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Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Daniel's Review
Oh boy, is this going to be a long review.
First off, summary on the first three ‘Transformers’ films. I enjoyed the first film, hated the second and the third was okay. How does ‘Age of Extinction’ hold up?
My answer, ‘Revenge of the Fallen’.
The fourth instalment in the massively successful ‘Transformers’ franchise opens in Texas where we see Cade (Mark Wahlberg), an inventor who wants to make a hugely successful invention, in order to pay for his daughter’s college funds for next year. He finds an old rusted truck one day in a garage sale at a movie theatre. Why was a truck inside a movie theatre? I don't know, to tell the story. Anyway, Cade embarks on repairing the truck, only to find a weird stress signal and comes to realise, he has just found a Transformer. But, the age of the Transformers is over, as the government wants to turn off all Transformers on Earth, and that is the best I can summarise up this movie.
Best synopsis ever!
The visual effects is great and impressive, a scene or two are very flat and looks strange compared to the other effects, as they seem unfinished and unpolished, but others are technically visually brilliant, as the action scenes are pretty cool looking, but it does get repetitive and uninteresting, especially as this film’s third act starts.
The acting performances are fine, with some overacting, but Mark Wahlberg was pretty good and I even have to give Stanley Tucci some credit as he was the highlight of the cast from the film, but not even the acting can save this movie from bad writing with bad humour.
But forget character development, these characters aren’t that interesting as they are one-dimensional characters. Wahlberg’s character is the most likeable and somewhat developed as his intentions of trying to protect his family does come out as relatable.
The film’s problems are the story, as it makes no sense to me, or maybe this film had a higher intelligence that I couldn't comprehend with or I simply missed something.
While this film has some visually impressive action scenes with some fine acting performances, everything else about ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ is simply a mess.
And the most unnecessary slow-motion you will ever see in a movie, guaranteed.
Score: 1.6/10
Published: July 17th, 2014
Details
Review
Release Date: June 25th, 2014
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Runtime: 165 mins
Rated: M
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Nic's Review
A few days ago, I wrote a review for 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes', championing it as an example of what sci-fi blockbusters should be. Smart, socially aware, and exciting, I argued that it offered an antidote to what the blockbuster had become today. Well, if 'Apes' is the antidote, 'Transformers: Age of the Fallen Moon' (I can't even tell the difference between these movies anymore) is the poison. It epitomises everything wrong with the Hollywood blockbuster model of today, when 'Apes' highlights everything right about it. I don't think I've seen a more boring, bloated, generic, dumb, confusing etc blockbuster than 'Age of Extinction' since...well since 'Revenge of the Fallen' and even then I'm not sure which is worse. Michael Bay has stopped trying- scratch that; he stopped trying three movies ago. Now he is deliberately driving these films ('films'! Ha, what a joke!) into the dirt.
'Age of Extinction's' plot is laughably bad; it is so confusing and illogical, it makes Playschool's story time segments look like postmodernist art. Then there's the wooden acting. At least Mark Wahlberg tries his...I'm sorry, I couldn't finish that sentence. But, in all seriousness, I don't understand how dialogue can be written so generically that it's hardly the actors' fault that their performance comes off badly. The terrible, over-the-top sexist objectification of Nicola Peltz's character is egregious, to say the least. If you don't realise how sexist her portrayal is you are either a blind man or a sexist too. Sorry, sexists.
The mindless explosions are to be expected but even still, they seem so excessive. A bullet hits the ground and ten-metre high showers of fireworks erupt from the earth. And this is just the tip of the iceberg (bad cliché is bad but it is suitable in a review for a movie this full of bad...everything).
Cinematographic errors abound, the new characters are boring, both human and robot, the motives that drive the plot make no sense and even the one thing I expect to be sound in a 'Transformers' movie, the special effects, sometimes appear hilariously cheap. You'll know what I mean when you see it, but then, if you're reading this before you see the movie, you won't see it at all. Or I hope you won't or I'm wasting my time here.
Did I mention how bad the story is? I did? I'll say it again. There is nothing intelligent about 'Transformers: Age of Extinction'.
Bay has outdone himself in stupid blockbustery. How is this movie even making money, when excellent cinema like 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' and 'Edge of Tomorrow' barely makes its budget back?
The one credit, the only credit, I can give this film is that the Dinobots look pretty cool. But then Bay gives them so little to do and so little reason to exist, like everything else in the movie.
In summary, this is the kind of blockbuster that is the reason we can't have nice things. It is the antithesis to the slew of fantastic big-budget films we've had since 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' hit screens. And yet, it is going to end up the highest grossing film of 2014.
All I can wonder is: why?
Score: 2/10