You are currently viewing At the Movies with Alan Gekko: Transformers: Age of Extinction

At the Movies with Alan Gekko: Transformers: Age of Extinction

MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Sci-Fi Action/ Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, Li Bingbing, Titus Welliver, T. J. Miller, James Bachman; Voices of: Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, John Goodman, Ken Watanabe, Robert Foxworth, John DiMaggio, Mark Ryan, Reno Wilson/ Runtime: 165 minutes

I think it is safe to say that film helmer Michael Bay is a unique entity amongst Hollywood types. I say that because here is a man who brings a grace to pure, unadulterated cinematic insanity in the same vein as Tobe Hooper was able to with the omission of perhaps Tobe’s sense for nihilistic doom and gloom and replaced with a larger canvas and more of a desire to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible. Not only that, but Bay has some serious skill with being able to both find the perfect shooting angles and showcase the action in just the right manner and it has always produced results for him. Yet I think these results are starting to wear on the audience just a little bit. I say that because now on no less than his 4th Transformers movie, Bay’s style is still worth noting, but these films are really beginning to show signs of rust. Don’t get me wrong this franchise was actually intriguing when it first started back in 2007. I mean yes it wasn’t the way a lot of us who grew up with the toys, the cartoons, and the incredible 1986 animated feature film truly wanted it to be, but it was at least nevertheless a show of truly giant proportions that has since been topped in some way by nearly, Revenge of the Fallen aside, every installment since including this one. Yet while that is wonderful, don’t get me wrong, the movies themselves are missing the spark and passion that made both the toys and cartoon so special in their first place. Indeed while there are fleeting glimpses of a genuinely great film to be found amidst the chaos and destruction, these films really have become mere excuses to show just how far the visual effects department has been able to go at this stage while also enjoying your popcorn and soda in the process. The reason I bring this up is because even though Transformers: Age of Extinction may attempt to sail this series toward new seas whilst keeping the typical things that people have come to associate the franchise with, it sadly just finds itself back in the same old turbulent waters of loose narratives, one-dimensional characterizations, and unnecessary humor that though simmered is still showcased way too much. sigh here we go again…..

The plot is as follows: 5 years after the events of Dark of the Moon, we are introduced to a struggling inventor by the name of Cade Yeager who spends his days working out of his garage in the great state of Texas (and not just saying that because I live there….maybe) as he tries to make a living repairing various gadgets and gizmos for his friends and neighbors whilst also hoping to hit the mother lode with a truly great idea in the field of robotics. He also is a single dad who is trying to do everything possible to keep an eye out for his teenage daughter Tessa who is trying everything in her power to go away to college….even if the family doesn’t exactly have the funds to make her dream a reality. Suffice it to say this family is in need of some serious life-changing events to head their way. Thankfully for audiences, such events do occur when on a typical day at the office Cade buys a rusty and quite beat-up looking truck and, while trying to fix it up so he can sell it, is astonished to discover that gasp it isn’t a truck at all. Rather it is actually……JOHN CENA! (I kid, I kid). Actually it’s Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots who has been on the run from humanity. Oh yeah I guess I forgot to mention: in the 5 years since Dark of the Moon, humanity has still been trying to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the attack on Chicago and as a result every Transformer now has a pretty hefty price on their heads. Of course it should come as no surprise to learn that it’s a price that Cade’s friend, and reluctant business associate, Lucas would love to cash in on and soon who should come a’calling, but an elite government unit sent to reacquire this menace to national security without the aid of a warrant? Yet when Optimus decides to fight back rather than go peacefully, we soon see that Cade, Tessa, and Lucas are caught in the middle and are only able to get out of their predicament thanks to the timely intervention of Tessa’s secret boyfriend Shane. Thus we now see that this group plus Prime and the rest of the Autobots, have officially found themselves branded fugitives from both the United States government as well as its secret partner, a sleek bounty hunting Cybertronian named Lockdown, but an even greater threat may still lie ahead…..

Now Age of Extinction may get this series’ distinct formula down pat, but other than that it really does not try and set itself apart from the rest of the series. Indeed this film’s narrative is no more and no less a means to bring together a string of intriguing visual effects work in some kind of linear order. Indeed if nothing else this film is most assuredly a triumph in the visual effects department alone and if everything else didn’t seem so tired and rehashed, then this film could have been something truly special. Indeed the effects work is so good that even though nothing else has been changed or altered in any way, they still manage to ensnare your attention just on their strength and magnitude alone. Indeed this transformation sequences in this film, both those done in the way fans are familiar with and those which are new and introduced in this film, look so amazing that when viewing this at home on either DVD, Blu-Ray, or on an HDTV you will literally find yourself wanting to hit the pause button and try to go frame-by-frame so you can witness the magic unfold in a detailed manner. Thus I think it is not wrong to say that from a tech point of view there is not one single bad shot to be found here and when you combine that with Bay’s talent for truly phenomenal camerawork is it really any wonder that, despite being the same thing in every movie, these movies have made the money they have?

