Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon - Review

I have finally had the change to watch Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon.

First of all, my thoughts, and my opinions as well, are coming from a certain mindset; that the first movie was very enjoyable, and decent, and that the secdond film, while containing a few fantastic moments, was not a good film as a whole.

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon, had a long, long way to go, to, at least to me, redeem the Transformers movie francise from Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon, was a fantastic film.

Where does the key difference lie?

In two parts.

The first, the story. Without a doubt, the most important component of any film, the story for Dark of the Moon, is solid, and well thought out.

The second, the characters; who this time around, are the Transformers themselves.

The Transformers take center stage, finally, after two films, and truly shine.

There are new characters, and old friends; all of them, this time, feel as if you could know them, as if you could talk with them.

It's a vast improvemnt compared to the second installment.

I'll go over the basics in this order: acting and characters, story, special effects, and over-all.


My thoughts on the acting:

The robots have some new actors as well returning friends. Sideswipe, the corvette, is given two sequences to shine, and the Wreckers, consisting of Roadbuster, Topspin, and Leadfoot, steal the show in the brief sequeneces in which they appear, as does Dino, the Ferrari.

The actors portraying the robots, were also fantastic. Peter Cullen's Optimus Prime, has remained a solitary fixture which the film surrounds. He places into Prime's portrayal a sense of dignity, and respect, that is seldom found in an action film; somehow, making it so much more.

Leonard Nimoy's Sentinel Prime, was equally astounding; it was a joy to listen everytime he spoke.

James Remar brought a sense of fun to Sideswipe, as well as a note that the Transformers do pay attenion to the cultures of Earth.

George Coe's Q was touching, despite Q's limited screentime.

Jess Harnel's Ironhide was fantastic, and Francesco Quinn's Dino was highly enjoyable.

Frank Welker did an incredible job with his duel roles of Soundwave, and Shockwave. Soundwave's menacing tones, and Shockwave's emotionless garble were both terrifying, and brought the characters to life.

Keith Szarabajka's Laserbeak was eerily creepy, and, at times, downright chilling.

Ron Bottitta and John Di Maggio as the Wreckers Roadbuster and Leadfoot, were just plain fun.

Charlie Adler's Starscream was fun, with an incredle performance to back him up.

Robert Foxworth's Ratchet provided a comforting presence amoungst the chaos of the battles.

Tom Kenny's Wheelie, and Reno Wilson's Brains, are both useful, and, surprisingly, not annoying as they can at first appear to be.

Finally, Hugo Weaving's Megatron was a fascinating portrayal, filled with varying emotions.


Now the humans.

Shia Lebouf turned in a credible performance. Lacking the dull surprise that he carried throughout Revenge of the Fallen, Sam Witwicky is an actual person in Dark of the Moon; frustrated, depressed, and determined, he runs a spectrum of emotions, and comes across as an actual human being.

Rosie Huntington-Whitely as Carly was also a pleasant surprise. For a person who has never acted before, she handled the role well, and is off to a strong start as an actress.

John Tuturro was a lot of fun as Agent Simmons, bringing a sense of warmth and fun to the role.

Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel portray the soldiers Epps and Lennox well, coming across as professional, and reliable.

Patrick Dempsey does a fantastic job at making you hate his character of Dylan Gould, a fine performance.

John Malkovich was incredibly entertaining as Bruce Brazos, again, a fine performance.

Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Ron and Judy Witwicky felt very real, and beliveable.

Finally, Buzz Aldrin was a joy to see.


Now the story; writer Ehren Kruger has done a the Transformers justice at last, ensuring their screentime is equel to that of their human co-stars. The plot contains a few fantastic twists and turns, and is highly coherant, making certain that most small details are not left out. Friendship, adventure, mystery, tension, and surprise are all words that describe the various portions that are bound together to weave the story. Borowing elements from two stories from the original Transformers animated series, (specifically, Megatron's Master Plan, and, The Ultimate Doom), and mixing in the timeline of historical events, Dark of the Moon's story is a strong and surprising tale of good vs. evil, exactly as it should be.

From the sinister and disturbing Laserbeak, to the heroic Optimus Prime, the characters feel as if they have actual motivations and purposes. Without the Wreckers, the Autobots can't get to Chicago, without Carly, the final battle may end quite differently. Each character serves a purpose, has a reason for being, and this makes Dark of the Moon stand above other action films.

When it comes to special effects, Ehren Kruger's work is backed-up by the incredible talent of ILM, whose stunning work allows the Transformers to exist, and interact with the worl around them. The fluidity of their movement, the small details of gears, lights, and of course, the astonishing transformations, all play a part, in making Dark of the Moon an actual film, rather then "just a movie".

Summing up, after Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, I was incredibly jaded about the Transformers films. This film has managed to revive the magic of the first live-action film, With an emotional, engaging story, Dark of the Moon manages to be more than just explosions and fire; in fact, I would say, that surprisingly, it's more than meets the eye.