It Seems as if the Special Effects of of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” are More Centered-Upon than the Screenplay; as well as a Majority of the Performances
In the third installment of Director Michael Bay’s blockbuster franchise, Shia LaBeouf’s protagonist Sam Witwicky is living in a studio apartment with his new girlfriend Carly Spencer; played decently by model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington- Whiteley. Our male lead is expecting a visit from his over-protective parents Ron and Judy Witwicky, played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White respectively, who are strongly disappointed that their son has-yet to land a serious job. After a series of interviews, San Witwicky gets hired to work at a communications company called Accuretta; which is run by an eccentric employer named Bruce—played by John Malcovich in a surprising appearance. Meanwhile, the valiant Autobots are working with American soldiers in an effort to keep the world safe from danger. During an assignment at Chernobyl, the Autobots' strong leader Optimus Prime, voiced with great power by Peter Cullen, locates evidence of the ARC; a spacecraft from their home planet on the moon. During an inspection, they discover Centinal Prime; an Autobot leader that has been deactivated. They also notice The Pillars; which Centinal Prime has created in order to establish a bridge designed to convey material from two points. The Autobots bring Centinal Prime and The Pillars back to Earth; in hopes of being able to reactivate the former leader. At the same time, Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwiky is suspicious of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's boss Dylan Gould, played without any dynamic by Patrick Dempsey, who is constantly at her side. Following a tour of her company, LaBeouf's protagonist takes Huntington-Whiteley's character for a tour of his new job. Sometime later, a wormy co-worker named Jerry, played by Ken Jeong, in an unexpected appearance, approaches LaBeouf's hero in a men's room stall and gives him documents regarding the ARC. It turns out that Jerry has been working with them; and he is eventually killed by a Decepticon; that has actually been taking the form of his computer. The villianous robot then starts attacking the office; keading LaBeouf''s Witwhicky and Huntington-Whiteley's Spencer to make a hasty retreat.
Image taken from http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://0.tqn.com/d/scifi/1/0/A/K/0/-/watch-transformers-dark-of-the-moon-online.jpg&imgrefurl=http://scifi.about.com/od/Transformers-Dark-Moon-2011/ig/Gallery---Transformers--Dark-of-the-Moon---2011-/Shia-LaBeouf-as-Sam-Witwicky.htm&usg=__Z5cAjQHcKx8psTi34v5jvtxMAtE=&h=365&w=550&sz=56&hl=en&start=168&zoom=1&tbnid=cj5p8jpkp2iHwM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=167&ei=1OgZTvCgKuPh0QHF3KmXBQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Transformers:%2BDark%2Bof%2Bthe%2BMoon%2522%2B%252B%2BSHIA%2BLABEOUF%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D596%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=203&page=10&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:168&tx=144&ty=41
Following the attack, our heroes arrive at the Autobots' headquaters; where he meets with old friend Colonel Lennox-- once again played by Josh Duhmel in a very generic manner. They also meet Charolette Mearning, portrayed without any distinction by Francis McDermond, the Director of Central Intelligence, who does not approve of our male and female leads' presence. After being told of the reanimating of Centinel Prime, has brought about the Decepticons making their moves. However, it is later revealed that the former Autobot commander, voiced with extreme ferver by Leonard Nimoy, has an agenda that does not reflect the same intentions as those possessed by Opimus Prime and his teammates; thus leading to a series of events that prove to be very destructive and time-consuming. And, while all the special-effects are interesting, a majority of the film consists of not-so-stellar performances and assorted storylines that tend to be very convoluted and pointless.
When watching Director Michael Bay’s epic, the computer-imagry, while very fascinating and well-constructed, distracts you from the fact that there is no insightfulness present whatsoever. All your attention is completely drawn to the colossal, intergalactic, and automotive beings that are the Autobots and the Decepticons. They shape-shift from their giant robot-form into their designated vehicular mode—and vice versa— at a blink of an eye. And while these transformations are fascinating, seeing as how quick they chnage their mode of operation, many of the film's battle sequences between the two opposing sides take up much of the film's running time and end up quite redundant. These fight scenes drag on forever; thus possibly losing the audience's interest.
Image of Centinal Prime taken from http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLPskslDVKHjrMphM7Q7HyF0XJvpJkoVLNBtMst-JUNSR3lltVy9PGPfOOxmu7oTPrbhcYkkD9dJwv91M6C1zGGGYUjkDts4RmaxCD3llQCOKuw8bVjBchEjBNjnRQnNx3NSpyuP4MyA/s1600/Transformers+3+4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://brianvsmovies.blogspot.com/2011/07/transformers-dark-of-moon.html&usg=__ijirI9ytzfhp6k1CgEMdtiYMbT4=&h=438&w=700&sz=111&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=09zl7CmXX4dBIM:&tbnh=177&tbnw=255&ei=AOgZTtuoEqba0QGsp7WXBQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Transformers:%2BDark%2Bof%2Bthe%2BMoon%2522%2B%252B%2B%2522Sentinel%2BPrime%2522%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D596%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=188&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&tx=112&ty=17
Surprisingly, however, I will say that each of the robots are given a personality that truly defines who they are; thanks in large part to the voicework. For instance, Peter Cullen gives his heroic Autobot a very dependable and benevolent sensation; thus enabling moviegoers to cheer for him throughout the film. Also, actor Hugo Weaving provides a sinister and frightening aura for Megatron, the leader of the blood-thirsty Decepticons; thus making it more-than-evident that he is capable of unleashing severe damage onto the human race as well as the Autobots. Even Leonard Nimoy provides a thunderous performance to his on-screen-alter-ego Sentinal Prime; especially when his true objectives are revealed—thus allowing the audience to receive a complete shock. In other words, the voice actors give their respected characters the distinction they require in order to be completely effective.
