DatNerdyKid Reviews-'Transformers: Age of Extinction'

Well well. This year is the 30th anniversary of Generation 1, and while this film may not be a copy-and-paste G! nostalgia-fest, believe me-it certainly celebrated the franchise well indeed in my eyes. I was always optimistic for this film, despite popular opinion on the last three, and it certainly delivered. For contextual reasons, I'm gonna briefly run down my thoughts on the last three films, then break up my review like I usually do.
    'Transformers' was a fair first film, and despite a near-complete lack of Cybertronians and some awful acting by Megan Fox, I definitely thought it was a great opening for the franchise-it fluxuates between 7.5 and 8/10 for me. 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' is well...just ugh. They inserted more aggravatingly crass humour and the deplorable Twins, gave Simmonds an annoying sidekick in the form of Leo, AND THEN THERE WAS THE DOG HUMPING. The plot itself, if it hadn't been muddled in these atrocities, would have been quite interesting (despite the Fallen's somewhat unclear and 'juvenile' motivations)-at most it is a 5.5/10. 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' was more robot-centric and the story of Sentinel Prime was an intriguing one, however Rosie Huntington-Whitely couldn't act much better than Megan Fox, a level of crassness and caricatures remained despite the removal of the Twins  ("Deep Wang, Deep Wang...") and the third act was EXHAUSTING-it's about the same as the first film, a 7.5-8/10.
    Onto the review! Again, spoilers throughout.

The Good:

1. The Human Characters: The human characters in this film are actually non-cringeworthy for once, and the actors can actually act! Wahlberg's Cade is a really strong character who, while being involved in the film seemingly by chance, he actually brings SOMETHING to the table in terms of his intelligence-he really is a well-rounded character. While some things may come off cliched, I really enjoy the interactions between cade, Tessa (Nicola Peltz) and Shane (Jack Reynor), as Cade goes from antagonistic towards the 'leprechaun' dating his daughter to truly including him as part of the family. T.J. Miller's Lucas provided the comic relief for the first part of the film, and despite his character's almost stoner-level awareness my heart was actually a tad displaced seeing him die. But by far, the standout human character is Stanley Tucci's Joshua Joyce-he is everything John Turturro's Agent Simmons was and more, combining suave sophistication and arrogance with exceptional comedic timing, and his turn to the 'good side' actually felt NATURAL. A pleasant surprise were the human villains Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) and Savoy (Titus Welliver)-both were ever-present throughout the film and I found them to be much more engaging (specifically Attinger) than the franchise's previous human 'antagonists' (i.e. Galloway, Dylan).
2. The Autobots: I LOVE the Autobots in this film. This isn't just 'Team Prime', a group used to functioning together who gel well as a team-these are the ragtag last survivors brought together by the need to survive, and often they don't quite get along. Optimus' murderous turn against the humans hunting them was both legitimately shocking, demonstrating the dark toll the last several years had taken on him, but also a very welcome character development. Bumblebee was...classic Bumblebee, the lighthearted joke-cracker who this time round took a bit more of a backseat (you know...he had no Sam to protect). Hound was less...'Hound' and more of a combination of Bulkhead and Kup, but he was a really loveable character and despite what some rumours say he does NOT die at the end. Drift was an interesting character, a very polite and honourable samurai figure, though I was a tad disappointed that his Decepticon past (at least traditionally) was not mentioned. I suppose the only one I didn't really gel with was Crosshairs, mainly because he was represented as power-hungry and disdainful of humans, which is not particularly appealing; I inderstand he was obviously meant to be that way, but let's face it-he's still a dick. Leadfoot gets a cameo being torn apart by the CIA team and Brains...appears and disappears, but definitely looks screwed up. Ratchet's final minutes were simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, as to the end he would fight the humans; his return as a melted head later on was even more of a kick to the feels.
3. The Voice Cast: Peter Cullen is on top form as always playing a darker and more emotionally-damaged Optimus Prime. Mark Ryan, who previosuly voiced the geriatric Jetfire in 'Revenge of the Fallen', adds genuine menace and a hint of ancient...ness to Lockdown. Frank Welker, despite his limited lines, is a coup as Galvatron-while he has voiced both Soundwave and Shockwave previously in the franchise, his obvious attempt to emulate the various Megatrons he has portrayed is definately something to appreciate. And then, the two star power voices-John Goodman as Hound and Ken Watanabe as Drift. Typically, with the exclusion of actors such as Hugo Weaving and Leonard Nimoy, characters have been voiced by barely-recognisable 'voice actors' instead of actual actors, so it is a really pleasant surprise to have Goodman and Watanabe voicing their characters. Goodman clearly has a lot of fun playing Hound and infuses him with endless charisma, while Watanabe helps to reflect the Asian influences for Drift's samurai character in a tasteful and reverent manner, much like the late Francesco Quinn's Dino in the previous film is not over-the-top-Italian.
