Movie Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction

Transformers: Age of Extinction

The most bothersome aspect about Michael Bay’s fourth instalment of the Transformer franchise is the abundance of unfulfilled potential. The movie leaves a palatably harsh taste of money maker in your mouth, which is sad because the characters and the story could be so much more if they were allowed to live instead of merely function.

Age of Extinction is by far the darkest, most desperate storyline of the contemporary franchise. Following the invasion of Chicago all official human ties to the Transformers have been severed, official being the keyword in that phrase, and any remaining aliens are hunted and eliminated one by one.

Of course the hunting and eliminating would not be possible without the help of the ancient Transformer mercenary Lockdown (voiced by Mark Ryan), who in turn agrees to provide America the means to create their own army of Transformers, end the intergalactic war, and save countless American lives. The fact that achieving this goal will cost a couple thousand more lives and Chicago (again) does not even enter into the equation.

In previous movies, the unwavering confidence that Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and his ragtag team of Autobots would emerge victorious is supplied by the adamantine courage and determination of the human military. Take that away and the movie becomes vulnerable, as if even in their shiny new cars Prime and the Autobots are wandering around naked. Even Prime backs down and leaves when told by Joshua Joyce that he and his alien companions are out-of-date and unneeded.

But the real reason you feel sorry for the Autobots, and the movie in general, is because there is only a superficial layer of care for all the subtlety of character and nuances of theme that should have been explored. The “could have been” or “should have been” moments were much more prevalent than the moments that actually were. Take Prime’s moral dilemma to leave or help the humans: a mere passing thought in between explosion sequences. Ask yourself why there is so much conflict among the surviving Autobots, and never receive an answer. Wait in anticipation for over two hours for the arrival of the Dinobots; now watch as they trample off into the sunset thirty minutes later without Grimlock issuing one arrogant challenge to Prime. Progress, change, evolution, upgrading were all major themes and yet not one of the characters did that except to copy the latest car model.

As fun as these movies are they are reaching the point where they truly need to start living up to their iconic motto. I will always pay money to see giant robots from my childhood come alive on the big screen and throw down all over an overpopulated city. But now I want to see why there is more to them than meets the eye and not just be told that there is, like a parent patting their child on the head and saying “Because I said so.” Hopefully as the franchise continues to grow it does not forget to take its characters and themes with it.     

Overall Rating: 7.0 out of 10