Image of Optimus Prime taken from http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://fcdn.filmonic.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Optimus-Prime-Transformers-Dark-of-the-Moon.jpg&imgrefurl=http://filmonic.com/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-trailer&usg=__mnM8TXSc0RLfqXI89oiTcuNQ70s=&h=258&w=500&sz=62&hl=en&start=167&zoom=1&tbnid=T5Dc41xqtAd6HM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=181&ei=YucZTpbWA-630AHEqcmWBQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Transformers:%2BDark%2Bof%2Bthe%2BMoon%2522%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D596%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=328&page=10&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:167&tx=124&ty=19
But while the vocal performances are quite strong, a majority of the cast's performances are not so powerful. Thanks to the directing of Michael Bay, a majority of the performances are completely one-note and not at all real. For instance, Josh Duhamel delivers nothing special whatsoever to his reprisal as Colonel Lennox; as his character is nothing more than a basic army soldier—resulting in a strong lack of emotion whatsoever. Also, actor John Turturro gives an overly-cartoonish recital as Agent Seymour Simmons; a former agent who specialized in studying the destructive nature of the Decepticons. His character provides the comic relief for the film; but his efforts prove to be more annoying and you wish that he would tone down his behavior greatly. In addition, Patrick Dempsey provides a flat performance as Dylan Gould; the employer of Rosie-Huntington-Whiteley’s Carly Spencer. His performance in the film is the most disappointinl; seeing as his character proves to be essential to the overall point of the film. . Simply put, Michael Bay did not allow any of these actors a chance to really perform; seeing as the utilization of special effects was his chief goal for the film.
However, I will say that lead actors Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley work quite well together; thus turning in good performances. Just as he did in the previous two installments of the “Transformers” franchise, LaBeouf provides us with high-energy that makes his character’s frequent state-of-panic believable. In addition, the actor further strengthens his on-screen persona by displaying a sense of over-confidence; as he has now gained national recognition for saving humanity from the Decepticons twice before. In fact, it is important to say Shia LaBeouf is the best actor of the entire film; as we witness his ability to switch from an alarmed state of mind to a completely composed manner seemlessly. In other words, Shia LaBeouf is a very talented actor; and I wish that he would take more roles like his dramatic feat as aspiring business trader Jacob Moore in last year’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” I strongly recommend that you watch this movie; as you can see the actor give a performance that is even more memorable and dramatic than the one he gives under the guidance of Michael Bay.
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It is also necessary to say that Hollywood newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley gives an alright performance as Carly Spencer; the new girlfriend of Shia LaBeouf's protagonist. She exhibits fine chemistry with her male lead; and they possess the ability to match each other’s acting skills nicely. However, I will say that Whiteley did not work well with some of her fellow cast members; especially with Patrick Dempsey’s Dylan Gould— as their dialogue and interactions do not exhibit any flair and sincerity whatsoever. Hopefully, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley can stregthen her acting abilities in time for her next film; that way, her career will not be a short one. Overall, she gave a passable performance; but I'd like to see her in another film that does not rely on special effects. That way, we can make a full judgement concerning how good an actress she can possibly be. Nevertheless, while the special effects are intriguing, I find the chemistry between Rosie Huntingon-Whiteley and Shia LaBeouf, as well as the performances of the voice actors, to be the greatest aspects of the film.
And what was the worst component of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," you ask? Why, that would be the long-winded script that screenwriter Ehren Kruger wrote for this movie. Throhgout the motion picture, several plotlines come into place. For instance, we have the Autobots discovering Sentinel Prime on the moon and re-animating him; thus bringing about destructive consequences. We also see Shia LaBeouf’s character searching for a job; and eventually gaining employment. However, once the company is attacked, that entire storyline is abandoned. Furthermore, we also have the relationship between Patrick Dempsey’s and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s characters; leading to LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky's distrust as well. In addition, many robots are introduced throughout the film; leading us to lose track of which team they are on: Autobot or Decepticon. Throw in other subplots, such as John Turturro’s Seymour Simmons’ association with Francis McDormand ‘s Charlotte Mearning, and the return of Tyrese Gibson's Former Agent Roger Epps, who, by the way, delivers nothing special whatsoever to the film as well, and you got too much going on.
Ultimately, however, the whole purpose of this film is to depict the ongoing battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Unfortunately, with the presence of too many characters and plotlines, we just do not have enough time to center on the primary story as a whole. Maybe if Screenwriter Ehren Kruger and Director Michael Bay just kept the Autobots, the Decepticons, Sentinel Prime, as well as human stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Patrick Dempsey as the primary human adversary, we would have a much simpler and enjoyable adventure.
But, nevertheless, what we see is what we get. And, we are basically watching a two-and-a-half-hour commercial for a toyline that is sure to be doing very well in stores. And, seeing as there is going to be a fourth "Transformers" film, I have a feeling that we are going to see more of the same in the next couple years or so. Hopefully, Michael Bay could get his act together and create a quality film that contains a nicely-polished script and strong performances; thus establishing strong character development. However, with Shia LaBeouf reportedly being done with the entire franchise, I have a feeling that Bay is going to make the fourth installment even more storylines and add more characters as well; thus making the next chapter even more confusing and time-consuming. And that, my friends, is far more destructive than any giant robot.
E-0-mail me at thatsnatertainment@gmx.com
Great in depth review! You definitely covered the movie as a whole and helped people step away from the loud noises and explosions and see the movie 4 what it truly is!
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