4. Begone, Crude Humour and Racist Caricatures!: FINALLY-IT'S ALL GONE. The first trilogy (particularly the second and third films) excelled in creating truly juvenile and disgustingly crude 'humour' (the two dogs humping in the beginning of 'Revenge...', Wheelie doing the same to Mikaela's leg later in that film, 'Deep Wang' in the toilet stall in 'Dark...'), in addition to completely politically incorrect racial (or even just general) caricatures, including the likes of the Twins and Bruce (Sam's boss). This particular aspect is what makes those films hard to watch, however I was exceedingly pleased by the fact that it is all GONE in this film. It's as if taking 3 years to spurt out this movie smartened and matured Bay (or Kruger...) to the point he realised it was no longer funny, something the fans recognised immediately. There is a short scene aboard Lockdown's ship where Tessa has climbed onto a cage holding a disgusting alien, and the alien proceeds to wrap its tongue around her leg and near her crotch-however this is not focused on and is nowehere CLOSE to the horrors we were subjected to in the previous two films. As previously stated, Drift has been represented effectively and NOT as simply an 'Asian sterotype'-he is much more akin to Jazz and Dino than Skids and Mudflap. Ultimately, I am glad to see that the film takes itself a lot more seriously. 
5. The Special Effects: The special effects are impeccable-if there is one franchise with which you wish to show off your CGI prowess, the 'Transformers' franchise is an ideal one. Everything from Lockdown's ship to the environments to destroyed buildings to the robots themselves is rendered beautifully and looks immaculate. Oh, and the way the K.S.I-Bots transform is BREATHTAKINGLY awesome. This franchise relies on both heavy and frequent special effects such that they NEED to be top-notch for the film to be taken seriously.
6. The Fight Sequences: The fight scenes between both Cybertronian vs. Cybertronian and human vs. human are both amazing. Cade vs. Savoy in Hong Kong is an emotionally-charged fight that the viewer does in fact care about. The rather elongated-but-simultaneously-too-quick Optimus vs. Galvatron fight is interesting given the fact that Galvatron is essentially a reborn Megatron, which heightens the tension; the final battle between Optimus and Lockdown, in which other characters soon involve themselves, is a fitting conclusion that truly paints Lockdown as a formidable foe. This time around, Mr. Bay has enabled the viewer to actually SEE how his Bayformers were fighting-and it feels...good to be able to see every single punch.
7. The Score: A few reviews I have read have said that the score was quite forgettable, however I quite enjoyed it. I did miss the traditional Linkin Park song that I had grown used to, however 'Battle Cry' from Imagine Dragons -while of an entirely different tone-was quite enjoyable. The dramatic music heard in the trailers is dotted throughout the film, which pleased me greatly. I was very surprised and simultaneously giddy when, after giving up all hope that the film would attempt to connect to the first trilogy, the memorable 'Autobot theme' (though only part of it was used, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEL5atUKRZQ) can be heard when Optimus charges through the Nightship to free the Dinobots, and it contributes a lot of excitement to that scene.
8. The Plot: The plot itself is rather intriguing. A human black ops team indiscriminantly hunting ALL Transformers?  Humanity creating their OWN Transformers-though soulless, mindless drones-through the new substance known as 'Transformium'? The looming threat of mysterious 'Creators' wanting Optimus Prime returned to them? A struggling inventor and father trying to raise his daughter while, essentially, she also raises him? I mean there is so much meat to the plot that makes it interesting. The best aspect though is the idea that it actually deals with the consequences of the epic destruction from the previous film in a logical way-that kind of occupation is going to turn heads and piss people off, so it makes SENSE for humanity to turn against the 'bots.
