um..thanks

but, in the game the "Dino" they call it "Mirage"... 

 

Okay guys, I'm going to give my incredibly long review. Be warned.

I'll start off with a list of good points and bad points:

B1) Too Long.
When I first heard critics talking about how long it was, I was like "silly critics, can't hold your pee?". But then I saw it and struggled to hold my urine for two hours. I also began to check my watch around the time Barricade (yay!) got sniped. The Chicago battle just dragged on and on. Several scenes could have easily been omitted for time, as this was almost grueling.

B2) Worthless Characters (re: CARLY).
Yes, Michael Bay, Rosie is very pretty, but we don't need a pan-up of her body every ten minutes. Her "introduction" was ridiculous. Not to mention Rosie is a horrible actress, but I expected that much. Her character served no purpose aside from being a sex object and a damsel for Sam to save. Hate to say it, but I kind of wish Megan wouldn't have left. Even her [very] limited acting skills would be preferable, despite her plastic looks.

Also, Malkovich needed more screentime. Better yet, he should've switched roles with Dempsey; he'd make a perfect Dr. Arkeville. Jerry Wang (I refuse to call him "deep"), while not as bad as I expected from all the criticism, was still unnecessary.

B3) Give the Robots Some Character, Please.
Probably one of the most memorable scenes from the film was the "Mexican Standoff" between Ironhide and Sideswipe and Crowbar and Crankcase. Why? Because you actually felt like the Autobots were characters and not plot devices. Ironhide had his distinct personality that was only touched on in the previous films, and while Sideswipe still didn't get characterization per se, he still felt like a living, sentient being. Unfortunately, that's more or less all we get outside of the two Primes and arguably Bumblebee.

Starscream's role was, I admit, decent. He had a great many lines and he did stuff. But he wasn't Starscream. Starscream is Megatron's treacherous second in command, always looking for a way to usurp his leadership. Here we have a cowardly, sychophant slave to Megatron. Not even a hint of the trademark treachery that comes with the territory (which, I will say, was greatly fleshed out in Reign of Starscream). His death didn't bother me too much, but he did go out like the weakling he is. I did see it as rather fitting, though, because Sam and Starscream always seemed to have a grudge throughout the trilogy.

Dino looked cool. His voice was pretty neat. He probably would've been better named Mirage, but that's behind us now. Other than that, he's Sideswipe. They're like clones; cool car, cool blades, likes to fight.

The rest I was actually surprised with. Ratchet got a decent amount of screentime and a few lines. Que I actually quite liked (I like this name better, as well, considering the character) and he had some good lines. The Wreckers, as well, despite they were never named. Shockwave I wish had lines, but he did what he needed to do; throw off the audience from the real villain. Soundwave was fine, but again, had no personality.

B4) HE'S LEONARD NIMOY. WE GET IT.
Seriously. We don't need a quote ripped from Star Trek to remind us. (Though the foreshadowing at the beginning was great.)

B5) All the "Wait, what?" Moments.
Cybetron's a gaint honeycomb? Starscream can't just pull the thing out of his eye? Cybertron appearing in Earth's orbit doesn't affect the planet's gravitational pull, etc. at all? The space bridge cuts Cybertron in half but then magically reconnects it? The Decepticons want to use humans as a slave force, despite obvious disadvantages? Megatron randomly blurts out something about a truce? Where the heck did Brains come from? Wheelie and Brains died despite the ship taking very little damage and crashing into water? The glider suits can navigate through buildings? Megatron functions just fine with a huge gash in his brain? ARGH.

B6) Oh Megatron, How You Have Fallen.
Ugh, I was really hoping Megs would redeem himself from ROTF. He has a pretty neat introduction, but did nothing else throughout the movie except his crappy death. Which leads us to...

B7) The Final Battle.
I'm going to say it now: the book's ending was better. However, I see now why it wouldn't have worked. The movie didn't get Megatron's internal monolouge throughout the story like the book did, where it foreshadowed his turnaround at the end. In the film, that would have just been silly. But why the heck did he just randomly spout "I WANNA TRUCE"?! It's like they wanted to keep that plot point, but they had to have Optimus kill Megatron. It didn't make sense in the context, and it was just silly. I did like the "What would you be without me, Prime?" "It's time we find out." Aaaand then he went down like a weakling. At least Starscream lasted longer...

