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transformers-4-age-of-extinction-review
Paramount Pictures

Transformers 4 Made Me Want to Roll Out of the Theater

Plot
1
Script
1
Acting
2
Direction
2.5
Effects
5
2.3

Transformers 4: Age of Extinction will go down as the the worst installment of the series and probably the worst ‘most anticipated movie of 2014’. I couldn’t wait to ‘roll out’ of the cinema but the inner fanboy in me kept praying and hoping that things would take a turn for the better any moment – but No. No it did not.

Ok let’s begin with Optimus Prime… He must have really been hit hard on the head cause I never remembered him being as preachy in the animated series…. EVER! It’s like very line of dialogue went “blah blah blah blah honor… Blah blah blah valour”.

Unfortunately, the bad writing was in no way limited to just Prime. Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammar and Stanley Tucci have been known to put in quite a performance – but sadly it was not the case. The dialogue and banter was just too one dimensional and jarring to a point – ironic that I caught the 3D version.

The story seems to have taken parts of the Transformers Animated series (from 2007) where Humans put big ol’ Meagatron back together again with the help of a Steve Jobs-esque Joshua Joyce (played by Tucci). The whole film (all 165 loooong minutes of it) reeks of haphazard producing and writing. They basically to a character and decided to attach a singular personality trait onto him/her/it and just went with it all the way. There was no depth… and as Prime and Cade Yaeger would put it.. no soul.

There were a couple of short lived bright sparks though. I loved the way Crosshairs’ ‘cloak’ moved all fluid metal-like. John Goodman as Hound was interesting in take on the Generation 1 character. But as Kyle feared, he was quite a poor replacement from the ever-steady Ironhide as the bot’s one-man-arsenal.

Lockdown on the other hand was pretty cool, and again from the animated series seems to have a thing for Ratchet. However, he’s a whole lot more fearsome than Meatron ever was. He had swagger, style and a head that could turn into a huge gun…. and then the light fades.

Bumblebee was reduced to a petulant child throwing tantrums, Crosshairs and Drift might have been better suited as Decepticons and the Dinobots embodied the lost potential of the whole production.

Grimlock and gang were pretty awesome in terms of their concept and pure brute strength – I didn’t quite like how Swoop turned out  but Scorch was amazing. However, by the time they turned up you get the feel that they just wanted it to end and there was no real showcase for the bunch. We did see slight glimpses – but that’s what I mean – wasted potential.

My biggest gripe after the scripting has to be the camera angles and directing. So much posturing – too much posturing – and sunsets. You have a still frame of Tessa (played by Nicola Peltz ) with her boyfriend, Shane (played by Jack Reynor) and then 5 mins later one with her and her father… then Prime with Grimlock… then the Li Bingbing needed one as well.

In conclusion, Transformers 4: Age of Extinction  will still rake in the dough because as bad as it is… people will still watch it – and then rant after. The special effects weren’t the best and I still don’t know how Wahlberg and family mated to survive being flipped, turned around and crashing when the Deceptions didn’t *stumped*.

Was it really that bad? or has Marvel raised the bar so high with their releases that we’re used to a higher level? I don’t think so – Michael Bay, shame on you. Whatever the case you know that the next Director (this was Bay’s last dance with the robots in disguise) can’t screw it up anymore now – kinda like Louis Van Gaal at Manchester United… or can he?

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