9. The Setup: Potentially the most exciting aspect of this film is the sequel potential it sets up. On the one hand, you can look at the cosmic aspect: Lockdown's ship not only adds more intrigue to the Cybertronian mythos but also confirms the presence of aliens other than the Cybertronians in this universe. The aspect of the 'Creators' adds another extra layer to the mythology-let's be honest here though, these HAVE to be the Quintessons, as choosing any other race would be quite...stupid. Now from a more Earth-based context, the idea of humans creating their own Transformers sparked the random idea of the Headmasters-traditionally, Transformers would undergo 'binary bonding' with a humanoid character that would go to replace their head. In particular, the 'Transformers: Animated' TV series and some of the earlier IDW Transformers series' lay out the potential for human-based Headmaster technology. Just something I thought of.

1. Referencing the Past: I understand that this was, in essence, supposed to begin an entirely NEW trilogy-new cast, new style to the Transformers, etc; the returning characters Optimus, Bee, Ratchet, Brains, Leadfoot and Megatron (technically) are the only links we have to the previous trilogy. While I LIKE the idea of starting anew and going a different route, I think it just would've been nice to cameo at least one of three characters-Lennox, Epps and/or Simmons, particularly the first two. Given Cemetary Wind (the 'bot-hunting black ops team) was, in essence, a military operation, I would have appreciated seeing what either of their characters (probably Lennox more than Epps) would have had to say about it. Yes it would be 4-5 years after Chicago, but even in a cameo capacity I feel like Lennox's presence would've enabled the film to tie in a slightly stronger manner to the previous trilogy. I would have also been interested to see what happened to other Autobots such as Sideswipe, Dino and the other Wreckers in the same scene Optimus watched the deaths of Ratchet and Leadfoot-granted, it probably would've sent him into overload, but again I feel a slightly more tethered sense of continuity was needed.
2. The Style: This is going to be somewhat similar to my last point, but whatever. Despite the fact that they were beginning a new trilogy and 'starting anew' with this film, I was kinda hoping that things may remain similar to the previous trilogy-i.e., the opening. The first three films, we had a flashback to a long long time ago accompanied by Optimus' voiceover, followed by the transforming title card; in this, the title and subtitle come up separately over a shot of the 'Creator' ships flying over the Earth. It just...I like the new and different feel, but it is still a part of the same series and I would've liked it to reflect that a bit more. This is a truly infantismal gripe but one I wanted to bring up regardless.
3. The KSI-Bots/Vehicons/Drones: As I have previously mentioned, the concept behind these drones is very intriguing indeed, their transformation sequence moreso-while this is never really touched upon in the film, the moral implications of 'creating your own Transformers' are quite fascinating. However by the third act it becomes an unfortunate truth that these drones, who have no will of their own, are merely present in the film to give Galvatron (more on him next) an army to manipulate and serve as destruction fodder so that we get an epic 'final battle' sequence like the last few movies. Said battle is indeed exciting, but the drones are easily picked apart by the Autobots and stand no real chance.
4. Galvatron: Here's where things get interesting. I feel like he definitely needed to appear in this movie, and I liked the way the whole 'Unicron thing' was evaded and theybrought  Megatron back as Galvatron in a new and creative fashion (*coughs "Transformers: Animated" coughs*). I didn't have a problem with his Freightliner Argosy cab like some seem to, and I think it fits the character fine. Frank Welker did a great job of channelling not only HIS Megatrons but also that of Hugo Weaving, while keeping the character's voice distinctive. However, the single biggest issue I have with him is not even his fault-though he is obviously being set up as a villain for future sequels, he is literally nothing more than a GLORIFIED CAMEO in this film. The chase scene is cool and all, but his fight with Optimus is brief, and then he disappears for awhile to service the plot-this lasts until it's revealed he is in control of the drones and out of NOWHERE wants to use the Seed as a bomb to kill millions (though in all honesty neither he nor the drones really make a legitimate effort to get the Seed from Joshua). Even here he makes a FEW brief appearances on the battlefield before disappearing again, reappearing at the end with the typical "I will return!" bad guy schtick. In short, no matter how much I wanted him to be in the film, he was fairly pointless.
5. Lockdown: This is the main villain right here. Or at least he's supposed to be. Character-wise, I really enjoyed Lockdown-his clear disdain for both Autobots and Decepticons (despite being a Decepticon in prior incarnations) was a fresh change and implies a pre-War age for him, while he was also a menacing and formidable fighter. His all-consuming need to capture Optimus Prime is what drove the film's plot, and the mysterious nature of his employees (and the manner in which they employed him in the first place) surrounds the character in intrigue, something that the villain has never really had before. While he does receive a fair bit more screen time than Galvatron, he also suffers as a result of the bloated script-he disappears when the film needs to suddenly focus on K.S.I., reappears, and then it seems to take him just long enough to figure out Optimus is not on his ship, and then even longer to return, such as to give Galvatron's 'plot' screentime. He emerges out of nowhere in the final battle in an attempt to kill off Optimus, though proves his mettle when it takes a combined group effort to finally kill him. He was a very good, well-acted and intriguing villain who simply wasn't paid due justice by the script.