B8) Optimus Prime.
He ripped Shockwave's throat out of his neck. He ripped Megatron's spine out of his body with his own head. He brutally killed Sentinel by spamming him with a shotgun. All with one arm. I know he's supposed to be the unstoppable badass, but "We'll kill them all."? Really? That's not what you're supposed to hear from the noble Autobot leader. I wouldn't be surprised if he kept Megatron's head, Shockwave's eye, and Sentinel's helmet for his trophy collection.

B9) WHERE WAS THE BLOODY PLAYGROUND SCENE?!
WHERE WAS IT?

But now for the good parts.

G1) G1.
We got some pretty cool and pretty obviously intentional G1 references here. The Autobots being forced to leave is from "Megatron's Master Plan" (as well as Megs jacking Lincoln's chair), and Cybertron brought into Earth's orbit is right out of "The Ultimate Doom". It was pretty neat to see those ideas put into the film (despite how the latter didn't really make sense).

And Laserbeak totally perched on Soundwave's arm like he always should. Too bad he didn't perch on Megatron's shoulder...

G2) Finally, Some Character!
We finally get some good robot-to-robot interaction. The Mexican Standoff Scene, the execution of Que, the Primes talking; all good examples of making the Transformers feel like characters and not plot devices, as I mentioned above. It also made for a pretty emotional impact when Sentinel betrayed them and killed Ironhide. If only more of that was in the previous three films...

G3) Oh Hai Barricade.
Glad we finally got closure on the character. Kinda wish Bumblebee was the one to take him out, but I'm glad they took the time to actually put him in (and where he's clearly recognizeable as the character) and not just a random generic.

G4) Sentinel Prime.
The main thing about this character that I liked was how sudden and unexpected the betrayal was. If you hadn't seen spoilers, you had to have been surprised (I rather wish I hadn't read the novel beforehand). Plus, Leonard Nimoy had a great voice for him. I wouldn't have chosen any other VA.

Oh, and the foreshadowing was perfect.

Spoiler

"Oh, I seen this one. It's the one where Spock goes crazy."

G5) Laserbeak Will Haunt My Nightmares.
Let's face it, Laserbeak was frickin' scary. It wasn't his look that made it so, no, it was the voice. That voice. Even a small pink Bumblebee only increased the creep factor when you realize he murdered a little girl and her family. "Is your daddy home?" That made me shudder. Loved the character for it, though.

G6) The CGI.
The only time where I could call out the special effects for looking obviously fake was the CGI'd JFK towards the beginning. Sam flying through the air as well, but to a lesser extent. Everything else was undeniably gorgeous.

G7) The Fights.
While I still think the Autobots are excessively brutal, it makes for a great show. The movements looked natural and you got a sense of scale and you really felt the impact of every punch. It was quite the thrill.

G8) Wheelie and Brains.
While I still think it was unwise to remove the Twins (all due to their original death scene), their replacement duo of Brains and Wheelie work well as toned-down Twins. Kenney's voice work was great as usual, though it took time to get used to Brains's voice and look. Just... don't ask about where Brains came from. Ugh...

G9) Trash Haul and Four-Legged Wheels Guy.
In case you didn't catch it, a Long Haul-model Decepticon grunt jumped out of the space bridge and scanned the first vehicle he saw: a WM garbage truck. There was also the random but very unique four-legged guy with a whole bunch of wheels that looked so awesome. Who are these guys? Why weren't they featured more? Will we ever get toys of them? I sure hope so. But for now, they are an enigma.

G10) Everything Else.
This has gone far enough, so I'll cram some final likes here. Sam's parents weren't as bad as the last film. Shia continued to play the part excellently. Simmons and Dutch were great. Dino was so cool that I can forgive his name. Cybertron emerging from the space bridge looked beautiful. Stealth Force was used well and believably. Dreads were cool. Glad the Wreckers weren't rednecks. Dylan made a nice villain. Buzz Aldrin. Despite being a honeycomb, Cybertron looked great. 3D was very effective.

