Transformers 4 Age of Extinction (non-spoiler) review:

[pc747]

When I saw the trailer for this I was geared to see what I thought would be a decent film or at least what you would expect from a transformers movie. I personally do not expect much from a transformers movie just a few fire works, cool effects, and a decent enough plot point to follow, which to me the past 3 did a decent job of just had the film dragged down by either the reach for over-the-top humor or poor acting.

We were led to believe that this was the jumping off into a new direction where the Transformers dominated the screen time vs before where the humans were the main focus. Unfortunately that was not the case as this movie continued to what the past 3 did only worse. Where the past 3 had a plot and a direction this movie seemed to struggle to choose a plot and the dragged it on for 3 hours (2 hrs and 45 mins to be exact). It was like had they chose a plot and developed it the movie would have been easier to follow but they had too many elements going on and did a poor job developing them to where it left the audience scratching their heads.

This movie is a rental and by far the worse of the Transformers franchise. The movie was just too long, recycled many of the effects used in the previous films, continued with the poor human interaction (which at this point I blame the writers and directors and no so much the actors), and just did not have a flushed out story. Both the Dark of the Moon and Revenge of the Fallen had a plot that made sense and had direction where you could follow the story even if Dark of the Moon was too long. In fact if you thought Dark of the Moon felt long then boy get ready because you going to walk out the theater wondering what day it is. Paramount need to hire a new team of writers, producers, and directors to steer this franchise in the right direction. Where this film left off if the studio bring in some fresh minds and change the focus of the movie to the Transformers themselves they could breathe new life into this franchise. If not then the title of this movie fits it well and this franchise is at the "Age of Extinction".

Parental Advisory (Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) - Parents Guide) : This movie had cursing and crude humor throughout the film and though it did not bother me I would highly advise parents watch it themselves or read the guide I posted in the link above for this movie.

 

[Jeffrey]

What I find interesting is who is't audience is..The film played 64% male and 58% 25 years-and older. The film played just 27% under 18 years old, which is amusing for a big-budget film based on a toy line about robots that turn into cars.

Opening weekend brought in a whopping 301.3 million. Not too shabby...

 

[mgrande]

What I find interesting is who is't audience is..The film played 64% male and 58% 25 years-and older. The film played just 27% under 18 years old, which is amusing for a big-budget film based on a toy line about robots that turn into cars.

Opening weekend brought in a whopping 301.3 million. Not too shabby...

That's because all of the true transformer toy fans are 25+. We grew up playing with them and now we go watch them in the movies. Even if the movies are nowhere near as good as the cartoons...

 

[94lt1]

Some of us can't stand what they've done to the characters.. But we swallow it like a bitter pill.. Agreed.. The major fans are 25+

 

[Jeffrey]

Personally, I am a Wahlberg fan. I like the movies he produced as well as those he starred in. I was disappointed when his HBO series Entourage came to an end. It was one of my favorites.

 

[94lt1]

I personally don't care who they have acting in the films.. The way they screw up the transformers to add drama to the films is just stupid.

But I guess that's why I'm not a director or writer..

 

[pc747]

I personally don't care who they have acting in the films.. The way they screw up the transformers to add drama to the films is just stupid.

But I guess that's why I'm not a director or writer..

I have to agree it is like all Michael Bay wants to do is blow stuff up. This is why I say Paramount needs to rip that franchise from him and give it to someone else.

 

[94lt1]

The main question I have.. Why did Optimus choose to go back to a cab over (g1) form.. I think this is just mb's way if trying to pull more hard core tf fans in...

Second.. How was he able to be powered up by an arc welder? This opens alot of questions up about the matrix and Sentinel.. And I'm probably over thinking this.. Idk..

 

[dezymond]

Just got out of the theaters from watching it.

First thoughts, wow what an endurance movie. Human aspect of it seemed longer than the previous 3 combined. First 2 hours were kind of meh, the first hour especially slow, but the last 45min was just awesome.

Second, it is exactly what I expected. Lame story, subpar acting, and a cluster of a movie. And overall, to me, it was a decent movie. Signature MB Transformers movie.

