Hollywood is well known for beating dead horses, but with the "Transformers" franchise, Michael Bay started beating a dead horse before the first movie hit theaters. Can Michael Bay beat one last magical race out of the series or is "Dark of the Moon" just a zombie ready to eat up your time?
The story of "Dark of the Moon" is...well let's face it: we don't care about the story. Sam (Shia LaBeouf) returns, this time fresh out of college, but he still doesn’t connect with the audience in any meaningful way. What drives the film forward is the Decepticon invasion of the entire earth. The film wants you to believe it can be stopped, but it's clear early on that it can’t. It's all just passable. You won't love the plot, but you won't hate it either.
One thing that really kills the story is the overabundance of characters in the film. Almost every character from the first films returns, with a generous helping of new ones also thrown in. The reality is that it just becomes a movie about extras. I can't help but wonder — if we had spent the full 157 minutes with only the pivotal characters, could this story have been something special?
It's ok though, this is a Michael Bay film. As long as the jokes are funny and the actions explosive, we have a great popcorn piece. This film delivers on both, but there's still something missing. While early battles are well crafted, they are brief and infrequent, and later battles are chaotic and sometimes hard to follow. The final fight is so long you'll find yourself bored with the action. But have no fear, the robots look amazing and there are plenty of explosions.
Ehren Kruger writes a decent script. Many of the jokes had me laughing so loud I missed other bits of dialogue. The characters are less obsessed with sex humor this time around and they also interact more smoothly. Sadly, a lot of the biggest plot points come off cheesy. It also doesn't help that facts established in previous films have been abandoned to make this story flow better.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley more than fills Megan Fox's shoes as Sam's girlfriend. Although she is given very little to do, she does it well. She does seem to be oddly comfortable with many of the events around her, but that has more to do with the script than her acting. In scenes where she takes a more active part she really shines, but the film usually fails to do her justice.
I honestly wish I could give "Dark of the Moon" higher marks. It repairs a lot of the damages of the second film and has some genuinely enjoyable moments, but it still seems like the franchise should have ended after the first film. There was potential here for a film that could have redeemed the series, but it gets bogged down with useless characters and a ponderous plot to live up to expectations. It's a fine popcorn film for action fans, but don't expect to leave the theater in awe.
Two "Autobots" out of Five
Written By Chris
Edited by Aaron
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