CONCLUSION: DOTM is not a perfect film. It's hardly a great film. It's arguably a good film. But it's not a bad film. It's entertaining. It's fun to watch. You don't need to turn your brain off as much as you needed for ROTF (though you might want to dim function a bit for good measure). ROTF's more critical flaws were addressed to at the least a small degree, and the result is a much better film. I don't know if there could be a sequel, but I wouldn't be adverse to one (though I won't object to Bay's leave). Overall, I liked it. And to be honest, I think you will too. At the very least you'll like the special effects.

TF: 9/10
ROTF 4/10
DOTM: 7.5/10

 

I just have a couple questions. If no one wants to answer here, can someone please shoot me a PM?

1.) Is Soundwave in the movie longer than in ROTF?
2.) Does he have a good speaking role, or just a few lines?
3.) Everyone's been saying Laserbeak was a surprise and that he was badass. Anyone care to explain his role a bit?

I do have patience, yes, but I can't go any longer without knowing the three questions I posted above.

 

EDIT: Stryker055's post above mine nailed everything I have to say. 100% agree.

Just watched it and enjoyed it.

-I was surprised at how G1 this movie was (Cybertron coming to Earth and Lincoln statue were fun nods.)
-nice to see the Matrix again. Too bad it played such a small roll.
-the story was good, if a bit dense
-Not enough characterization of the Autobots or Decepticons, but there's just enough there to make it enjoyable. I wish they'd be more than blunt instruments in these movies.
-some tense moments that were genuinely interesting
-the gross-out humor is gone. Yay!
-you will not miss Megan Fox. You will be glad that she's gone and her awkward acting won't take you out of the story
-If you hate the movieverse, this movie will NOT convert you.
-The last movie I saw in 3D gave me a migraine. This movie's 3D was excellent and added to the experience, instead of subtracting or causing pain.
-Nimoy did a great job as Sentinel
-Shockwave was a gigantic disappointment
-Megatron at the end...wow.
-I'm bummed about Cybertron. I wish OP was too, but I guess he's more fond of earth.


I need to see it again. These movies are always better the second time around.

 

I thought transformers DOTM was pretty good. I wouldn't say it was the best of the three, but better then the 2nd. The third movie shows you how good the 2nd movie could have been if it wasn't for the writer's strike. A must see movie, yet, i can't help to say there was something still missing from the film

 

I wanted to log in and comment on this movie!! I have not done this in a long time... But I had to post on this film!!! IMO it's epic!! The best transformers movie .. Ever!!! Also the best summer movie in the last 3 summers!!! Wow!! Just wow!! I'm sad about the loss of some beloved characters, from both sides. Newfound respect for Megatron !!! It seems like in the last 3 cartoon series and now this movie, he always stills the show!! Wow!!

 

Great movie. Definitely the best of the three. The critics don't know what they're talkin' about, the plot was great and the action was amazing. 3D effects were outstanding!!!
-Love Brains. He was hilarious
-Sentinel Prime was great. Nimoy's voice was similiar to galvatron's in the '86 movie.
-Optimus Prime was simply badass in the last part
-Bumblebee was badass
-Megatron's death was a "don't fuck with us" moment
-Awesome end to the trilogy
-Rosie did well in her debut
Cons
-Lack of Shockwave
-Very ending was a little rushed
-Lack of Megatron scenes
-Starscream's death
-Que and Dino names
-I love the way Prime killed Megatron, I wish it was a longer, epic final battle

All in all, an amazing movie. My favorite for sure

 

Overall pretty good and probably my favorite of the three movies. Where it was good, it was really good. When it was bad, it still wasn't as bad as ROTF.

I could be happier with the amount of characterization that most of the Transformers received. In particular I can't stand it when they use accents on new characters as a cheap and easy alternative to actually developing them in any way shape or form. When there was character involved it was decent enough; in particular I loved Laserbeak. As many others feel, movie Optimus continues to come off all wrong to me. Optimus in the movie continues to trade in his trademark compassion, patience, and wisdom for a bigger arsenal and more execution style killing.

 

Just got back. I LOVED it!. Fan friggin' tastic. I read nothing before hand. No comics no novel. Everything was totally unspoiled for me.