I didn't grow up watching the original cartoon series and didn't read any of the comics. I know very little of the Transformers universe (I grew up watching Beast Wars), but from what I've seen from the films you can really get the background of the story of the Transformers. I mean I've since read a few Wiki articles, but overall, if you're watching it for the story then you're not watching for the right reason. Some of the Transformers personalities were pretty lame, but overall I think they nailed the mainstay characters throughout the series.

Overall 6.5/10. Had they cut out a good 30min of the movie of the useless scenes (another MB signature), it would've been rated higher. I'm not big on movies at all and I was excited to see this the most, it didn't fall short of expectations, but it did seem to drag on.

 

[pc747]

Just got out of the theaters from watching it.

First thoughts, wow what an endurance movie. Human aspect of it seemed longer than the previous 3 combined. First 2 hours were kind of meh, the first hour especially slow, but the last 45min was just awesome.

Second, it is exactly what I expected. Lame story, subpar acting, and a cluster of a movie. And overall, to me, it was a decent movie. Signature MB Transformers movie.

I didn't grow up watching the original cartoon series and didn't read any of the comics. I know very little of the Transformers universe (I grew up watching Beast Wars), but from what I've seen from the films you can really get the background of the story of the Transformers. I mean I've since read a few Wiki articles, but overall, if you're watching it for the story then you're not watching for the right reason. Some of the Transformers personalities were pretty lame, but overall I think they nailed the mainstay characters throughout the series.

Overall 6.5/10. Had they cut out a good 30min of the movie of the useless scenes (another MB signature), it would've been rated higher. I'm not big on movies at all and I was excited to see this the most, it didn't fall short of expectations, but it did seem to drag on.

Nice to get another perspective. Yeah there are some redeeming factors but to me you can see the downslope in the movies I mean MB Transformer's movies already have a stigma and I felt like this movie lived up to that in a bad way. I mean it is like he is getting worse and worse and that is expected for someone who has been on a project as long as he has hence why I said now would be a perfect time to give this project to a fresh mind. I feel like where it ended off at they could do an element where they go beyond earth. But they made a lot of money on this movie and they need to fix the problems while the interest is hot or the take the risk of pulling a Joe Shumacher's Batman and Robin and setting the franchise back almost a decade (B&R came out 97 and Batman begins came out in 2005).

 

[dezymond]

Nice to get another perspective. Yeah there are some redeeming factors but to me you can see the downslope in the movies I mean MB Transformer's movies already have a stigma and I felt like this movie lived up to that in a bad way. I mean it is like he is getting worse and worse and that is expected for someone who has been on a project as long as he has hence why I said now would be a perfect time to give this project to a fresh mind. I feel like where it ended off at they could do an element where they go beyond earth. But they made a lot of money on this movie and they need to fix the problems while the interest is hot or the take the risk of pulling a Joe Shumacher's Batman and Robin and setting the franchise back almost a decade (B&R came out 97 and Batman begins came out in 2005).

Oh no doubt, Bay is definitely trying to just stroll his way through the movies now. You could see it in the last trilogy and this new one shouldn't be much better, especially if they keep up this close to 3hr average. It's like he's trying to see how lazy he can be and get away with it. However, with the opening weekend numbers, the public still pays for it and that won't motivate him or any of the writers to really improve the franchise.

I can guarantee you this franchise would be a heckuva lot better had it not involved humans, or had not try to involve them this much, like you said take the setting away from Earth. However, that's what makes the movies so lovable in the eyes of the public too, it takes place in a setting we all call home (I mean who didn't think seeing Chicago overrun by robots wasn't cool). Now if the movie took place on Cybertron (like the games) I think it would make for a better movie, but not one that the general public would line up for. In the end it's an "eye candy" movie, and Bay is certainly good at that, and the sales numbers back that up. Transformers is enough of a good movie in the area of effects and "wow factor" that it makes you forget its flaws until you've sat down and really thought about it.

