More than Meets the Eye

I was about nine years old when the Transformers cartoon, and then toys, became all the rage. I found the cartoon pretty enjoyable...or rather I learned to enjoy it because watching it with my siblings and cousins was a bonding event. I guess that's why though I was a real girly-girl, I didn't mind bending container trucks and Volkswagen cars into robots.

There were times when we'd all claim our favorites. I remember my oldest cousin claimed to be Optimus Prime while a younger one was Bumble Bee. I don't remember who my brother wanted to emulate. Sometimes we'd have Transformers wars in the garden, then when we were all tired and sweaty we'd eat merienda and continue living in a Transformers moment, even singing the complicated theme song.

Fast forward 20 years later: a movie! I was a bit worried that they would dare try to interpret our rich childhood imaginations. The movie was premiering on the heels of a couple of movies that for me fell flat: Spiderman 3, Pirates 3. What would I see with the Transformers movie? Would I leave sad and demystified? Or worse, my childhood ruined?

Well, with that preamble, by now it's probably obvious that the movie was awesome! LOVED IT! Despite my girly-girlness, I wanted to whoop with excitement. SUPER! HOT! EXCITING! I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Watching the vehicles turn into robots and back again, I figured this was a great time to be older. If they tried making this movie during the cartoon's hey day with the kind of effects they had then, the kids who would watch would leave the cinema infuriated and...older. Hehe. Their childhood ruined.

Bravo to the smooth transformations, the fight scenes, the cleanliness of the interactions between the men and the machines. The first confrontation between one of the Decepticons and Sam (played by the fastastic Shia LaBouef), and the subsequent save by Bumble Bee was mesmerizing: they're talking to a real human! I thought. This was the way we imagined it to be. The CG effects were captivating, down to the way the Michael Bay requisite sunlight shots glinted off their galactic metal armors.

I loved, loved, loved Shia. In fact, I was a fan since the Even Stevens days. Great actor: so natural, so understated, so crisp. I liked the way he transformed from genuine gawky-goofy to subtle action hero. He's quick and sharp with the punchlines, and his reactions (in the form of grunts, stammering, and multiple "NOs") make him endearing. He gave the storyline a hook in that the now-adult generation of Transformers fans a portal back to the good ol' days. He's Everyboy, but only with a real transformer under his bedroom window.

One of my biggest worries was how the story would unfold. Though, like most Hollywood movies, you can't help but be cliche, this one was but less painfully so. The writing team of John Rogers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman tied the parallel stories nicely together, and created some really mind-blowing fight scenes. I'm not one to cheer for violence but this one, was well, an exception. Just because I want it to be.

It was great fun seeing the Autobot gang: Jazz, Bumble Bee, Ratchett and Ironhide. The voice of Optimus Prime was the voice of the REAL Optimus Prime --Peter Cullen. Hugo Weaving voiced for Megatron. Cool huh?

With all that praise singing, I think I will leave you to decide if you'd like to go see it. It's up to you. But I really think you should. Furthermore I really do advise you to watch it on no less than the big screen. It HAS to be on the big screen. Save the (pirated) DVDs for later, when you want to reminisce and need an instant dose of adrenaline.

I guarantee you'll find yourself trying to remember the lyrics to the opening billboard of the cartoon. Or haven't you already?

Check out other reviews:

Breaking: Transformers movie "actually kind of rad"

Transformers
Optimus Prime Thanks Fans
Five Things You Didn't Know About the Transformers Movie
Transformers the Movie

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