Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction

 

It has been four years since we last saw Optimus Prime et al, and it's all change for the humans and Autobots.

A billboard referring to the attack in Chicago is one of the very few references to the original trilogy. There is no mention of Sam Witwicky and his adventures in the previous movies which, considering some of the plot points of the film, seems very unbelievable.

Instead we have a brand new human cast led by Mark Wahlberg as failed inventor Cade Yeager. Although playing a similar type of character to Shia LaBeouf, i.e., a lovable loser, Wahlberg is a much stronger and more charming lead. In fact the rest of the cast, although all new actors to the franchise, do not deviate from the Transformers mould. For example Stanley Tucci fills the void left by John Turturro's Agent Simmons by providing both an antagonist and comic relief. We also have the an evil, shadowy, suited, black ops cliché... I mean agent, in the shape of Kelsey Grammer (using his Sideshow Bob voice). There is also the usual young female, this time portrayed by Nicola Peltz, who does little more than cry, run and pose in tight shorts. Indeed, there are no strong, independent female characters which is just another theme that has been carried over from the previous three films.

But, let's face it, nobody watches these films for the human element; it's all about the enormous alien robots. The Autobots have also had an overhaul with only Bumblebee and Optimus Prime remaining from the original robotic cast. Of the rest, we have some not so familiar faces with some very familiar voices (including John Goodman and Ken Watanabe). And let's not forget the long awaited debut of the Dinobots, although you'll have to wait for two hours before they finally hit the screen.

The story is simple; the Autobots are now being hunted by humans and go into hiding. This is where Wahlberg's character comes into the mix as he finds, and later befriends, Optimus Prime. There is also the matter of an inter-galactic bounty hunter and the creation of man-made Transformers; somehow they all manage to connect up.

The run time of 165 minutes feels far too long yet there are some questions that are never really answered (where the hell is Sam being a big one). I can understand wanting to move on but would the Autobots really just forget about their greatest human ally?

With so many elements, this could easily have been made into two separate films, allowing for more character development. However, as the beginning of a new trilogy, there is the hope that everything will be explained better in the second and third films.

There is nothing complicated about a Michael Bay film; car chases, fights, explosions and some very childish humour. Transformers: Age of Extinction is no exception. The film is overly long and there was not enough in it to keep me enthralled for such a length of time. I'm afraid to say this was a case of style over substance where not even a giant, robotic dinosaur was enough to save the day.