Transformers: Dark of the Moon - (June 29th, 2011): PG-13
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $97,852,865
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $273,009,241
Gross Revenue: $679,221,956
Production Budget: $195 million
Director: Michael Bay
Prior to 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen, I actually had a favorable opinion of the Transformers franchise, but after watching Michael Bay take a creative idea and destroy it in the most idiotic and blatantly offensive way possible, I was ready to declare the franchise dead and buried. Not surprisingly though, with flashing lights and big robots, this science-fiction series still made millions and was able to justify the executive decision to push another sequel forward. Gratuitous merchandising and the expected partnership with Burger King aside, the biggest buzz-builder for Dark of the Moon involved the fact that series mainstay Megan Fox would not be reprising her role as the female lead and Shia LaBeouf’s love-interest. It was no secret that Fox and director Michael Bay clashed on the set of Revenge of the Fallen, but when Fox called Bay a “Nazi” in an interview, producer Steven Spielberg apparently picked up the phone and demanded her job. Well, after this decision to forego one of the biggest draws of the entire franchise and sacrifice what little appeal still existed, my expectations for Dark of the Moon hit rock bottom, so there was no possible way I could be disappointed at the theater…right?
I could spend pages explaining the Transformers franchise, but instead I am just going to assume that most of my readers are relatively familiar with the planet Cybertron and the ongoing battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Revising established history, Dark of the Moon opens in 1961 with a Cybertronian spacecraft crash-landing on the moon, setting off the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Fast forward to present day and Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is struggling to find work despite the support of his new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), all while the Autobots work with the U.S. Military to solve conflicts around the world. Soon enough, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Bumblebee, and the newly-resurrected Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy) discover that Megatron (Hugo Weaving) and the Decepticons are hatching a plan in collaboration with human power-players that will ultimately enslave humanity. With the help of old friends like Colonel William Lennox (Josh Duhamel), Chief Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson), and former Section 7 chief Seymour Simmons (John Turturro), Sam and Carly team with the Autobots to once again save the world.
Early promotions for Dark of the Moon were claiming that this newest sequel was one of the greatest action movies ever, and thanks to a truly kick-ass sequence that showcases a decimated Chicago cityscape for an extended portion of the film, I largely agree. Once the action starts, it just does not stop, with military skydivers gliding into battle, Decepticons destroying entire buildings, and Optimus Prime and Bumblebee completely decimating any Decepticon unlucky enough to cross their path…all in the 3D. Michael Bay usually gets so much grief for gratuitous explosions and obsessive showcasing of military weaponry, but this time around, he actually pulls off this eccentricity in a glorious fashion with considerable style. In terms of the humans present, Bay wisely toned down John Turturro’s screen-time, making him far less abrasive and annoying than he was in Revenge of the Fallen, while new cast additions Patrick Dempsy and Frances McDormand step out of their comfort zones and bring some character depth to the screen that has been conspicuously missing from this franchise for years. With these enjoyable sequences and characters, Dark of the Moon would have gotten a much higher rating, had it not taken over an hour for any of these impressive elements to surface.
In an attempt to make Dark of the Moon about more than giant robots beating the hell out of each other, Michael Bay attempted to flesh out a new chapter in the story of his series protagonist before jumping into the action, and he failed…miserably. In the first hour of this sequel, the film abandons any attempts at logic, humor, or cohesive storytelling, and for a while, it looked like Bay had made a sequel just as bad as Revenge of the Fallen. Though the story is just as culpable, I blame this nosedive in quality primarily on Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley; with all of his screaming, insecurity, and fidgety arrogance, it is hard to imagine why Shia LaBeouf is famous at all. As for Ms. Rosie, though she is nice to look at and wardrobe went out of their way to put her in dresses that accentuate the qualities that made her an underwear model in the first place, she still makes Megan Fox look like Meryl Streep in terms of acting ability…Michael Bay clearly picked his favorite out of the Victoria’s Secret catalog and then digitally removed the cue cards she was reading from during filming. I’m going to level with you, save yourself the embarrassment and show up to Dark of the Moon an hour into its run time; you will walk right into the action and not have missed a thing.
Despite some lackluster elements, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is still setting all kinds of records at the box office, even after an opening weekend just shy of $100 million. With a first-weekend worldwide total of $382.4 million, Dark of the Moon earned the second-largest opening of all time behind Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince…add that achievement to the fact that the film reached $500 million in worldwide receipts in just 9 days, and it is clear that audiences don’t care about the sub-par story or characters of this franchise in the least. When it comes to the future of the Transformers films, Michael Bay has gone on record saying that Dark of the Moon would be his last Transformers film, but Paramount has already announced that a fourth film will launch yet another trilogy, so we have not seen the last of the Autobots. Were I to give any recommendations to future filmmakers, I would simply argue that if they insist on parading around eye-candy with no discernible acting talent, they should at least stick with Megan Fox. It may not be perfect, but Dark of the Moon is still a tremendous improvement over its predecessor…were the film to be edited so that it just started with the Chicago battle sequence, ran an hour, and ended, it could be the greatest movie-going experience ever.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
