“Transformers: Age of Extinction” is the fourth film in the franchise about robots in disguise; unfortunately, nothing good is in disguise in the latest installment.
On the surface, it’s a film with explosions and great CGI effects. If you are a fan of the franchise, you will most likely enjoy this film.
However, there are many reasons you should consider not wasting your money on this film, if none of the reasons above apply to you.
The plot follows inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), his daughter Tessa Yeager (Nicola Peltz) and her boyfriend Shane Dyson (Jack Reynor) on the run from the government for making contact with the most popular Transformer of the series Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen).
The film also features T. J. Miller as Lucas Flannery, Cade Yeagers’ annoying best friend; Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce a man in charge of a company called KSI, which is a parody of Steve Jobs and Apple; Kelsey Grammer as Harold Attinge, a CIA agent whose goal is to rid the earth of Transformers.
It is unfortunate that Grammer’s character is unsuccessful, meaning we may live to see another sequel.
It would have been nice to see the series taken in a different direction, as this is the first film to feature an entirely new cast.
The film, however, does exactly what it has done before, and the formula is becoming tiresome. There is no doubt that the film is action-packed with car chases and fight scenes, but something of substance would have been nice.
Of course the fight scenes with Dinobots, a new type of Transformer in the film were epic; however, their time on screen is so short compared to the rest of the film.
It’s bad enough that the film is a three-hour commercial for Hasbro’s Transformers toys and car manufacturers, but the film shamelessly endorsed and embeds products like Beats by Dr. Dre, Bud Light and Victoria’s Secret into the storyline. It is product integration at its best, or worst, depending on which side of the screen you’re on.
The length of the film works to its disadvantage, especially when the entire film is swarmed with plot holes and bad writing. Intentional set-ups and jokes felt forced and never managed to get a chuckle. Also, some of the dialogue that was probably not intended to be funny was hilarious.
In one scene, Yeager’s home is raided by CIA agents from whom he demands a warrant, to which an officer hilariously responds, “my face is my warrant.”
Besides the awkward dialogue, audiences may be disturbed by the sexualization of Yeager’s daughter Tessa. Nicola Peltz is 19 in real life, but she is playing a 17-year-old in the film. The camera pans over her body parts in a highly provocative manner.
One of the most funniest things about the entire film is the irony of the ending in which Optimus Prime questions his existence with a speech that states:
“There are innumerable mysteries to the universe. But who we are, is not one of them… I send this message to my creators: leave Earth alone, for I’m coming for you!”
Immediately after, Optimus Prime flies into space with rockets embedded in his shoes. The film ends, and credits start to roll. It’s hard to think that no one in post-production noticed that the last line of the film hilariously makes it seem like Micheal Bay is responsible for a bad film, which makes Optimus Prime mad.
Micheal Bay should be wise and do what Optimus Prime says: leave earth alone.
Fans of the franchise and genre of this film will have fun, but anyone else might be overwhelmed after a few explosions.