My thoughts:

- First time seeing a real 3D film. So glad I did see it in 3D. It made it so incredible. I have to see more. Although I had a bit of a scare when the 3D trailers started. I thought my glasses were defective or not working with my prescription. Then an employee comes in an asks the audience if the glasses are working. "NO!!" everyone says. I was relieved it wasn't me. The quickly got it in focus before the film started. Now I want to see more. If they are shot like TF3 then It is totally worth it.

- Awesome to get Buzz Aldrin to do a cameo as himself

-Is it me or did anyone else notice Ironhide kinda died of cosmic rust? Seriously he rusts in seconds as he dies. everyone else basically falls down when they die.

-The Star Trek clip Wheelie watches is a bit of a foreshadow given who voices Sentinel. Also anyone else catch the Star Trek II line with the "Needs of the many.."

-Sentinel Prime is as he always was... a dick.

- "We mainly keep [the wreckers] on base.. because they are a$$holes."  

- Q/ Que's death was kinda sad. I expected him to be saved. Poor Q.  

- Loved Screamer going out like a bitch.

- Dutch kicks ass. Loved Simmons with the Russain bar. - *Knock Knock*(panel slides open)"Das Vigonia" "That means goodbye."(Panel closes)

- Loved the parents. Good job not making them total morons this time. Goofy yet loveable.

- Ken Yeung was a riot!

- Loved the little First Person Shooter shot near the end. When I saw that i grinned like an idiot from the joy of it.

 

Just returned from an 8:45 pm showing in Dallas AMC 15. It was 3D and surprisingly there were very few people in the theater. No line was set up...we just walked into the theater. We got there an hour early...and the theater was about 75% full at show time. The midnight showing however was lining up when we got out and it was MANY more people waiting for the show.

First...the movie hands down is 200% better than ROTF and on par (IMO) with the 2007 movie.

First the good:
-- Action packed scenes that left you watching and waiting to see what happened...not just wanting them to hurry up and end.
-- LOVED LOVED the use of the presidents (Kennedy, Nixon, Obama) and Buzz Aldrin. I love when historical fiction is used and I think this movie did it very well.
-- Love Rosie in her white dresses and Louboutin heels! Megan who?
-- Love the use of Leonard Nimoy as S. Prime

The bad:
-- why...oh why did they have to kill off Ironhide like that!?! Seriously...when I was watching it, I was flashing back to 1986 and seeing Prime die in the original animated movie. I hate to see it...Too graphic for kids...too cliche (good guy getting whacked) for me. While I understand why it was done I felt it was too gratuitous and a total cheap shot. Q's death, while graphic...wasn't as hard on me. Maybe I'm an Ironhide at heart.

--Shockwave...why wasn't he used more?!?!?! He's an amazing character in the original cartoon AND even better in the original Marvel comic. In this movie he looked awesome but was basically an extra bad guy to kill. No "motivation"...no desire to rule Cybertron. Basically a shell with no thoughts. And why when Prime first encounters him does he totally disappear afterwards?!

-- Patrick Dempsy...oh lord what a total asswipe. First scheming on Sam's girl, then turning out to be working for the Cons? Total douche and a half...and slightly unnecessary..only to have someone for Sam to beat up on and look tough.

Overall...8 out of 10 stars (minus two for Ironhide and Q). Worth seeing again. Probably watch it in 2D this time to take it all in.

 

1) Yes, Soundwave is in the movie the mostout of all Descepticons.
2) He has a few lines, not too little but not too many.
3) He works witht he human liasons and reports back to Soundwave. He is given the job of assassinating all of the Decepticon's human allies. He does this in very cool and evil ways.

 

I just got home from the 9pm showing of DOTM and I have to say that it was awesome.

The Wreckers really surprised me at how much screen time they actually had.

Starscream's death was awesome.

Ironhide's death was just bullshit, being shot in the back, he deserved a much better death scene than that. Though his and Sideswipe's interaction with the 2 Dreads was amazing.

Mirage and Wheeljack, yes I know they were really Dino and Que but I hate those damn names and even people in the theater I was in were calling them Mirage and Wheeljack. They both were amazing, Mirage was a badass and Wheeljack's death scene was brutal, I felt so bad for him with the way that he died.

