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Transformers (2007)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

152 reviews

Synopsis

Based on the hugely popular cartoon and toy range from the 1980s, ‘Transformers’ revolves around a war between two sets of robots for supremacy on earth. Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots, who have travelled to earth to protect mankind from Megatron and his evil army of Decepticons. Meanwhile, young human Sam Witwicky buys his first car, which just happens to be Autobot Bumblebee, and soon finds himself embroiled in the battle to save the planet.

Movie review

From Time Out London

The cars – are they here to help us or destroy us? Not an idle question in these carbon-conscious times, and Michael Bay’s ’splosiongasmic ’botfest could, at a stretch, be parsed as a grand-scale id-fantasy of America’s doomed infatuation with the internal combustion engine: both goodies and baddies look sexy as hell, and both leave destruction in their wake. You could even tease an oil-anxiety subtext out of the film’s overseas settings: a spot of blowback in the Middle East and a salutary warning against exploratory polar digging.

As in the ’80s cartoon series/corporate promotional tool on which the movie is based, Earth is the battlefield for two tribes of ancient alien robots who can shape-shift into items of our technology. (They also seem to have developed a kind of robo-parkour.) The evil, spiky Decepticons and the friendly but, in this version, equally spiky Autobots are slugging it out for control of a magic Rubik’s Cube; caught in the middle is high-school kid Sam (Shia LaBeouf), who inadvertently picks up a battered Autobot at a secondhand car lot and develops an even bigger crush on it than he has on the girl from history class (Megan Fox).

Sprawling, hardware-heavy, gung-ho with a streak of cruel humour, ‘Transformers’ is a Michael Bay movie, all right. It’s also about as nimble as a 30-foot behemoth with fried navigation circuits, lunging and lumbering from misfiring comic set-piece to messy pitched battle, landing the occasional bullseye along the way. John Turturro is good value as a sleazy spook but you’ll search in vain for anything like characterisation elsewhere, especially among the robots themselves. Less than meets… you know.

Author: Ben Walters

Time Out London Time Out London Issue 1927: July 25-31 2007

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User reviews of this film

Douglas said...

Posted on Oct 11 2011 00:55 I acn`t belive so much money and special effects could be put into a film of such complete idiocy.

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toby said...

Posted on Oct 31 2010 13:55 totally shallow, stereoptypical characters with no internal logic but the effects were out of this world. worth watching just for that. gets your thing going.

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clliftyyy... said...

Posted on Jan 31 2010 19:00 we were studing madia in english and watched this film for the CGI. im a girl and never really thought to watch it... how wrong i was it was brilliant action packed fast moving film all of the fun filled drama made it more intense. i new it took the director alot to make and a awfull lot to plan but i defonatly payed off.. cant waiit till the next one comes out =P

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David said...

Posted on Jun 22 2009 19:55 I cant beleive people are raiting this film with 5 stars.. It is basically rubish.. full of cliches..trying to be funny.. Mfox is so dull.. and the plot is ridiculos.. I was expecting something better.. as the first one was really cool..

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lazycrazy dog said...

Posted on Jan 23 2009 11:49 great film would watch 1,00000000,00000000 times

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Rikki said...

Posted on Jan 26 2008 14:08 This was definitly film of 2007

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Sam Witwicky said...

Posted on Jan 09 2008 09:30 This good movie uuhhh Girl is fit uuuhhh Megatron cool uuuhh Need make second one uuhh

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yduric said...

Posted on Oct 09 2007 09:31 No, this one's definitely too stupid. Tried, with all the good will I was able to gather, but stopped after 45 minutes, it is definitely so overwhelmed with clichés and tries so desperetaley to be funny, but lamentably fails. It won over my patience.

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princess ashleigh said...

Posted on Sep 20 2007 09:46 Superb, deffo a must see! Child hood memories brought back!x

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James said...

Posted on Sep 18 2007 14:44 OK, thought I'd make a fair comment as this review is so pretentiously biased its unreadable (they won't like that but I have enough serious credentials not to worry!). This is quite simply the most essential, superficial action film ever- if you want serious plotting don't bother, but when it comes to fun that can actually be somewhat moving then this is an outstanding watch. Its based onm a toy line, made into a seminal eighties cartoon which was then made universally accessible with simply the best effects on film ever. It's quite funny, a little sexy and undeniably adrenaline filled. Bearing in mind that the premise is over 20 years old and in no way intellectual, this is a marvellous film.
To sum up: watch if you want to see a funny touching but utterly no-brainer rollercoaster that is even faithful for the 80s fanboys then this is the best film you'll see. If you'd like to tax your mind, why arte you thinking about summer block busters anyway? (Unless you're the kind who'll pretend the Bourne Trilogy is intellectual- I have no time for you!)
The best film of the year that anyone can enjoy!

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Mirei said...

Posted on Sep 17 2007 12:38 Anyone know when this is viewing at the Reading vue cinema? i really want to watch it

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autobot said...

Posted on Sep 15 2007 14:03 amazing film one of the best this year

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sonya said...

Posted on Sep 06 2007 23:30 Well I saw thevery first viewing on the sat morning just after midnight.....I was expecting to fall asleep as it was late......but how wrong was Ithis film was much better than I expected it to be

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Danni said...

Posted on Sep 04 2007 13:10 Agree, I didnt like the look of it much but after I got persuaded to watch it - I'm hooked!!! Brilliant movie, one of the best I've seen this year.
Also very funny - nearly wet myself, just couldnt stop laughing!

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cooldudette x said...

Posted on Sep 03 2007 16:39 looks rubbish xc

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