[Movie Review] Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Director: Michael Bay
Writer: Ehren Kruger
Runtime: 165 min
Main Cast:
- Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager
- Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce
- Kelsey Grammer as Harold Attinger
- Nicola Peltz as Tessa Yeager
- Jack Reynor as Shane Dyson
Review: by Anthony, Lee, and The Superior Spider-Sam
Finally, a fourth Transformers movie has hit the big screen. As huge Transformers fans, obviously we were going to see it, and we had a good idea of what to expect, considering Michael Bay was still at the helm of the franchise. We were excited, though, to see a Transformers film sans Shia Labeouf. We figured Mark Wahlberg would make a great replacement as the lead.
Transformers: Age of Extinction took place four years after the massive battle in Chicago. As a result of the devastation caused to the city, the Autobots were declared enemies of humans by the U.S. government and were forced into hiding to avoid attack. Auto mechanic and inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) got himself involved unwittingly when he bought a truck to strip for parts, not knowing he had purchased Optimus Prime. When the government came calling, Yeager found himself attempting to restore the Autobots’ faith in humanity while protecting his family and all of mankind from harm.
What We Liked:
Without a doubt, we got what we wanted from Transformers: Age of Extinction. We wanted to see Optimus Prime, in all his glory, inspiring the masses as he commanded the Autobots with the kind of authority only true leaders can wield. Did we get what we wanted? Oh, yes! In the words of Crosshairs, “You just want to die for the guy.”
What would Optimus Prime be without a great antagonist? Yes, he would still be absolutely amazing, but it did help that Lockdown was such a good foe. He was more menacing than Megatron, Sentinel Prime, and The Fallen combined. His man with a mission attitude was a great and consistent quality.
Although not appearing as advertised, the Dinobots were also still cool in their very brief screen time during the 3 hour film. Even knowing how their transformations would manifest, as dinosaurs rather than cars, did not distract from their massively impressive initial transformation sequence. Seeing Optimus Prime ride them like stallions was also something worth watching.
Of course, the special effects, namely the transformation sequences of the Transformium, were spectacular. We didn’t really expect any less, though.
Oh, and Stanley Tucci is the man.
What We Didn’t Like:
Apart from Stanley Tucci, the acting was pretty darn bad. Mark Wahlberg did okay, but he certainly did not bring his “A” game. It almost seemed like he didn’t even bother to play someone other than himself. He was acting exactly like Andy Samberg’s impersonation of him. Kelsey Grammer was no sensation either. They are both way too talented to be giving those kinds of performances.
The worst acting by far, however, was done by Jack Reynor and Nicola Peltz. Their characters were easily the worst parts of the entire movie. Jack Reynor actually ruined the movie for Sam, who doesn’t think Reynor even belongs in the acting business.
Both characters were utterly useless, and barely had anything to add to the movie other than some completely unnecessary romance, bad romance at that. We are still not sure why the movie seemed to be trying to validate a 20-year-old having a relationship with a minor.
Nicola Peltz seemed to only be there as eye candy. In the midst of explosions and being on the run for several days, somehow her tight white t-shirt never got dingy, and her makeup was freshly reapplied for almost every close up. The only exception to the makeup rule was when they wanted to show that she’d been crying. No need to fear, however, her makeup was perfect once again in the next shot.
The movie would have been better off without either of them.
The actors are only as good as a script, however, and these poor actors had very little with which to work. The lines were truly terrible, especially the ones with random, useless cursing. The plot wasn’t much better either. It seemed like the movie was trying to bite off more than it could chew. There was simply too much going on.
Finally, the IMAX 3D was disappointing. It wasn’t bad or anything, but it didn’t do anything new or revolutionary either. It just fell flat.
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Anthony's Rating
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Lee's Rating
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The Superior Spider-Sam's Rating
Summary
As with any of the Transformers movies, Transformers: Age of Extinction was highly enjoyable, but it wasn’t hard to see its flaws. If you liked the other movies, as we did, then you’ll like this one as well. If you’re looking for this one to be better, we’re sorry for you. Sam didn’t like it as much as the rest of us, but, for the most part, it was good for what it was.
Images Courtesy of IMDB
