Transformers: Age of Extinction - Film Review

The Transformers film franchise has divided opinion. The majority of critics hate it, mostly pointing the finger at director Michael Bay. However the films have made over $3 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises of all time, on a level with Pirates of the Caribbean. I really enjoyed the first Transformers film. The special effects were great and it was a proper big summer action blockbuster where you could fill your face with popcorn and make a massive mess all over the floor. Then it dramatically it went downhill. The 2nd film was a trip to the toilet after having a bad kebab and the 3rd film was just about watchable. They were far too long, a stupid cheesy script, crappy acting and storyline that had been recycled from the first film. Two proper cash grabs. But the public still liked them and they still want more. Maybe people just like the same repetitive film over and over again. Transformers 4 however was looking a different prospect. Shia LaBeouf has been ditched for Mark Wahlberg to lead a brand new cast included the talented Stanley Tucci. So was this a new fresh start that might see the critics persuaded to get on board the Transformers train? Ermmmm..........no.

The big selling point is that people want to see the Transformers fight in big action scenes and that aspect of the film was really impressive. The CGI was brilliant at times. There's a very talented special effects team which Michael Bay has at his disposal, so big thumbs up to them. I was delighted that Mark Wahlberg replaced Shia LaBeouf as the leading actor. If I had to listen to LaBeouf scream OPTIMAAAAASSSS or BUMBLE BEEEEEEE again I would have cringed so hard into my seat that my face would get buried into my knee caps. Mark Wahlberg on every level is so much better. He has the presence and charisma which was missing from the previous films and he actually uses some weapons, so he doesn't stand there really awkwardly and watch the action bypass him unlike LaBeouf''s character. Wahlberg plays an inventor, who is down on his luck and inadvertently buys Optimus Prime. The government are on hunt for the Transformers after the destruction of Chicago in the previous film and now Wahlberg and the Autobots have to escape from the government as well as fighting off the Decepticons. Sound familiar? Because it's exactly the same storyline as the last 3 films! We've seen the corrupt government storyline before. It's such lazy filmmaking and Michael Bay knows it. The film is ridiculously over the top. I know it's meant to be like that but the amount of explosions in this film is unreal. Everything in sight explodes. Film lovers know Michael Bay likes his explosions but this was his own wet dream. I like explosions but when they're constantly getting shoved into your face, you just get sick and tired of the same routine. I reckon secretly he's a pyromaniac. The script was horribly cheesy and may as well been from a bad 1990's action film. Bay tried to throw in his style of humour as well, which isn't funny at all by the way, and you could see the actors were battling to somehow make the dialogue sound reasonable but not even the quality of Stanley Tucci could pull it off. When the Transformers came on screen, it was a completely different story. Watching them battle it out was really entertaining. Optimus Prime riding a DinoBot into action was exciting even if it was only for a brief time. It was frustrating to watch because the Transformers were great but the human side of the film again was terrible. If only we could have a badass Transformers film with just them in it, sod the humans! I blame this all on one man, Michael Bay. Get rid of him and bring in another director that might actually make a quality Transformers film. The potential is there.

Transformers: Age of Extinction sadly gets an extra Michael Bay overdose and that unfortunately ruins what could have been a decent film. Mark Wahlberg is solid as the lead and the Transformers are by far the biggest plus point of the film. The action sequences are terrific and fun to watch but the idiotic script and humour drag the film down like an anchor. The film is way too long for it's own good and the films repetitive set up gets tiring and boring. If you haven't seen Transformers, get the first one on Blu Ray. Watch it at home because it's by far the best film of the franchise and you can have plenty of fun with that. Don't waste your money on this one.

4/10