Transformers

I was deprived as a kid, and never really got to watch Saturday morning cartoons (among other things). Ok, so I really think it was probably good for me to not spend the whole day in front of the TV, but I did miss out on some notable cultural icons of the 80s, like the Smurfs, He-Man, and Transformers. My brother did have a Transformer, though, although I don't remember which one it was. I think it might have been a fire truck.

But when my husband said he wanted to go see Transformers in the movie theater, on July 4th, I was excited. Seeing movies with huge special effects in the theater is always pretty cool, and the way the Transformers, um, transformed in the previews looked sweet.

In short, I really liked the movie. I didn't go in with high expectations for plot, dialog, or acting, and I was pleasantly surprised on all three fronts. Yes, the plot is basic action-movie fare, but it's easily understandable, and there aren't many details that fall through the cracks. My only big complaint about the plot was near the end, when the army guys decide to take the battle to a nearby city. It's not clear to me why that move was necessary, except perhaps that smashing big buildings with robots makes for better special effects that simply having robots fight in the desert--clearly a choice motivated purely by plot.

I also thought the dialog was pretty funny. Maybe I was feeling generous that day, but the corny one-liners that the movie delivered struck me as a step up from where they could be. The Autobots in particular (they're the good Transformers) were pretty funny, especially in the scene when they go to Sam Witwicky's house and stomp all over his dad's lawn. This point might be debatable, since my husband didn't find the stupid humor nearly as funny as I did.

And finally, the acting was good, particularly Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, the teenage guy who gets caught up in the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons because his grandpa discovered the Autospark and Megatron when he explored the North Pole. He did a great job making his character relatable and likeable, nerdy but cool, cute but not like he was trying to be. Megan Fox, who plays the hot girl (I don't even remember what her character's name was supposed to be) was convincing as the hot girl, but her character could have been improved by casting someone in the role who had more than one facial expression. Oh, and I was confused about who the brainy hot chick at the CIA was, particularly why she had such a crazy accent.

Hmm...maybe there are more plot glitches than I initially thought. It didn't really take away from the enjoyment of the movie thought, so it's ok.

The real stars of the movie, though, were the Autobots themselves. They're funny, they're good-looking (all the good robots are hot sports cars or sleek shiny trucks), and they really care about humans. The bad Transformers were cool, too, but you lacked the emotional connection with them. So when one of the Autobots gets hurt, and another looks like he might have to die, you get concerned. You love these robots and the way that they can effortlessly transform between one shape and another. You love that they're willing to give up their own future so that the human race can survive. Even though the movie was long--over 2 hours--I never got bored watching the transformations from machine to robot. It was extremely cool, and a lot of fun.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5