Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Michael Bay is all about the effects, and honestly, I don’t mind that. Some of the action scenes in this movie must’ve been insane on the big screen. But outside of the action? It was absolute nonsense, almost unmatched in its ridiculousness. And the characters—everyone seemed to be acting like a complete idiot. I could tolerate it in the first movie, but this one was just wild. I love a good blockbuster, but Transformers just isn’t for me. (07/08/2012)

What have I learned this time thanks to Hollywood? 1) There is no negotiating with enemies; enemies get shot. 2) If you have the screenplay for a sci-fi C-movie, not even a 200-million-dollar budget will help you. Leave a bit of that out and this would be so bad that it’s actually entertaining. That’s a shame. The less polished War of the Worlds now looks like the sci-fi action movie of the year. The positive: LaBeouf, some of the action scenes, Bay’s absurd fondness for shiny things costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The negative: everything else. 55% (27/06/2011)

Bringing epic trilogies to a close is traditionally a thankless job. Michael Bay managed to bring Optimus, Bumblebee, and the other Autobots to the end of their journey in the weakest installment, but that's no disgrace after the mesmerizing first film and the fairy tale-mythological sequel. The third Transformers film is occasionally funny, occasionally not so much, occasionally frightening, but above all, so grandiose from about a third of the way through the running time that it almost tears apart all your senses. What unfolds in Chicago is an audiovisual experience that leaves the viewer stunned the whole way home. But what elevated the entire trilogy for me is mainly the fact that this story was never about the largest amount of scrapped metal. Yes, it will always be a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, but many people forget that amidst all the adventure, a young boy became all grown up. The one who first rode in a yellow Camaro three films ago and as a result ultimately saved the world... three times. (12/07/2011)

I will divide Transformers 3 into three parts: 1) the dialogues, 2) the action set pieces (the motorway and the skyscraper), and 3) the remaining filler. Thumbs up for 2), but for 1) and 3) Bay deserves to have his ass kicked. Otherwise, I hope that this third part puts an end to this insult to science fiction (yeah, I know, I don’t have to watch it, but as a sci-fi fan, I was again unable to listen to the warnings that said: “Don’t watch this bullshit!”). (29/12/2011)

Less Bay, more Emmerich, or else, out of the frying pan and into the fire. But still easily the best part of the trilogy. And, despite the first half, where there’s a lot of “face-making doubling as humor". But in the second, purely action half, Bay pulled himself together in terms of editing and shaky camera, left out all the “jokey" moments (not even the parents or Turturro get a look after the switch to Chicago) and rolls out one epic scene after another, or rather one hour-long scene. Which is paradoxically a big problem, because so much happens at once and non-stop, without any calmer interjections for a rest, that after a few (ten, twenty...) minutes, you can’t help getting fed up and stupefied. And that’s a shame, because more than one part deserves to be relished; particularly the escapades during the escape from the collapsing skyscraper. Again a confirmation of the hackneyed expression that less is often more. (29/06/2011)