“Who would you be without me, Prime?” —Megatron
Today’s quick review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon. While on the hunt for a job, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) stumbles onto a government conspiracy covering up the existence of an Autobot ship that crashed on the Moon. Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) rescues Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy), the former leader of the Autobots, from stasis on the disabled ship. But it’s not long before the Decepticons try to steal the powerful weapon Sentinel controls.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a sci-fi action adventure from director Michael Bay. The third film in the Transformers series chronicles the next phase of the Autobots’ sojourn on Earth, a time of escalating tensions between the Autobots and their human allies. Meanwhile, the Decepticons scheme from the shadows and prepare their largest attack yet. Impressive action and a large-scale plot are hurt by loose storytelling and some odd decisions.
Dark of the Moon’s greatest success is the way it scales up the action. From the early skirmishes with the Decepticons to the cataclysmic finale, the movie delivers plenty of sci-fi action, backed by flashy set pieces and a hefty special effects budget. The action scenes have the same sense of chaos as the previous films, but they are somewhat easier to follow. The fight choreography is also more violent, which helps to raise the stakes.
Dark of the Moon suffers from some of the same flaws as the previous movies, only amplified. The plot hangs together loosely at the best of times, a series of twists and revelations that have little of the dramatic weight the movie intends them to. The goofy humor centered around Sam and some of the Autobots never quite hits its stride. The tone also takes a dramatic turn halfway through the movie, splitting it into two distinct parts.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a solid pick for anyone looking for a popcorn action movie that emphasizes special effects and destruction. Fans of the series may not like Dark of the Moon’s status quo changes and tonal shift, while general audiences will be critical of its story logic. But for anyone willing to overlook these issues, Dark of the Moon offers sci-fi action of a kind that few other movies can match.
For a superhero movie with similarly cataclysmic stakes, try Man of Steel or The Avengers. For a smaller-scale story about a heroic robot, try Iron Giant. For a sci-fi action movie with somewhat similar action, check out Rampage.
6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for flashy action held back by an uneven script.