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  June (9)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (6)
    • ►  March (2)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2011 (16)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (4)
    • ►  May (3)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2010 (6)
    • ►  December (2)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (2)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

john mickal
View my complete profile