Yet with that out of the way, I do feel that this film, and just this series in general, could be a lot more than it is right now even if what we are seeing is not a full reflection of the iconic cartoon and toys, but rather a product of Bay’s imagination. I mean this is one series that has a tremendous amount of creative potential at play. For starters you have action scenes that are potent, well-shot, given an appropriate amount of scale, and as chaotically graceful as any seen in a war film. Plus this film’s opening is both gorgeous, unique, creepy, and mesmerizing all at the same time and the narrative involving black ops and top-secret partnerships between the robots and the U.S. Government is the kind of material that would have a show like X-Files seriously jealous they didn’t do it first. I mean just construct a center narrative about these robots duking it out on our planet, make it pitch-black and pathos-heavy, and then insert the typical Bay style and that right there could be a truly iconic film or even series that manages to broaden the horizons of special effects combined with an appropriate narrative and atmosphere to boot. All you would have to do is just omit the bludgeoned comic beats, the forced extra story arcs, and the vast majority of the human characters that these films have. Sadly this is all just hopeful thinking at this point dear reader. I say this because the series is making so much money as is that it will take something really drastic in order for it to change direction at this point in time, but hey a fan can dream right?

I say that because regardless of the new coat of pain that this film spruces itself up with on the surface level, it’s underneath where we see that honestly this film is just more of what has come before it. To be fair, there are several new Transformers and they may be different than those we have seen before. They include one that seems straight out of Crocodile Dundee, but green, a blue samurai warrior, and a chubby, beard-laden, cigar-loving soldier who would have been welcome in The Dirty Dozen. Oh and there is also a bounty hunter who may not be close to having anything on Boba Fett, but at least he serves as a different nemesis following Megatron in the first three films.  Ultimately however, these characters all are there for the same purpose which is to both engage in combat and be quippy throughout particularly from the one voiced by John Goodman who actually does quite well in his role. Oh I guess I should also let you know: the Dinobots aka Transformers that transform into dinos are also in this one. Sadly they are put to the wayside for the majority of the film, but the screen time they do have is among some of the best of the film. As for the human cast in this well it shouldn’t be any surprise to learn this, but they are all flatter than what people thought the Earth was at one time. I mean even when taking into account some of the more intriguing dynamics that pop up, especially the one between Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci, they still manage to function as no more than tiny board game pieces that push the narrative onward towards the big conflict pieces that define this film. A sad thing really because this movie spends way too long trying to flesh these individuals out for such a tiny amount of payoff and if we’re being honest, hedging the human scenes in this might have actually improved this film’s sense of pacing quite significantly, but it is what it is so take from that what you will.

All in all Transformers: Age of Extinction will most certainly not acquire any prizes for novelty let alone creativity, but it is still darn near everything that you have come to expect from a Transformers movie that has Michael Bay at the helm. In other words: it’s larger than life, it’s louder than sitting next to the fence at a NASCAR race, it’s more detailed than a three-dimensional puzzle, and its beautifully shot. At the same time however, it is still way too much. By that I mean it’s wayyy too long at 2 hrs. and 45 mins, including credits, it’s literally more of what has come before, and it is more frenetic than a kid looking for his favorite toy after he has lost his favorite toy in a closet full of other favorite toys. Oh and the characters are all tragically one-dimensional to a t, and even the action beats feel similar. Thus the best way I can describe this is if you give your car a new paint job, but choose not to take out the faulty airbags, the barely stitched together seat belts, etc. I mean don’t get me wrong: Michael Bay can make a film like no one else, but at the same time it would be nice to see him use his skill in making a film much in the same vein as Pain and Gain or 13 Hours which are more dramatically well-rounded, zeroed in, and actually have some meaning to the proceedings. However if you are one of those who doesn’t care about those things and just want robots fighting robots then this film manages to deliver just that….even if you’ll be checking your watch at about halfway through and realizing there’s still a lot more coming up. On a scale of 1-5 I give Transformers: Age of Extinction a solid 3 out of 5.