Maybe a reboot is needed by a different set of directors and writers, but it could be the ones who grew up watching the original have their expectations set too high. Considering the majority of movie-goers for this franchise are 25+, could mean they're hanging onto the original cartoon and the storyline. We, and I use that loosely, always wanted to see these cartoon robots come to life, Hollywood and Bay have made that come true. I mean remember back to the first one, you got those chills when you first saw that first scene with the transforming, I know I remember standing up on pre-show night clapping with the rest of the theater room. Then again, the franchise seems to be at the lowest of the low regarding all elements that make up for a good movie, so a reboot can only be a good thing right?

 

[emanny]

What I find interesting is who is't audience is..The film played 64% male and 58% 25 years-and older. The film played just 27% under 18 years old, which is amusing for a big-budget film based on a toy line about robots that turn into cars.

Opening weekend brought in a whopping 301.3 million. Not too shabby...

this is one of sci fi movie this year that hit in big screen, yes this a toy but many adult collecting this toys.

 

[jstafford1]

Ok as a Transformers fan my whole life I'll offer a different perspective. I don't compare this to any other version. It is a different universe than G1, the Cybertron trilogy or the recent Prime series.
In my opinion AOE was the best of the 4 so far. There was more robot screen time, whether you felt it or not. The autobots had more personality than any previous movie. The crude humor was subdued by Bay standards.
This film was meant to wash away the inconsistencies of the last two. Revenge of the Fallen was an abortion and Dark of the Moon didn't make sense following that storyline, albeit a better movie overall. The story wasn't as convoluted as you might think. Humans trying to make their own transformers. This was stolen from the Transformers: Animated with Megatron head being used to reverse engineer many things and eventually being remade. Lockdown was sent by the creators to retrieve Prime. He was helping the humans as only a means to an end. He was a bounty hunter plain and simple.
Some people aren't liking Optimus in this because he's not the noble leader in past versions. But if you look at how things have progressed, you can see why he is wary of humans. The autobots were betrayed in every film up to this by those they were trying to protect. Prime had enough once they decided to hunt them down and kill them. They turned from protectors to survivors. This made the last of the autobots cynical at best. Most importantly though we finally saw real emotion from them. In the past when a comrade died they weren't mourned at all. This time when Prime saw Ratchet killed it sent him and the rest in a noticeable rage. No planning, no discussion just action. They still were not allowed to harm humans and only went to destroy the results of the research. And still they didn't even do that. Prime only broke his vow of never killing humans when he had to save Cades life. In the end, Cades family were the only humans Prime felt trustworthy. Telling the rest to guard them. He wasn't guarding the planet anymore just his friends. This was the Prime we needed in earlier films but never got. A Prime that had been broken by war and deciet, but still willing to do what it took for his friends and family. He didn't hold back.
The only true let down was the Dinobots. Too little screen time and not enough back story on them. But this could be fleshed out in the sequels.

This film had alot to overcome. It had to reset the series so it could start over. I feel it did that, while not totally dismissing the previous films. We got more robots, more personality from them, and really a better story than the last two. It was a little to long, but this is also Bays last go. This movie sets up a new trilogy. It's a good start moving forward.

 

[pc747]

Oh no doubt, Bay is definitely trying to just stroll his way through the movies now. You could see it in the last trilogy and this new one shouldn't be much better, especially if they keep up this close to 3hr average. It's like he's trying to see how lazy he can be and get away with it. However, with the opening weekend numbers, the public still pays for it and that won't motivate him or any of the writers to really improve the franchise.

I can guarantee you this franchise would be a heckuva lot better had it not involved humans, or had not try to involve them this much, like you said take the setting away from Earth. However, that's what makes the movies so lovable in the eyes of the public too, it takes place in a setting we all call home (I mean who didn't think seeing Chicago overrun by robots wasn't cool). Now if the movie took place on Cybertron (like the games) I think it would make for a better movie, but not one that the general public would line up for. In the end it's an "eye candy" movie, and Bay is certainly good at that, and the sales numbers back that up. Transformers is enough of a good movie in the area of effects and "wow factor" that it makes you forget its flaws until you've sat down and really thought about it.