Megatron's death really shocked me, I didn't expect that, nor did I expect all of the Decepticon army and Cybertron to be destroyed.

Sentinel's portrayal, I'm still not sure how I feel about him. I hated that he shot Ironhide in the back and then his very dickish line "Dismissed...." Though Nimoy did an amazing job on him. I loved that he brought back his Galvatron pronunciation of Autobots.

And now we're to my favorite Peterbuilt, Optimus. Aggressive as hell, "We will kill them all." Totally out of the norm for Optimus, but he was protecting his Autobots and the humans. I felt that he didn't get that aggressive until after Ironhide was killed. Him killing Megatron though was a complete shock, "Time to find out!"

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Dark of the Moon and I can't wait to see it again, which will be in a few days for my birthday with a few of my friends.

 

IMHO, TF 3 was as good as the original. I read the novelization, so my only critiques of the film are that I prefer the book's ending; through the film ending probably works better for general audiences. I also would have welcomed the Twins in the film if they died the way they did in the novel.

 

i loved it. . .. sentinal prime is john hurt in robot form!!! the film is epic.. .. . the only thing i was like what the?? was carly speaking to megs.. . grrrrrrrrrr but still goood

 

1) yes.

2) he has a good amount of lines they're all awesome

3) he;s a creepy bird spy thing that assume any alt mode he wants. He can essentially camoflage himself to spy.

 

I forget if i mentioned this in my orinagl post, but i really dug soundwave both in general in this movie and as a car.

 

Just got back. Not bad. In fact, compared to ROTF, this was stellar.

There was a defined plot almost the entire way through the film, and by the final battle you actually feel like there is some reason for what's happening and it's not just random jokes and violence.

My three complaints, only two of which are the fault of the film:
1. The movie felt like it was two separate films. One the dark, hard story we've been waiting for. The other the crazy, idiotic comedy. Rarely did this two separate films intersect, and when they did they left a big case of WTF for a few seconds.

2. Sam's "controller" wristwatch being turned into a slapstick routine. Really, it's like somebody got scared it might get taken seriously, and I think it would have come off better if it had been.

3. My theater turned off the credits right after the Simmons credit scene. Pissed me off to no end as I like to watch the credits all the way through on opening night movies. You never know. Anybody that can toss out whether there were other credit scenes, it would be appreciated.

There were more than a couple moments in this movie that gave me that teary eyed, heart-clenching feeling the first movie gave me at certain moments. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to illicit a positive response.

 

Wow. Just wow. I loved this movie.

Easily the best of the three with ROFT being last. A few "comedy" scenes that I would have liked to have been left out. (the restroom scene)

My mind is just blown right now with how amazing this movie is. The 3D was outstanding and worked really well.

My mind is jut too blown right now to give all of my thoughts, I'm tired. I'm giving my full rundown tomorrow.  

 

There weren't.

 

Well... like all the previous Transformers Movies shot by Michael Bay... it was overwhelming. In the theatre I watched they had a pause... never expected that. This pause caused everyone to shout out that the first part was so hectic and that there was no consistancy to the story line. It jumped from one scene to another and several viewers in the theatre had a real hard time to find the red line.

When I think back of what I've seen... it is typical Bay at work here. The ammount of action, explosions, Hack and Slach topples the first two movies in total allready in the beginning of the Movie.

Scene's that impressed me... and I will not spoiler at this... where with Starscream and Sam, Ironhide and Sideswipe and two Cons and the scene's with Cybertron.

This movie has sure pumped up the ammount of Detail in the Transformers themselfs. You see so much more parts moving and more expressions in their faces. What I'm still wondering about, is why the Decepticons allways seem to be spitting and vommiting... oil... or some fluid. Okay... it looks kinda cool.

Well... to wrap up my first post on this movie... I sure am going to see this movie in the Theatres again.

Though one more thing... the parents of Sam scene's, they could best have let them out of this movie. It doesn't add any value to the movie and seeing these scene's it comes back to the same weird humor level as the previous ones.

All I can say to those who haven't seen this movie is....


GET OUT OF YOUR CHAIR AND HEAD OVER TO YOUR NEAREST THEATRE NOW!!

;-)