1. The Run-Time: Quick bit of Maths-the budget for this film is $165 million, and the running time is 165 minutes. That means that roughly $1 million is being spent per minute of filming, on average. That's just insane. To be perfectly honest, the film was too damn long and you could really sense where it sensibly SHOULD have ended-I feel like if a couple of things from the final hour were reshuffled to beforehand, the film should have ended with the Autobots/humans rescuing Optimus and Tessa from Lockdown's ship. This would have enabled a unique final battle, this time in the air (presumably this would be Optimus vs. Lockdown in the cabin of the ship), and in doing so spared the viewer a) more senseless city-destruction porn tryning to replicate that of 'Dark of the Moon' and b) a later point in this section. They have just tried to cram so much into this damn movie, as a result of the next point...
2. The Lack of Focus: This is my big, glaring, horrible issue with the film that spawns other issues. With the first trilogy, I felt as though the human cast was unfocused (we essentially had two sets that stayed apart for the majority of each film) while the story was fairly simple, with a single main objective; conversely, I feel like while in this film the human cast has been pared down well enough the story is just trying to do too many damn things! It wants to introduce you to Galvatron and set him up as a credible villain while straying from the central story of Lockdown capturing Optimus; no matter how much Galvatron should be in this film to continue the story of Megatron, it is quite clear which of the two actually fits better with the overarching ideas, and that is Lockdown. This is a very similar situation to my experience with 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', in which it felt as though Winter Soldier served very little relevance to the overall plot and, if he had been removed, the benefits to other villains Brock Rumlow (Crossbones!) and Alexander Pierce (no matter how generic and boring he is) would have been exponential, as the Winter Soldier plot thread would no longer be eating up their screentime. So yeah-if Kruger had attempted to focus more on what the real story should be, then we would have resulted in a much more cohesive movie that would be around half an hour or so shorter.
3. The 'Continuity Issues': So it took me a whole night, after watching the first three films, to sit down and figure out how the various evil plots across the films (AllSpark, Sun Harvester, Pillars) could have all 'fit together' properly (I used to think the whole plot of 'Dark of the Moon' convoluted things and created continuity issues with the evil plots of at least the second film). It made me happy to realise I'd finally figured all that out. Then, the tables were turned as the whole idea of 'Creators' was introduced to the mythology of Cybertron-for right now, everything is speculation, but I sincerely hope that Bay is not taking the 'semi-reboot' thing seriously, because you have a goddamn history to abide by man! My current theory is that the Creators (aka Quintessons) used the Seed to Cyberform a whole planet to create Cybertron, and needing to create a 'worker army', created/found/used the AllSpark to create this army, however the Dynasty of the Primes rebelled against them, drove them off, and then proceeded to continue about their business (this answers why it is Optimus Prime that is of such importance to Lockdown). But that's just MY theory.
4. The Dinobots: Yep, everyone's gonna be disappointed by the Dinobots. They don't speak, they're not named, and they simply run off into the distance at the conclusion of the film. You do see them a few times in robot mode tough, which is nice. Aaaaaanyway, the seeming ease with which Optimus a) finds them and b) convinces Grimlock to fight beside him is just laughable. They just HAPPENED to be in the portion of the ship you broke off? Great. The Dinobots are literally there to make the K.S.I. drones look even MORE incapable and easily-defeated/squashed/eaten, and serve no real important or substantial purpose in the film. It's not even like the explain WHY they're dinosaurs, or HOW Optimus knows of their legend. They are almost the literal definition of say...attaching dynamite to a nulear missile-last minute, unnecessary overkill. One thing I will say though is that they are gigantic and they are badass.
5. The Lack of Post-Credits Scene: The real reason I'm disappointed by this is because there were several people who had seen advanced screenings (not people I knew of course, people over the net on message boards) that explained both a mid and post credits scene, and I'd rather hope they didn't lie...it bugs me that certain regions don't appear to get particular scenes of the film, for WHATEVER reason. But why we wouldn't get the PCS I have no idea whatsoever. Supposedly had something to do with the Creators too.