Maybe a reboot is needed by a different set of directors and writers, but it could be the ones who grew up watching the original have their expectations set too high. Considering the majority of movie-goers for this franchise are 25+, could mean they're hanging onto the original cartoon and the storyline. We, and I use that loosely, always wanted to see these cartoon robots come to life, Hollywood and Bay have made that come true. I mean remember back to the first one, you got those chills when you first saw that first scene with the transforming, I know I remember standing up on pre-show night clapping with the rest of the theater room. Then again, the franchise seems to be at the lowest of the low regarding all elements that make up for a good movie, so a reboot can only be a good thing right?

You make a good point. Like last movie had they cut out the fat with the humans and just kept it to the point as well as Knocked it down 30 mins I really think it would have been a good movie. The action and the animations of the Transformers are awesome and probably the best of the four. This film suffered from sloppy writing where you see what is going on and then 30 mins later you ask "how"..... I do not need a backstory or heavy explanation but make it seem like you care. Classic example is Optimus Prime going from the state he was in the beginning to where he was midway in it, now they had a story developing and it seem like the writers just said "ah screw the story people do not care about that all they want to see is explosions and skin". And that is what irritates me about this film.

 

[pc747]

Ok as a Transformers fan my whole life I'll offer a different perspective. I don't compare this to any other version. It is a different universe than G1, the Cybertron trilogy or the recent Prime series.
In my opinion AOE was the best of the 4 so far. There was more robot screen time, whether you felt it or not. The autobots had more personality than any previous movie. The crude humor was subdued by Bay standards.
This film was meant to wash away the inconsistencies of the last two. Revenge of the Fallen was an abortion and Dark of the Moon didn't make sense following that storyline, albeit a better movie overall. The story wasn't as convoluted as you might think. Humans trying to make their own transformers. This was stolen from the Transformers: Animated with Megatron head being used to reverse engineer many things and eventually being remade. Lockdown was sent by the creators to retrieve Prime. He was helping the humans as only a means to an end. He was a bounty hunter plain and simple.
Some people aren't liking Optimus in this because he's not the noble leader in past versions. But if you look at how things have progressed, you can see why he is wary of humans. The autobots were betrayed in every film up to this by those they were trying to protect. Prime had enough once they decided to hunt them down and kill them. They turned from protectors to survivors. This made the last of the autobots cynical at best. Most importantly though we finally saw real emotion from them. In the past when a comrade died they weren't mourned at all. This time when Prime saw Ratchet killed it sent him and the rest in a noticeable rage. No planning, no discussion just action. They still were not allowed to harm humans and only went to destroy the results of the research. And still they didn't even do that. Prime only broke his vow of never killing humans when he had to save Cades life. In the end, Cades family were the only humans Prime felt trustworthy. Telling the rest to guard them. He wasn't guarding the planet anymore just his friends. This was the Prime we needed in earlier films but never got. A Prime that had been broken by war and deciet, but still willing to do what it took for his friends and family. He didn't hold back.
The only true let down was the Dinobots. Too little screen time and not enough back story on them. But this could be fleshed out in the sequels.

This film had alot to overcome. It had to reset the series so it could start over. I feel it did that, while not totally dismissing the previous films. We got more robots, more personality from them, and really a better story than the last two. It was a little to long, but this is also Bays last go. This movie sets up a new trilogy. It's a good start moving forward.

Nice explanation in fact those elements I understood. I understood where they went as I went back to watch it again so I could do a fair review and yes I saw the back story and got the emotional part. In fact after watching it again my rating increases slightly. With that said you have to remember that not everyone watching this movie has kept up with the transformers. So for those that all they watched were the first 3 movies you can understand why some of it just felt like it was not explained. But hearing a review from an enthusiast is good as again it balances out this thread. I guess those who have followed the story in the cartoons will have a better understanding where they were trying to go. Nice.

 

[pc747]

edited the op to add a video review I think captures the sense of what you will get when you check this movie out the is weekend for those seeing it on the 4th.